Biocast applications:

OTHER SETTINGS

 

Introduction

We are yet to meet a plant that doesn’t like Biocast. Adding Biocast is like adding a dose of Nature – so the more removed from natural settings your growing environment is, or the more disturbed, the more we would expect to see the microbes and their byproducts have a beneficial effect. Turf, green walls, hydroponics and tree planting are just some of the settings where Biocast can be used:

Turf

 Whether you’re a turf farmer, bowling green keeper, sports field manager or public spaces carer, Biocast can help your grass to be as lush and robust as possible. What sets Biocast and biostimulants apart from other turf products is that the roots are looked after just as much as the leaf blade, giving the grass plant a strong and healthy base. What this means:

  • Deeper, more extensive roots allow grass plants to be more resilient to the variables of weather
  • Turf withstands traffic better
  • Greater water storage in the soil and reduced water runoff – much more efficient water usage
  • Greater resistance to pest and disease pressures such as nematodes, black beetle, pill bug, and rust
  • Microbes in the soil enable much more efficient fertiliser usage.

As this is a probiotic product, for best effect we do not recommend using it with some of the antimicrobial turf products on the market – contact us if you would like to discuss your regime. If you are looking for a natural, non-toxic alternative with no withholding period, give Biocast a try!

A note on weeds: Lush grass growth means less space for ‘weeds of the gaps’ like bindis and flat weeds; however it might favour other species such as clover.

Application

We recommend foliar (leaf surface) application at a rate of 5 L per hectare. For small areas a watering can can be used with a 1:20 dilution of water. For larger areas a backpack sprayer or other irrigation system can be used with a coarse droplet.

Frequency:

  • New turf – apply on the day of planting, then weekly for the first month. Apply after watering the grass.
  • Maintenance – once a month, ideally not in the heat of the day.
  • Sick or struggling grass – apply weekly until it recovers

 

Green walls

 The urban jungle is an extreme growing situation for most plants, and green walls are particularly so because plants are separate from soil and beneficial soil microbes. Biocast will add life to your growing medium, giving plants access to their natural biological associations. Benefits of this include:

  • Visually, plants are more lush
  • Better plant longevity
  • Better transplant success rates, and reduced transplant shock
  • Improved flower display for flowering plants – typically larger and more abundant blooms
  • More nutritious food plants (e.g. herbs)
  • Reduced susceptibility to pests and diseases because your plant is healthier and has its own functioning immune system
  • More efficient fertiliser use, as the microbes make nutrients bio-available.

Additionally, this is a natural, non-toxic product in line with the green living ideals of many green walls. 

Application:

We recommend a weekly to fortnightly application, either as a foliar (leaf) application or fertigation. It will not block irrigation systems. Please contact us if you wish to discuss how Biocast fits with your plant nutrition regime.

 

Hydroponics

 

Without contact with soil and beneficial soil microbes, plants are very susceptible to ill health, including the associated low nutrient density and susceptibility to pests and diseases. In hydroponic settings we say “add the biology that you want for growth or the biology you don’t want will add itself!”. Use of Biocast has been very successful at disease suppression through competition – for example on mildews, pithium, and fusarium. It will also Increase sap pressure and plant vigour, allowing plants to defend themselves. This also gives a better product, in particular a longer shelf life for things like lettuce and cut flowers.

Application:

Variable, depending on your set up and what you’re growing. As a guide, for long-lived plants once a month is adequate, and weekly for fast-growing annuals. Biocast can be applied with a watering can or spray pack on a coarse droplet, or through your fertigation system.

 

Tree planting

Tree planting often takes place in a modified or degraded environment where soil microbes are not optimal.  Biocast can help to remedy this, and get trees off to a great start. The beneficial microbes and their byproducts in Biocast will:

  • Stimulate new root growth, reducing transplant shock and losses
  • Aids establishment of feeder roots so the plant establishes and starts growing quickly
  • Give plants access to minerals in the soil (enzymes make nutrients plant available)
  • Retain water better and prevent soil becoming hydrophobic
  • Speed up the process of trees forming underground fungal networks so they can ‘talk’ to each other
  • Shift soil ecology from supporting pioneer weeds (e.g. bidens) to woodier forest associations

Application:

Prior to planting, soak root ball in a 1:20 dilution of Biocast with water until it is wet through – 5 minutes for tube stock, 2 hours for more mature trees, up to 24 hours with the pot off for severely pot bound plants.

A foliar application once a fortnight to once a month during establishment will also be beneficial. Dilute Biocast with water 1:20 and apply with a watering can or backpack sprayer (or spray unit for big jobs) on a coarse droplet, to the point of runoff.

     

    Please contact us if you wish to discuss your particular growing situation!