OGS Ash Tree Fungal Program

Claret Ash, Fraxinus oxycarpa Raywood is a popular ornamental tree widely planted in the cooler districts of Australia for its exquisite red autumn foliage. Many trees are today exhibiting crown dieback which takes several seasons to become apparent and eventually ends in tree death. 

This fungal pathogen (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), is thought to be responsible in most cases and was not formally identified until 2012.

It is thought that the disease, now widespread across the UK, arrived in Australia only recently via imported planting stock and spore masses from Europe.

There is no cure or preventative treatment which will alleviate or mitigate the pathogen, however there are actions which a landowner can take to manage the situation.

The Ash Tree Fungal Program is a combination of 2 products.

1)

The OGS Trichoderma Fungi Blend is a powerful probiotic containing the beneficial fungal species Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma lignorum and Trichoderma koningii, which act to suppress plant pathogens including Pythium, and prevent numerous diseases.

When applied as a treatment prior to planting, the Trichoderma fungi kill all present pathogens and further provide protection against soil-borne pathogens.

The strains present are all rhizosphere competent, meaning they are able to grow on plant roots, and from this vantage point they are able to collectively control almost every known pathogenic fungus while providing substantial benefits to plant and root health.

The mycelia of these fungi produce a variety of enzymes including chitinases and cellulases, facilitating the rapid decomposition of organic matter.

2) 

Organic Gardening Microbes (OGM) has been demonstrated to promote a more efficient release of nutrients from organic and microbial inputs, ultimately producing superior quality crops in terms of health, colour, flavour and yield.

OGM is a Probiotic Liquid Microbial Inoculant that requires no brewing.

It contains five families, ten genera and more than 80 types of aerobic and anaerobic microbes including lactic acid bacteria, phytosynthetic bacteria, yeasts, fungi and actinomycetes.

The use of OGM leads to crops with improved health, flavour, colour and biomass by greatly increasing the content of disease preventing phytochemicals in and available to your plants.

Studies have found that the fruit from OGM treated plants have twice the antioxidant activity than the same plants in absence of OGM.

These benefits are achieved in part through a 34-54% increase in:

-Flavanol’s and Flavonol’s responsible for certain flavours (and health benefits for humans),

-Anthocyanin’s responsible for gorgeous deep purple, blue and red colourations, as well as protection from overexposure to UV light,

-Other polyphenols used as signals in vital growth processes such as ripening, hormone control, deterrence of herbivores and the prevention of infection.

In addition, the beneficial microorganisms in OGM accelerate the conversion of organic matter into humus and exude polysaccharides that lead to improved soil tilth.

Composting with OGM On top of the fantastic benefits for your garden listed above, OGM can also serve as a composting accelerator.

The microbes in EM-accelerated compost help to suppress foul odours, and the compost itself achieves a slightly higher temperature in the early stages of composting which can more rapidly kill off pathogens (the final pathogen levels are no lower than a standard compost pile that has finished cooking, but could make your compost "useable" sooner).

Ultimately, EM-accelerated compost will observe about a 1% increase in plant available Nitrogen content, a 70% fat reduction and a slightly enhanced humification process over the course of 3 months when compared to compost piles without OGM.

This makes OGM ideal for home composting.