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Garston Willow Planting Case Study
Client
Sheep Farmer in Garston, SouthlandLocation
Garston, South Canterbury
Goal
James is a sheep farmer from Garston, Southland which is a relatively unexplored town between Queenstown and Te Anau and is one of the stops on the ‘Around the Mountains Cycle Trail’ as well as a tourist destination for glamping. He planted willow seedlings along his fence lines as a shelterbelt to stop his farm being hammered by the Central Otago winds. Willow, osiers and sallow are groups of several hundred species of deciduous trees and shrubs from the genus salix. Because they are fast growing, flexible and easy to propagate, they can be useful when planted as a buffer zone between homes and growing zones and sources of air and noise pollution.
Challenge
As it was at a critical stage during the lambing season, James allowed grazing from the sheep around the young willow shelterbelt. Unfortunately, the sheep took a liking to them, chewing and stripping off the bark. Additionally, due to the large rabbit population in this area, these notorious pests also began to cause extensive damage to the willow trunks and foliage.
Solution
The option of removing stock from these areas and pest proofing them was a consideration, however James approached Advance Landscape Systems and was recommended a product by our consultants which would allow him to protect the willows completely from both sheep and rabbits, whilst still allowing the sheep to graze freely amongst the trees. The KBC™ SquareGuard 1.2m is a guard which has been specifically designed to protecting plants and trees from sheep and cattle with its height and strong twin-wall design, allowing it stand up against nudges from grazing animals and perform well in high winds.
The added benefit with choosing a KBC™ SquareGuard is:
- Its wrap-around design allows it to be easily installed around larger established trees or plants and removed once the tree is well established.
- These are re-usable guards and can be given back to Advance Landscape Systems as part of their ‘take-back recycling scheme’ – click here to read more about it.
- These guards come standard with a 38mm hardwood stake but for situations where extra stability is required, a second stake can be easily added.
Performance
The KBC™ SquareGuard - 1.2m was the ideal choice for this application as it not only provided ultimate protection from browsing animals, it was also sturdy against stock rub and strong winds, providing the ideal microclimate for the shelterbelt to survive and thrive.
Click on our comparison chart to help you make a quick and easy decision on the best plant guard for your application!
