Our produce quality programme

Good roots make good fruit (and vegetables)! Our products have shown stunning results in improving fruit flavour in apples, berries and other fruit varieties, as well as wine made from Biostart-treated grapevines. Our programme also reduces rejects and gives greater uniformity in fruit size and shape.

Product	Timing	Application
Fruit trees and vines
Mycorrcin	Early spring, at flowering and at fruit set.	Apply 1-3 L of dilute Mycorrcin (10 mL Mycorrcin to 1 L water) per plant around the base of the plant with a watering can or sprayer.
Foliacin	Prebloom through to harvest	Apply dilute Foliacin (5 mL Foliacin to 1 L water) every 2-3 weeks to foliage. 1 L of dilute Foliacin will treat 50m².
Digester	After harvest	In autumn after harvest apply 1-3 L of dilute Digester (10 mL of Digester to 1 L water) per plant around the base of the plant with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L mixture covers 10m².
Biostart N	At green tip or bud break	Apply dilute Biostart N (0.5 mL to 1 L water) directly to the soil with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m².
	Post harvest	Apply dilute Biostart N (1 mL to 1 L water) directly to the soil with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m².
Vegetables
Mycorrcin	At sowing	Spray the seed bed with dilute Mycorrcin (10 mL Mycorrcin to 1 L water). 1 L of mixture covers 10m² or 100 seedlings.
	At transplant	Soak seedlings in dilute Mycorrcin and spray the planting bed with dilute Mycorrcin. 1 L of mixture covers 10m² or 100 seedlings.
Foliacin	Early growth through to harvest	Apply dilute Foliacin (2.5 mL Foliacin to 1 L water) to the leaves of the plant with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m². Re-apply every 10–14 days.
Digester	After harvest	Spray crop residue with dilute Digester (10 mL to 1 L Digester) and lightly incorporate. 1 L mixture covers 10m².
Biostart N	Sowing	Apply dilute Biostart N (0.5 mL to 1 L water) directly to the soil with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m². For improved results, co-apply with Mycorrcin.

Our plant resilience programme

For general resilience in times of stress such as exposure to spray drift, disease drought conditions, our foliar biostimulant, Foliacin, provides a boost to the plant’s health system. Foliacin helps with leaf retention and ensures plants survive and thrive better in environmentally tough times (drought, heat stress, water stress). It also returns the bloom to apples and other crops.

Mycorrcin is a soil biostimulant that activates the naturally occurring beneficial microbes present in your soil to improve plant resilience as well as moisture retention. Having healthy soil biology in the plant root zone stimulates the plants “immune system” which makes the plant resilient during drought and heat stress.

Digester helps to return nutrients and organic matter to the soil for improved plant nutrition, increases the soil’s water holding capacity as well as improves soil aeration and structure and reduces plant disease by decomposing the organic material it feeds on.

Biostart N is a certified organic biofertiliser, and is great at improving the results of Mycorrcin or Organic Mycorrcin in spring, on poorly aerated or water-logged soils, and to promote root growth.

Programme

Product	Timing	Application
Fruit trees and vines
Mycorrcin	Early Spring and during periods of stress	Apply dilute Mycorrcin (50 mL Mycorrcin to 1 L water) around the base of the plant with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m².
Foliacin	During periods of stress	Initially apply dilute Foliacin (5 mL Foliacin to 1 L water) to the leaves of the plants with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m². Then repeat at a dilution rate of 2 mL Foliacin to 1 L water every 10–14 days.
Digester	For heavy disease over-wintering, cut-out diseased orchards	Apply dilute DIgester (30 mL to 1 L water) over leaf litter to the soil with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m².
Biostart N	Spring	For use on poorly aerated or water-logged soils, and to promote root growth apply dilute Biostart N (0.5 mL to 1 L water) directly to the soil with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m². For improved results, co-apply with Mycorrcin.
Vegetables
Mycorrcin	Early Spring and during periods of stress	Apply dilute Mycorrcin (10 mL Mycorrcin to 1 L water) around the base of the plant with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m².
Foliacin	During periods of stress	Initially apply dilute Foliacin (5 mL Foliacin to 1 L water) to the leaves of the plants with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m². Then repeat every 10–14 days.
Digester	Post harvest	Apply dilute Digester (20 mL of Digester to 1 L of water) over crop residue to the soil then lightly incorporate. For crops with heavy disease over-wintering, e.g. asparagus, the rate of 30 mL Digester to 1 L water. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m².
Biostart N	Spring	For use on poorly aerated or water-logged soils, and to promote root growth apply dilute Biostart N (0.5 mL to 1 L water) directly to the soil with a watering can or sprayer. 1 L of mixture will treat 50m². For improved results, co-apply with Mycorrcin.

Our organic plant protection programme

Prevent and control botrytis (Botrytis cinerea) in fruit and vegetables the gentle way with Biostart’s biological control spray, TripleX. TripleX works on grapes, avocado, top fruit and vegetables for botrytis as well as preventing sooty mould in kiwifruit.

Rather than harsh chemicals, TripleX contains a beneficial biocontrol microbe that controls and prevents the development of these diseases without negative side effects.

Tackle powdery mildew on fruit and vegetable crops and sooty mould on citrus trees with Karbyon. Karbyon is a certified organic microencapsulated fungicide that gently but thoroughly removes sooty mound.

Product	Timing	Application
Fruit trees and vines
TripleX	Botrytis in grapes	At flowering spray dilute TripleX (5 mL TripleX to 1 L of water) on plants to the point of run-off.
	Botrytis in stone fruit, citrus, avocado and persimmons	Prior to periods of disease pressure spray dilute TripleX (5 mL TripleX to 1 L of water) on plants to the point of run-off. Repeat fortnightly.
	Sooty mould in kiwifruit	In early January to late March when passion vine hoppers (PVH) and cicadas are active spray fruit and foliage with dilute TripleX (3 mL to 1 L of water) to the point of run-off.
Karbyon	Powdery mildew in grapes, berries, citrus and ornamentals	For prevention and control of low-level infections of powdery mildew, spray dilute Karbyon at the rate of 10 g Karbyon to 1 L of water until the point of run-off at 10-15-day intervals. When disease pressure is high or infection is severe, apply at the higher dilution rate of 20 g Karbyon to 1 L water at 7-10 day intervals until disease is controlled.
	Sooty mould in citrus	For prevention and control of low-level infections of sooty mould, spray dilute Karbyon at the rate of 10 g Karbyon to 1 L of water until the point of run-off at 10-15-day intervals. When disease pressure is high or infection is severe, apply at the higher dilution rate of 20 g Karbyon to 1 L water at 7-10 day intervals until disease is controlled.
Vegetables
TripleX	Botrytis	Prior to periods of disease pressure spray dilute TripleX (1.5 mL TripleX to 1 L of water) on plants, 1 L of mixture will cover 10m2. Repeat fortnightly until disease is under control.
Karbyon	Powdery mildew in vegetables	For prevention and control of low-level infections of powdery mildew, spray dilute Karbyon at the rate of 30 g Karbyon to 1 L of water until the point of run-off at 10-15-day intervals. When disease pressure is high or infection is severe, apply at the higher dilution rate of 50 g Karbyon to 1 L water at 7-10 day intervals until disease is controlled.

Breaking down plant material, cover crops and green manure

Prunings can take a long time to break down, as can old crops. Digester is a biostimulant that gets decomposition microbes going to break down dead plant matter fast. This means the nutrients and organic matter gets returned to the soil more fully, resulting in better yields in the following crop and better long-term soils structure. Digester also reduces disease carry over into the next seasons crop for Botrytis, Powdery Mildew and Brown Rot.

Many growers are using green manure or cover crops to further boost the soil organic matter levels. Swift breakdown of these crops into soil organic matter is required before the ground can be planted with new seeds. Applying Digester to green manure and cover crops prior to incorporating them into the soil reduces the time for the seed bed to be ready for planting and returns more nutrients to the next crop increasing the next crop’s yield.

Product	Timing	Application
Digester	After harvest	Spray crop residue with dilute Digester (10 mL Digester to 1 L water) and lightly incorporate. 1 L mixture covers 10m².

Better utilising compost in soil

Home gardeners know the benefit of compost in improving your soils and plant growth. Applying Mycorrcin to compost prior to adding it to soil improves the speed with which compost is incorporated by accelerating the breakdown process.

Product	Timing	Application
Digester	Autumn	Apply dilute Digester (10 mL Digester to 1 L water) to ground before spreading compost. 1 L mixture covers 10m².
Mycorrcin	Spring	Spray dilute Mycorrcin (1 mL Mycorrcin to 1 L water) to ground before applying compost. 1 L mixture covers 10m².

Thatch breakdown programme

Product	Timing	Application
Lawns
ThatchBusta	Spring or autumn	Spray lawn with dilute ThatchBusta (10 mL ThatchBusta to 1 L water). 1 L of mixture covers 10m².
Turf
ThatchBusta	Spring or autumn	Ground spray dilute ThatchBusta (25 mL ThatchBusta to 1 L water). 1 L of mixture covers 10m².
Pasture
ThatchBusta	Spring – Soil temperature 10°C and rising	Ground spray dilute ThatchBusta (3 L ThatchBusta to 200 L water). Paddocks will yellow for approximately four weeks.

NZ Grass Grub Control programme

BioShield Grass Grub Liquid is a biopesticide containing a naturally occurring NZ soil bacterium for the control of New Zealand grass grub. This product prevents the build-up of grass grub larvae numbers thereby reducing the pasture damage caused by the larvae.

Product	Timing	Application
BioShield®	Between January and May	Dilute 10mL of BioShield® Lawn Care in 1 L of clean water. Use a knapsack sprayer in the late afternoon to recently mown lawn. 1 L of mixture covers 10 m² of lawn. After application water the lawn for 15 mins.

Ruminant health programme

Optimal gut health created by the Biostart programme enhances resilience at times of stress or at feed changes and ensures strong growth and high lambing rates.

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Product	Animal	Dose rate
Ruminant
	Lambs	2 mL/head at weaning and prior to feed changes and transport
	Ewes/Hoggets/Rams	2 mL/head prior to feed changes, mating and transport
	Merinos	4 mL/head prior to feed changes, mating and transport
	Calves	10 mL/head at weaning and prior to feed changes and transport
	Cattle	20 mL/head prior to feed changes, mating and transport

BioStart Ruminant can be administered as an oral dose or diluted and sprayed over hard feed.