Problem

Situated in the picturesque part of South Devon, Flete Estate is family-run and currently under the management of John Mildmay-White. John took over the running of the estate from his father in 2019. His father converted the home farm to organic in 1990, and his mother has been creating a haven for pollinators in the garden, which John is looking to build on. One of the issues he was
keen to address was the use of herbicides on areas like their gravel paths and around their holiday lets. There has always been a focus on sustainability within the estate, and John wished to build on this as his legacy here.

How we helped

John tasked his Head Gardener with finding a viable alternative to herbicides. They trialled a range of alternatives, and the team settled on Foamstream. They researched various methods, which included burning. However, they found many of them were labour-intensive, expensive, and not effective. The team found many positives with Foamstream. They appreciated that it was entirely organic and could be used in all weather conditions. What encouraged them to go with Foamstream was that it had been thoroughly tried and tested in numerous situations. With this in mind, they were confident Foamstream would give the results they were looking for.

John and the team found a lot of positives with Foamstream. For instance, that it is all organic and another being that it can be used in all weather conditions. The set-up is easy and quick, and operators have mentioned how easy it is to move around the gardens. The gardeners even place the Foamstream machine on a trailer to make it even easier to move it around the gardens. The 20m hose and highly portable lance applicator also enable them to get into difficult-to-treat areas. They are happy with the machine and are excited to provide a cleaner environment for everyone, including wildlife.