EcoCover Mulch Users Say
Feedback from Around the World

• "Just wanted to let you know we have put down the EcoCover and it is REALLY a great product.  I hope we can get more next year.  It is FAR superior to plastic.  Are you going to set-up a manufacturing plant out west?  I know MANY organic producers would love to use this product."

  • James Cassidy
    CSS Instructor
    Faculty Research Assistant - Soil Physics Laboratory
    OSU Organic Growers Club - Member/Marketing Director/Faculty Advisor
    Oregon State University USA
     

• Field Report February 1, 2007
  
  From Jim Matthews, President of the Organic Kiwifruit Growers Association New Zealand
  
  Here is a photo of Ecocover at work. They [new plantings] are now about 7 months old and as you can see [EcoCover weed squares] have kept the spring growth and our unusual summer growth at bay. We have not applied any herbicides. Where we poured compost tea over some the fungi broke the ecocover down earlier - should have put the tea on BEFORE the EcoCover.  Not only have they worked well, but you don't have to worry about spray or damaging the soil biology. Fit and forget as the saying goes.  PS - the sheep like to sleep on them too!!
  
  Details from Gary Grant, EcoCover Representative
  
  Ecocover 650 mats laid down on 12 September 2006.  Mat was placed around plant and stake and protective plastic cover after planting.  Jim agreed a better result would be achieved if mat was laid at time of planting.  Tea compost did accelerate the breakdown of Ecocover as did the sheep laying down on the mat and walking on the mat.  When asked the question would you order Ecocover based on results to date on new plantings? - The response was yes.  Stated even though the mat has started to breakdown for the reasons mentioned he considers Ecocover has done a very effective job in controlling weed growth during the spring and will do so during this autumn.  Felt that Ecocover may have the potential to allow harvesting from new vines 1 year earlier than normal (year 4); that represents an income of $100 per vine per year by providing up front proper treatment at the start of the vine's life.
   

• Field Report January 31, 2007
  
  New Zealand melon grower Keld Whakatane is very happy with the performance of EcoCover EcoCrop as a weed control.  Approaching the end of the growing season in New Zealand EcoCrop still not broken down which is very good.  Ease of disposal compared to plastic is a major benefit in using Ecocover; just plough it into the ground.  Has not noticed any difference in quality or size of melons compared to non EcoCover production.  Ideally would like a longer roll length to shorten installation time.  Will Keld Whakatane repeat order EcoCrop for the 2007-2008 growing season??  Reply - Yes.

  • Gary Grant, EcoCover Representative
     

• “The performance of the many hundreds of EcoCover squares on our rural property has been outstanding. In less than 12 months the trees have more than doubled in size, with very healthy foliage that would have been choked without the EcoCover. The rehabilitation site is particularly prone to the strong prevailing wind and historically plant losses would be high. We have none”.

  • Robertson Farm, Clevedon, New Zealand
     

• “The EcoCover rolls were a pleasure to lay down. I was impressed with how long it lasted in the unfavorable weather conditions (rain and wind gusts up to 100kph) before we applied a 1 inch layer of bark over the top. The new plantings have taken off extremely well, all credit to the EcoCover with no losses and no weeds. Much interest has been shown by locals and tourists alike and we will be using the product again.”

  • Ranger, Department of Conservation, Stewart Island, New Zealand
     

• “EcoCover – exclusive mulch supplier to Television New Zealand’s award winning series, ‘Mucking In’ ”.
   

• “Water is the most important problem facing agriculture and horticulture in Queensland. With our new plantings using EcoCover, we immediately reduced out watering regime by 50% (saving on water, transport and labor costs, as well as improving our public image) and will in all probability reduce this by a further 50% if our present monitoring continues to show such outstanding results”.

  • Queensland City Council, Australia
     

• “EcoCover mulch mat epitomizes 21st century thinking in the new eco-nomy. In practical terms the use of EcoCover on our public gardens has significantly reduced the growing waste paper mountain and reduced our maintenance costs. Furthermore the growth rate of plants with EcoCover protection has exceeded our expectations. This revolutionary product comes with our strongest recommendation”.

  • CEO, Waitakere City, New Zealand
     

• “We have trialed a significant number of EcoCover squares in various locations for weed suppression in plantation forestry during the past 12 months. EcoCover is providing total weed control on all sites and exceptional growth with healthy plantings. EcoCover did everything they said it would and more”.

  • Trees for Earth, Queensland, Australia
     

• “It is with great satisfaction I am writing to you today as I have recently seen some of the benefits of using EcoCover at some test sites. The instructions you gave for the use of the product were clear and straight forward, its establishment made so much easier. I found the function of the product to be superb as both a weed mat and an additional moisture retention barrier. In addition to these qualities EcoCover's added fertilizer content released over time in parallel with its natural biodegradation, was a brilliant accelerator to growth and plant establishment. The large sites EcoCover was used on were particularly tough, (slopes, prone to drought, waste soils) however, the product responded really well. To top it off its 100% recycled contents pushed all the right buttons especially where our native re-vegetation exercises were being carried out”.

  • EG, (Local Council) United Kingdom
     

• “In 1990 a professional landscaper laid black plastic overlaid with bark for our entire landscaping. The plants always appeared stunted, showing poor growth and the soil under the plastic stank. I decided to have a team lay EcoCover and replant. To remove the plastic from the soil, the plastic being in almost perfect condition after all these years, a car tow bar was required as the plastic had intertwined with the plant roots. The soil was devoid of worm life, whitish and very friable. The soil was replaced, the gardens replanted with EcoCover and the new growth is amazing”.

  • C&BC, Auckland, New Zealand
     

• “We used EcoCover mulch mat on a high profile commercial planting in early 2005. The product delivered significant benefits and substantial cost savings – no plant mortality (at all), a 25% reduction in the planting density due to rapid growth (EcoCover produced faster growth rates than any other garden in our care), excellent weed control and saved us more than 100 hours in annual maintenance just on this one garden”.

  • KP, Techscape, Auckland
     

• “We made the mistake of planting a large area without any mulch. In a very short time the new plants were totally overcrowded with weeds. It was difficult to clear the areas with a weed eater and some plants were damaged and others lost. We decided our remedial work would incorporate the use of EcoCover squares. The plantings now look great, healthy and no weeds. It would have been far cheaper for us to have ‘done it right the first time’ with EcoCover in spite of the higher up front cost. Not using the product in fact had a higher cost to us both in labor and plant losses”.

  • M&LC, Brookby Heights Farm, Brookby, New Zealand
     

• “Our site is large, steep and planted with a large number of small (only about 12 inches tall) New Zealand (NZ) natives using Ecocover weed squares around each plant. The planting was done at the start of the NZ summer in October 2003, not an ideal time to be planting NZ native trees! Being a rental property, we did not look at the plants again until March 2004 and were absolutely thrilled and surprised by how much they had grown and how many plants had survived through the summer without being watered, the slope being mowed, or in any way cleared of weeds. We saw the plants again in October 2004 (one year after planting) and they continued to flourish. By this time the Ecocover had largely disappeared and weeds were growing around the native trees, however the natives by then had reached 2-3 feet at least in height and weeds were no longer a problem. We are therefore delighted with the results using Ecocover, from a moisture retention viewpoint, the rapid growth and plant survival rate and from a weed control viewpoint”.

  • LP, Whangaparoa, New Zealand
     

• “The crop is Russian garlic with an acre planted. The trial was planted in early May. The farmer saturated the mat by dropping in their dam and was able to push the garlic clove through the mat as they planted. The property owners were impressed with the product. There was a good level of moisture evident under the mat and no weeds at all”.

  • CHC, Coffs Harbour, Australia
     

• “I have planted 200 Grisolina hedge plants and forty exotics, natives and citrus under EcoCover. It was a delight to use and I am staggered at the new growth, even over the cool autumn period. We have not had a single loss and there is zero weed growth in what is usually a highly competitive environment. My husband also used EcoCover over a field drain prior to covering it with topsoil and is amazed how much more efficient this has made the drain because fine soil did not immediately settle through the drainage metal and into the drain coil - a new (previously un-thought of !!) use for EcoCover”.

  • JM, Tawharanui, New Zealand
     

• Sustainable business consulting guru and the best selling author of "Natural Capitalism", Dr. Hunter Lovins, visited the EcoCover plant in Auckland during her speaking tour down under in July 2006.  She observed closely the manufacturing process and visited with EcoCover plant manager Phil Dunn and managing director Murray Cruickshank.  Hunter's conclusion:

   
   "EcoCover exemplifies every aspect of Natural Capitalism. It takes waste products and uses biological wisdom to create a product that displaces a petrochemical non renewable resource. The business hires previously unemployed people; the product significantly enhances food production; saves water; stops weeds; and makes money. EcoCover is very impressive."
   
  

  To view Hunter's website: natcapsolutions

  As a result of her visit, Dr. Lovins is now featuring EcoCover in her presentations around the country and around the world.  The world needs sustainable business solutions and EcoCover is one of the best of them.  Read more about the opportunity.

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