2017 - Volume #41, Issue #4, Page #26
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“Bio Disks” Reduce Weeding, Improve Watering
“It blocks the weeds from growing around the base of the plant. And it has ridges that collect water and channel it to the base of the plant where it needs it the most,” he explains.
In his experiments before putting ECO-disks on the market in 2016, Prill discovered he needed less water between longer periods of time. By spraying water into the hole of the disk he gets more water faster where it is needed. He also liked that there is no weeding around the plant where weeds steal soil nutrients from the plant.
With an 8 1/2-in. dia., the disks cover the area most crucial to feeding plants, and they fit in 8-in. or larger pots for gardeners who prefer to grow plants in containers.
The disk’s ability to aid watering and avoid weeding is a concept gardeners appreciate. But Prill has also added a couple of twists regarding what the disks are made of and color choices.
The former biology teacher and long time salesmen in plastics combined his experiences to mold disks from biopolymer made of corn sugar and vegetable and fruit pulp. The infusion of carrot, potato, apple and cranberry pulp release nutrients in the soil if the disks are left in the garden to decompose. Or, the disks can be rinsed off and used for one or two more summers.
While the natural brown color disks with pulp appeal to some gardeners, Prill says his best-selling disks are red.
“Red promotes fruit and vegetable growth. The plant utilizes red wave lengths and stimulates multiple fruits,” Prill explains. In his testing, a Jalapeno plant with no disk had 8 peppers; one with a red disk had 64 peppers.
Another plant with a blue disk had 24 peppers, but Prill notes blue promotes plant growth and is more ideal for plants like broccoli and cauliflower.
He also makes disks in white, yellow, orange and green for customers who like to use them for plant identification. For customers who want disks that last for years, Prill makes a carpet fiber disk made from recycled carpeting.
He proudly notes that ECO-disks are non-GMO, BPH-free and U.S.-made at an injection mold plant in Holland, Mich. With about an 1/8-in. thickness they are a heavy and durable biopolymer. ECO-disks sell for $47.95 for 12 disks through the business’s website.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, ECO-disks, 710 Bauer Rd., Hastings, Mich. 49058 (ph 269 870-0399; www.ecodisks.com; ecodisks@gmail.com).
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