Smarter seaweed
Looking to science for solutions based in nature
to build a future for wildlife. At the Zoo this is reflected in a complete immersion experience of plants, design and landscape replicating environments natural to the animals that people, especially children, can learn from. People want to come to the Zoo as a place of beauty and it simply couldn’t continue in its old form.”
Many will remember Auckland Zoo’s horticulture of old; its public spaces adorned with large bedding gardens featuring striking blazes of colour, “Much like you’d find in New Zealand town centres, big annual beds that put on a fantastic show of colour and even a Kiwi made out of echeverias and begonias. When I started at the Zoo, horticulture was largely restricted to making public spaces pretty and little to do with animal husbandry or enriching natural habitats. We had to rethink plant selection and design and the contribution it could make to an ‘immersive’ landscape zoo experience.”
Plant selection for the new habitats is “hugely important” according to Hugo, with the primary focus being to simulate an animal’s wild habitat.
“It’s like a canvas we paint, with plants! Where we can fit in and advocate threatened plant species within a habitat we’ll include, as it also increases the botanical diversity of our collection. But our main aim is to give the sense of place to the animals and visitors and we do that by using a combination of native and exotic plants that give a similar look and feel to the animal’s place of origin.”
Hugo is blunt when it comes to plant survival. “We don’t pamper them. While we do water and use mulch, anything that is fickle or hard to grow in our conditions doesn’t get used. The sheer scale of the Zoo means it’s essential that all plants need minimal maintenance.”
The increasing focus on plants and landscape as part of the total zoo experience is evident in the Africa Safari
Horticulture must not only create an experience for the animals, but for the public as well.
Track, which features plants native to Africa combined with New Zealand natives.
“Groupings of plants is important to create a natural look. I have created a really neat Aloe collection that is incorporated into the landscape, including a canopy of magnificent tree aloes (Aloe bainsii) to set the savannah scene.
“The African savannah also has a thorn forest element – dense, shrubby scrub-like vegetation – we have used African species such as the kei-apple (Dovyalis caffra) with its long thorns as well as some of NZ’s divaricating plants, such as Coprosma virescens and Myrsine divaricata. They look like they grow in arid climates with their multiplicity of wide angled stems, which give the perfect look and feel for thorn forest thickets. Together with some African natives, they sit in the landscape in complete harmony. Green oasis elements are accentuated by using the Senegal date palm (Phoenix reclinata) and NZ puka (Meryta sinclairii).”
Grasslands are also a feature of this African habitat, with Hugo opting to use NZ native grasses including various Carex species and Anemanthele grass.
As people move through the Zoo, they transition from arid lands to more watered, tropical environments. Soon after Hugo started in his role, a South American rainforest was created to rehouse the primate collection, followed by Galapagos and Australian habitats. Where possible, natural elements such as water have been used to create containment, doing away with bars and cages.
The Zoo is currently in the midst of its biggest, and most difficult development, the South East Asia
Jungle Track. “Right in the heart of the Zoo, it’s challenging in terms of construction, especially using cranes and trucks around public spaces,” explains Hugo.
The entire Jungle Track project was due to be completed by late 2020 but has been delayed due to Covid. Recently, the Track’s first area – a high canopy habitat for orangutans and siamangs opened; the design of which presented a “massive challenge” to the team.
“Male orangutans can have the strength of seven men and being in a confined space, despite its enormous size, can steadily break, tear and eat the habitat. So we needed plants and trees that are resilient to root disturbance and can regenerate quickly when they’re constantly nibbled!” says Hugo.
“We created a tree canopy from scratch with a dozen large Australian Illawarra Flame trees (Brachychiton acerifolius) – they are great at handling severe root disturbance. They’re also leafy and look tropical and are easily transplanted. We also transplanted a
Meaning of plants is important to create a natural look".
"We use a combination of native and exotic plants that give a similar look and feel to the animal’s place of origin.”
15 tonne white Sapote tree (Casimiroa edulis) from another part of the Zoo that provides fantastic resting and climbing for the orangutans. They love it.”
Artificial sculptural trees are dotted in and around the living canopy. “They are our ‘canopy climbers’ with big ropes weaving through them. The orangutans spend a lot of time in these trees, which means the living trees aren’t under constant pressure from being swung on and torn at.”
Hugo says the most challenging but satisfying project he’s led at the Zoo is Te Wao Nui, the Living Realm, a series of five habitats showcasing NZ’s native flora and fauna over two hectares. Home to more than 40 native animals and 100+ plant species (including the rare and unusual), each habitat reflects environments found in the Coast, the Islands, the Wetlands, the Forest and the High Country.
“For every age Te Wao Nui provides a genuine native wildlife experience in an urban location. As you travel through you get a totally different sense of place. This project was not simulation but exact representation, horticulturally combining native flora and fauna into defined habitats.
“As one visitor said to me,
‘We come here for the plants, the landscape, the sense of place’.”
“For every age Te Wao Nui provides a genuine native wildlife experience in an urban location. As you travel through you get a totally different sense of place. "
Smarter seaweed solutions used by commercial growers are now available to home gardeners. Robbie Yortt of Grosafe explains the importance of a special kind of seaweed and advanced extraction methods.
New Zealand’s kiwifruit and avocado orchards were the first to see the benefits of seaweed products developed by Grosafe. The Mt Maunganui-based company now works across a wide range of horticultural crops as more and more growers embrace a regenerative farming approach. Grosafe’s most recent innovation has seen their proven seaweed products made accessible and effective for home gardeners.
Many gardeners know the benefits of seaweed, but less well-known is that not all seaweeds are equal. In terms of nutrient density and plant yield, the most effective seaweed species is Ascophyllum nodosum from the North Atlantic. This species is the main ingredient in Grosafe’s range of foliar and granular plant bio-stimulants.
Grosafe thoroughly researched the optimum formulation. “When we were developing the Ascophyllum nodosum concentrate we started with a powder but subsequently moved to a much improved flake formulation which uses a patented manufacturing process to retain more of the phytohormones and other growth promotants than the powdered formulation,” says Robbie.
Seaweeds produce anti-stress compounds to help them survive in the harsh ocean environment. These and other valuable natural compounds present in seaweed act to ‘chelate’ micronutrients, making them more readily available to plants. When seaweed is added to the garden this results in stronger resistance to pests and diseases while improving a plant’s ability to withstand climatic stresses such as prolonged drought and frost. The rewards come at harvest time with the higher yields that result from improved plant vigour and flowering.
BioPower® Seaweed Flake
is a BioGro Certified seaweed concentrate which is highly soluble and will not burn plants. It is easily applied via watering can, included as a ‘weed and feed’ solution with lawn herbicides or sprayed directly onto the foliage.
Ocean Power® Super Seaweed
is a liquid concentrate of Ascophyllum nodosum with added bio-stimulants to improve flowering (ideal for roses), lift crop yields and help when transplanting. The addition of Salicylic Acid improves plants resilience to fungal attack, drought and frost damage. Use it as a tonic to revive sick or unhealthy plants.
OceanFert® Seaweed Fertiliser
is the only slow-release seaweed fertilizer on the market and is BioGro Certified. This granular product is a great alternative to sheep pellets or blood and bone. It is high in organic matter helping to improve soil structure. One application feeds plants for 4-6 months, making a convenient nutritional supplement for tired pot plants without needing to renew the potting mix from scratch. Be in to win a 1kg tub on page 38.