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New Zealand ArticleNEW “TIE that BINDS” & GROWS WITH YOUR PLANTS This innovative biodegradable rubber tie overcomes the familiar problems of trellis & stake-grown plants secured by permanent ties. Called ANCHOR BANDS Ô the new range offers all the benefits of conventional ties without any of the drawbacks & is exclusively available through Fruitfed Supplies. Permanent ties are just that. The fact is permanent (wire & plastic) ties don’t allow for plant growth. Damage results when a plant outgrows such ties. Ties that stretch (tapes & stocking) tend to stay that way & not provide the required support. Anchor Bands are different in that they will stretch to accommodate plant growth & will continue to grip providing support. After the training period Anchor Bands will biodegrade, fall off & eventually breakdown in the soil. Grip is important. A tie not being able to grip the plant support structure is a problem many growers face, particularly when using wire trellis or bamboo stakes. Plants sliding along trellis in windy conditions can cause a major headache for growers causing damage to plants & the quality of fruit they provide. Even the better permanent ties applied by the best field worker can tend to stretch & loose their grip. The result is a tie that slides along the trellis or down the stake. Being rubber, Anchor BandsÔ expand & contract providing stretch while still maintaining a firm grip. Efficiency of Application & RemovalMost growers look at the initial cost of their inputs, (how many ties per hectare cost per tie etc), as this is a requirement of responsible budgeting & management. How long a task takes to complete needs to be considered & that means application & removal of ties. Most permanent ties used in kiwi (for example), make hands & wrists sore, this causes a slowing of the work rate over time. This can add 9 second per tie that multiplied by ties per hectare adds up extra time & labor. However, this is only one part of the associated time & labor cost. Permanent ties make for difficult removal; requiring an extra cut per tie. In some cases ties are left on the trellis because they are too difficult to remove. Unsightly debris remains on the trellis & litters the ground. The extra time & labor far outweighs the cost per tie. By contrast Anchor Bands are quicker to apply, are soft on the hands & have none of the above drawbacks. They are quicker to remove as well, just prune as if they are not there & pull the cane away. The Anchor Band will just flick off or break & later biodegrade. This results in quicker pruning & debris free trellis.
Thus, although the initial cost per tie is less for permanent ties application & removal times need to be considered along with possible drawbacks. Ties should be chosen on the basis of suitability to task. Anchor Bands can be used in many situations limited by the
imagination of the grower & provide a “Set & Forget” element to
plant management. Available in
seven sizes Anchor Bands are used in: Vineyards, Kiwi, nurseries, tomatoes,
olives & all pome & stone fruit.
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