Alford gardener John Peters says Overwatch drift has affected about 100 plants in his garden, including roses, fruit trees, and ornamental and aquatic plants.

“I noticed the damage at seeding time and I’m noticing it now, when they are supposed to be putting out leaves and flowers,” he said.

Mr Peters said the damage is particularly apparent on a late-fruiting nectarine tree which was still in leaf in May when farmers’ use of Overwatch was at its peak.

It is now bare and appears to be dying, in contrast to an earlier fruiting apricot tree close by, which was not in leaf at seeding time, he said.

“I don’t want it to happen again. I don’t think those plants that have struggled will survive again.”

Mr Peters said he and wife Helen have spent hundreds of dollars buying potting mix at $13 a bag to replace the soil in affected pot plants.

Tending to the greenhouse plants is also therapy for Helen, who is being treated for cancer, he said.

Mr Peters also expressed concern about the possible impact of Overwatch on his rainwater and home-grown fruit.

He said he had noticed a bleaching effect, typical of Overwatch, on roadside plants during his fortnightly trips to Port Broughton at seeding time.

This article appeared in the Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 21 November 2023.

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