You can’t afford to miss the 2012 SAGIC Convention, held against the spectacular backdrop of Cape Town. As has become custom by now, we have an exciting and relevant event planned and everyone in the Green Industry is welcome to attend.

Convention Program highlights:

Tuesday 5 June(optional) – World Environment DayRegistration @ 17h00

• Sundowners
• Dinner: The Brassiere @ Lagoon Beach

Wednesday 6 June

• Registration @ 8h15
• Opening of Conference @ 9h00
• Keynote speaker: Guy Lundy – “South Africa Towards 2020 – Making sense of the future”

Guy Lundy is the CEO of Accelerate Cape Town, a business think-tank representing 45 major corporations that brings together key stakeholders in the Cape Town city region to develop and implement a long-term vision for sustainable, inclusive economic growth.  He is also a Director of several organisations, including Wesgro, where he is Deputy Chairman, and Cape Town Tourism.

Click here for the full program of events and make your booking

Don’t miss it!!!

Organic planting pots in various shapes and sizes.

No matter which product you pick from the Jiffy product range, getting started is never difficult. In the following, we will explain the most important basics. Additionally, refer to the product packaging for detailed instructions and illustrated step-by-step descriptions to help you succeed every time. This way, Jiffy will guide you with simple and purposeful processes to make your results bloom.

The formula for success:
Jiffypots® or Jiffystrips® + Jiffy-QSM® = perfect results

What do you need?
1. Jiffypots® or Jiffystrips®: organic planting pots in various shapes and sizes
2. Jiffy-QSM® peat pellets, the ideal growing soil for any plant potting, optimally adapted to the Jiffy cultivation products.
3. Seed or seedling
4. Water
5. A growing location with plenty of light and consistently vented or air conditioned environment

It’s All So Green – In Jiffy Greenhouses
Optimise the climate for your seedlings!

What is so special about Jiffy greenhouses?
Our greenhouses are made from high-quality plastics and offer plants the optimum environment for successful cultivation and healthy growth. They form customised solutions with respect to supplying the plants with nutrients and offer ideal requisites for proper watering, light, and temperature. Translucent lids make it possible to capture sufficient daylight, and integrated vent flaps ensure optimum venting and air conditioning for the seeds and plants.
The universal growing solution – The MultiGrow windowsill greenhouse was designed especially for Jiffy seed starting products.

All advantages of Jiffy greenhouses at a glance:
• The right size for every purpose
• Made from high-quality plastic
• Re-usable
• Intelligent solutions for clean and easy handling
• Water-proof plastic bottom trays
• Translucent lids to ensure adequate light
• Integrated venting flaps for optimum venting and air conditioning

For more information on Jiffy products go to Ansup.co.za

The Jiffy Cooking Club
Fresh and crisp from your own garden – you’ll know exactly what’s in it! Nutritional, tasty fruit, vegetables, herbs, or salads – grown fast and with high yield. A healthy alternative that everyone will love – a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?

Below is a quick little recipe tip for showcasing your crops. Ratatouille – the typically French vegetable skillet with Mediterranean flavours – bon appétit!

Ingredients for ratatouille
3 Bell peppers, 1 courgette, 1 onion, 1 aubergine, 2 tomatoes, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar.
Preparation instructions
1. Peel and dice tomatoes.
2. Remove seeds, peel, and finely dice bell peppers.
3. Finely dice onion, crush garlic cloves.
4. Thinly slice the aubergine, too, then cut into strips and dice.
5. Sauté bell pepper, courgette, onion and, finally, the aubergine, and place roasted vegetables in pot together.
6. Then, add tomato pieces and mashed garlic.
Simmer until the vegetables are done but still firm (approx. 20-30 minutes).

No matter whether you fry them in a skillet in the winter or grill them in the summer – Mediterranean vegetables are a delight for all seasons!

The Jiffy Idea Workshop

Home made with lots of love!

Home-grown flowers, fruit, herbs, and vegetables are not just particularly tasty and pretty to look at; they also make ideal gifts for home-made crafts and treats.
Regardless of whether it’s gherkins, jam and juices, flower arrangements, wreaths, or creative works of art with dried flowers, your imagination will know no limits!

For more information on Jiffy and other gardening products, please visit the Ansup Website

An article from South Africa – The Good News

I appeal to every South African to sign up for their weekly newsletter for a balanced view of our beautiful country – South Africa.   Chris Wilkinson.

We just need a narrative to promote this

By Steuart Pennington with help from Frans Cronje and Ferial Haffajee

Every now and again the work we do is vindicated from a surprising source. Over the last 10 years I have had many occasions to disagree with the SA Institute of Race Relations, I have accused them of being conveyors of doom and gloom, of afro-pessimism, of gross exaggeration, of getting their facts wrong. Headlines like ‘SA schools the most violent in the world’, ‘Poverty has doubled under Mbeki’s rule’, ‘Bheki Sibiya guilty of racism’ have not gone unchallenged as being a gross distortion of fact.

I have also been at odds with the likes of Peter Bruce, Frans Cronje, John Kane-Berman, Moegsien Williams, Mondli Makanya, Yusuf Abramjee, Raymond Louw and Ferial Haffajee on the role of the media in promoting a balanced narrative in South Africa. I have been sickened by the much of the footage we are subjected to on Carte Blanche. I have been appalled by the quality of news on both radio and TV (who decides on the garbage we are served up?). I have written to the Press Ombudsman on more than one occasion complaining of distortion and half- truths.

At www.sagoodnews.co.za we live by the mantra of celebrating the good and confronting the bad and we often have cause to claim that ‘facts speak for themselves – rumours, conventional wisdoms and journalists speak for each other’.

So it was with great surprise that I read the recent SAIRR narrative by Frans Cronje on South Africa acknowledging the significant progress we have made over the past 17 years and offering government some considered advice. I acknowledged this and wrote to Business Day as follows: Read the full article on the SA Good News blog.

South Africa is likely to show stable growth in the next five years. Relatively strong consumer spending power, a large market and a stable, diverse economy makes South Africa an attractive market in an African context, writes Economics and Research Analyst Craig Parker at Frost & Sullivan, international consulting and research firm.

The country’s growth may seem moderate, when compared to other African countries. Countries such as Mozambique, Ghana and Angola are expected to average growth of over 7% in the next 5 years, whereas South Africa’s GDP growth is expected to remain between 2% and 4% for the same period.

Considering macroeconomic conditions, inflation is set to decline slightly until 2017, with interest rates rising by 2% during the period. Inflationary pressure is expected to be predominantly supply-driven, in the first half of the forecast period, with consumption expenditure increasing in 2014 with slight demand-pull inflation.

In the past decade, from 2000 to 2009, GDP was driven by consumption expenditure, which increased in conjunction with household debt. Credit extension was limited in 2007 by the National Credit Act, which promoted responsible lending by financial institutions. This led to a marked decline in credit being extended to the private sector in 2007, and this spared many consumers during the financial crisis of 2009.

South Africa has many exciting growth prospects for the future……………..Read the full article

As from April 1 2012 (No, it’s not an April Fool story) African Nursery Supplies will be operating from Weltevreden Park, in Gauteng, wholesaling Efekto, Mayford, Jiffy, Plantex etc.

You can view the full catalogue of what will be available for small nurseries, landscapers and all involved in the gardening industry in South Africa.

This is a service I have been asked to resurrect, as a lot of small businesses cannot purchase the minimum quantities required by the larger suppliers.

Click to go to the Ansup website for more information. I look forward to seeing you there.

You can also sign up for the occasional newsletter and keep up to date with the going’s on.

In the early 1950s, a resourceful gardener in the Norwegian city of Oslo invented the so-called Jiffypot®, a planting pot made from compressed peat, which becomes completely integrated with the root system and is transplanted with the plant – protecting the sensitive young seedlings from ‘transplant shock’.

With the Jiffy-7® peat pot, Jiffy created another milestone that is unmatched even today! It all started with a few nylon stockings giving birth to the idea of developing well-aerated and yet compact miniature cultivating pots that would guarantee optimum growth. Over the years, the nylon stockings evolved into high-tech netting, which continues to be further refined today.

The tender roots are provided with optimum amounts of air and water, and fully grown seedlings are simply transplanted as a whole unit complete with the pot. Just as brilliant as it is simple!

Many years of experience and know-how
Based on its nearly 60 years of experience in plant cultivation for professional horticulture and agriculture, Jiffy offers the ambitious hobby gardener a wide range of high-quality products today. The basis is the use of renewable materials of the highest quality, many of which are 100% biodegradable.

A cradle for over 10 million plants every day
Every day, professional horticultural businesses and hobby gardeners the world over grow more than 10 million plants with Jiffy. And you can do it, too!

For more information on Jiffy Pots, please go to www.ansup.co.za

Jiffypot®, a flower pot made from compressed peat, was invented in the 1950’s in Oslo. This was the beginning of the global success story of Jiffy International AS which set another milestone with the peat pellet Jiffy-7®. Today, 10 million plants are grown every day in products from the Jiffy company – more than 3.5 billion each year!

Experience and know-how spanning decades!

On the basis of almost 60 years experience with growth media for professional horticulture and farming, the Jiffy Home Gardening Division is now launching an entirely new product range for the keen leisure gardener in cooperation with the Gartenland group. Only high-grade products based on professional plant propagation are optimised for use in private gardens and offered in attractive and informative packaging for a broad range of consumers.

Only the best professional quality for leisure gardeners

Most Jiffy products are 100% all-natural, compostable and biodegradable. They therefore meet all the licensing requirements for use in commercial organic farming (registered with the FiBL – Institute for Organic Farming) and are identified by the logo “100% BIO” (100% organic).

Peat is our most valuable resource.

Our products are primarily based on the renewable resource of Sphagnum peat, the most recognised medium for reliable, efficient and high-yield plant breeding worldwide. The products carefully developed for professional cultivation, such as the Jiffypots® or the peat pellet Jiffy-7®, have been optimised in customer-friendly sets for specific use in private horticulture and are perfectly supplemented by the seeds of the Gartenland group, notably the Premium varieties. Jiffy seed starting products are distinguished by a balanced water/air ratio, the fine roots pierce the pot walls without difficulty and the tender seedlings can be transplanted without experiencing plant shock. The gardener should be pleased about faster and stronger growth resulting in higher yields. Diligent cultivation of one’s own peat fields will ensure constant quality and continual availability.

Cherishing the environment

Environmental protection and the sustainability of natural resources used by Jiffy take precedence. The initiative www.bornsustainable.com was created to that end. The interested customer will find detailed information on the sustainable degradation of our resources and our sensitive approach to the environment on this website. Important factors relating to environmental protection are the use of recycling materials as well as the extensive non-use of chemicals, plastics, dyes and preservatives while simultaneously improving the efficiency of production, management and logistical processes. We continually invest in research and development and constantly increase our environmental protection activities.

Jiffy products are distributed to the South African gardening industry by  Efekto – The Garden Care Specialists, and are available at all leading Garden Centres and DIY Retail Outlets throughout the country.

All enquiries can be sent to Chris Wilkinson (Efekto Agent) at chris@wilkos.co.za

Original Jiffy Products – Your Helpers in Growing Plants

Jiffy-7® – container and ideal cultivating soil in one – for seeds and seedlings
Fine netting is filled with high quality peat, and then compressed to form a handy pellet. Just add water, and the little planting wonder grows up to seven times it’s size in a few moments. It is held together by fine netting, insuring optimum air/water exchange. Also available in XXL, for larger plants.

Complete Jiffy Starter Sets with Jiffy-7®
Different versions available. The top of the range model Greenhouse 70 is self-watering, thanks to a fleece mat insert. Vented, translucent lids ensure a stable climate and reliable plant growth.

Jiffy-p ot® and Jiffystrips® – organic planting containers in various shapes and sizes
100% organic, certified as an aid for organic horticulture.

Jiffy®-QSM – Quick Soil Mix, a cultivating soil mix
Compressed peat pellets conserve space, are small, and lightweight but easy to use. The ideal cultivating soil: just add water and you’re done!

Jiffy germination and planting trays plus fitted lids
Tray made of opaque plastic for rooting pr otection and transparent plastic lid for ideal light. Available in various sizes and are reusable. The optimum pr oduct for sowing or for thinning/transplanting seedlings.

Jiffy greenhouses
Practical and robust greenhouses for window-sills or planting shelves. High quality design made of strong plastic with adjustable vents; reusable.

A short video of the Jiffy Products can be found here.

Download the .pdf version of the pamphlet. It is quite large, so may take some time, depending on your internet speed.

More information can also be found at www.ansup.co.za

Distributed in South Africa by:

Tel: 011 392 564
Fax: 011 392 2410
Email: orders@efekto.co.za