Author Topic: Australian Gardening Thread  (Read 144716 times)

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #200 on: October 06, 2016, 09:46:44 PM »
Does everyone else buy potting mix or make their own or just use compost when they are filling raised beds? We did a lasagne method to cheaply fill our raised beds (top layer was bought potting compost) but they need topping up as the layers rotted and everything sank to half the size. Costs a fair bit. Plus, do people buy straw to mulch their toms etc or just use whatever is to hand?
I use the lasagne method to fill the beds, and then top up as they sink. Each winter we get a lot of leaves which get used on the beds, then all the weeds in early spring (there are an enormous number in my garden at the moment), dynamic lifter or equivalent, and compost and some soil if I have any. I top it with mulch. So only the mulch and dynamic lifter costs. After filling several times with weeds, I get in and stomp on them because they pack down further before putting the heavy stuff on top.

Since I am rotating the beds, only the bed that is going to get things like tomatoes gets topped up, because other things like soil that has properly degraded. Who cares if the bed those plants is in is only half full?

For tomatoes I use whatever is to hand - generally a bale of lucerne hay peeled off into pads and laid around the plant. But, if I haven't get the hay, I use something else.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #201 on: October 13, 2016, 04:39:01 AM »
Guuuuuuys I think I killed all my seedlings. Today was the third day of "hot" weather (23, 32, 26 - or something like that) and the tiny tomato seedlings have withered into nothing. The zucchini seedlings are VERY wilted, but still alive. Waaa. I KNEW that it was time to pot the seedlings in my self-watering containers!

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #202 on: October 13, 2016, 04:43:38 AM »
Water them and cover them up with shade cloth - they might make it, or are they clearly terminal at this point? Tomato seedlings do wilt pretty easily.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #203 on: October 13, 2016, 04:48:00 AM »
Tomatoes are dead dead dead, but yep, zucchini have been thoroughly watered and shifted to a good spot for tomorrow's weather.

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #204 on: October 13, 2016, 05:21:42 PM »
This is one reason why I start a few more tomatoes each year than is necessary (not as many as this year though - it was an accident - I thought I wouldn't get many, and was clearing out old packets, mainly from diggers). Zucchinis and squash I plant as seeds where I want them to grow and don't bother with seedlings - I take it they are still in pots - if so, I would plant them now. I transplanted some lettuces yesterday (something you aren't supposed to transplant) because I pulled them out with a weed. They all appear to have died.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #205 on: October 13, 2016, 07:18:12 PM »
I am pleased to report my free tubestock kangaroo paw (and "possibly kangaroo paw variant") are flowering! The attached pic is one of the "possibly kangaroo paw". Flower is green :)

good mulch in Perth is free tree chippings from gumtree (or mulchnet, but dont' know if that's still going strong)
I need mulch. Will look into this (is it the right time of year to mulch? Yes?)

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #206 on: October 13, 2016, 07:54:40 PM »
I didn't know that kangaroo paws had flowers like that! It's amazing what plant breeders do!

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #207 on: October 13, 2016, 07:56:20 PM »
I didn't know that kangaroo paws had flowers like that! It's amazing what plant breeders do!
I'm not entirely convinced it's a kangaroo paw, and it's the fuzzy curly thick thing that's out of focus in the front that's the flower... I am hoping to get a better picture once it opens.

englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #208 on: October 13, 2016, 08:10:09 PM »
yep, green roo paw.
yep, mulch now! Really any time of year is fine to mulch, but if you can get it done before the really hot days, that's best.
I think I killed at least one set of pea seedlings and maybe another row of something else. I'm not starting seeds in egg cartons again, they're a very convenient shape but just don't hold enough water to last a hot day and anyway the cardboard wicks it away so fast. The other seeds are in strawberry punnets and cut-down milk bottles and have weathered the weather (ha) much better. Also killed a bagful of lemongrass that my mum gave me but I didn't have a handy place to plant.

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #209 on: October 17, 2016, 12:30:54 AM »
I have just finished a path. We have paths of river pebbles with large rocks in the middle as stepping stones. They look great, and the first one solved the problem of the side path (which was originally crushed red rock) washing away every time we had heavy rain.  The second path stopped the concrete getting buckets of soil on it each time it rained. So we were very pleased with the paths. When we created the raised garden beds, I got some rocks to create paths around them, and to create a path along the back from the raised beds to join the first path. This is the path I have been working on for the past couple of weeks, and have just finished.

Now to work out what to do with the remaining sand and rocks.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #210 on: October 18, 2016, 05:15:06 PM »
I didn't know we were supposed to pinch out the early flowers on our roma tomato plant so now we have three nice big tomatoes growing on a six inch plant. I hope when we pick these it might grow a bit?

We finished 2 x possum & rat proof cage thingies for raised beds/large containers and although the workmanship is not that great, so far so good. Anyone want to see a pic? Something has nibbled a zucchini seedling though so I must remember to go on slug patrol.

We have a container with an old tomato plant from last year that never got pulled and is producing lots so we've left it to see if they are edible - suspect they will be floury and awful as it's unprotected and even the rats haven't touched them. The rats seem to be so starving that they have chewed holes through our compost bin. I'm wondering why they haven't chewed into the worm farm which has more food type items in it but I'll be grateful for now.

We still have possums living under our solar panels and we haven't done anything about it yet, eek.

My vision for the front garden has developed from dwarf citrus orchard to a piece of southern france/ spain, so I will shortly embarking on project lavender (2nd attempt) along the front of the house and on the front fence. I hope some rosemary might work too. DH wants an olive tree as a friend down the road got a bucketful of olives this year from theirs.

Finally, scored 2 x large terracotta pots from chuck out day! One 50 litre one will house an avo plant we grew from the pit (no idea what variety) and the other some spring onion seedlings. We also got a wheelbarrow which will become a planter.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #211 on: October 18, 2016, 05:29:31 PM »
Nice work, Freshwater! Deborah, I like the sound of your garden paths. Pretty and practical.

I am in the process of weeding around the 'paw, got 3 out from under the weeds yesterday. The sand around is bare now so I'll have to look into mulch soon. I don't think I'm supposed to handle mulch (pregnant) so it might have to wait on being ordered until DH has time to spread it.

englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #212 on: October 18, 2016, 07:41:07 PM »
There're two kinds of mulch, the dusty, spongy, composted stuff that you can get from garden centres that I could understand being better to avoid while pregnant that actually is worse than nothing for retaining water in the soil , and then there's the stuff that is basically lumpy woodchips that actually does its water-retaining purpose that I can't see any harm in for a pregnant person. For probably more backup to this assertion than you ever wanted: http://www.plantsman.com.au/page2/files/Mulch%20Ado%20About%20Something.pdf


While I was looking for that, I was reminded of these excellent threads for waterwise, Australian gardening that works:
Starting your new landscape http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=21643
Vegetable Growing: A guide for home gardeners http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=17096

englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #213 on: October 26, 2016, 12:12:13 AM »
I finished my wicking bed on the weekend!!
It is 5m x 1m and full of nice soil and made of cream colorbond and planted with the seedlings I had been growing ready - peas and kailan and beans and squash and zucchini. I am very proud :)
Last night (with a fair bit of help) I created a kind of A frame to stand in it out of recycled pvc retic pipe that I can drape shade cloth over for the really hot days and also attach trellis to for the beans and cukes and things.

Next plans: put recycled retic pipe or garden hose over the edge of the colorbond so I don't cut myself on it. Plant beetroot seedlings. Attempt to transplant a big clump of bamboo from a raised brick planter because it's in the way of where I want to grow more stuff :)
Later Plans: fix two half wine barrels I rescued from a verge collection, that are falling apart a bit. Plant something in them, probably blueberries. Fix and adapt retic, needs new everything. Create some kind of garden bed in the remaining backyard area - this is a right angle triangle about 3m x 4m, I can probably put in a bed along the workshop (the long side of the triangle) and some kind of perennial herb garden in the middle.

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #214 on: October 26, 2016, 03:56:03 AM »
Wow, thats a huge wicking bed englyn! You'll be able to grow heaps of stuff in it.

I'm still mystified by the vagaries of gardening. After getting a bumper crop of lettuce, I 've using exactly the same technique for about 2 months now, and nothing is germinating. I am using a different pack of seeds, so although not out of date, maybe they don't like what I'm doing. Just resowed some of the previous variety in desperation. I sowed heaps of carrots also, and only have half a dozen seedlings. Basil has germinated - i thought it wouldn't be hot enough, I usually leave it til a bit later, so there you go. I have managed to germinate 2 cucumber plants from some out of date seeds....early days yet - still 2 leaves - before I'm sure they'll survive.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #215 on: October 26, 2016, 04:51:43 AM »
Happy, my attempt to start some basil about a month ago didn't take :-/ I think it was still too cold here.

Today I spent a few hours catching up on work I should've done weeks ago. Dug up some of the awful spiky half-dead plants left behind by the last owners and planted the remaining blueberry bushes in the gaps. Started tomato, zucchini and eggplant seeds in big pots - taking deborah's advice to just skip ahead to their final growing spots. Also started a HEAP of basil seeds, so hopefully at least some of them grow!

Citrus trees have set fruit, and while I was tending to the nectarine today I saw two little fruit growing! No idea if they will continue to grow, especially as it's been affected by peach leaf curl. Strawberries have flowers growing and plenty of bees buzzing around.

We've now removed all the ornamental pears from the backyard (all happily taken by brother and neighbours), my Dad needs to show me how to reconnect the retic and then the new fruit trees go in. I already have two wurtz avocados and a fourer (spelling?) mandarin for that space; still need/want a ruby red grapefruit and a couple of dwarf almonds.

This weekend is already way too busy, but the one after is Mulching Time.

The flowers on my lavender are dying now - should I cut it back?

englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #216 on: October 26, 2016, 07:58:41 PM »
None of my carrot seeds came up, either, I was a bit mystified since everything I planted next to them did. But they may have been out of date.
I've just sown basil and lettuce and cucumber, the silverbeet seeds are at the tiny-two-leaf stage, and I've just bought seeds for italian parsley and rocket.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #217 on: October 26, 2016, 08:07:19 PM »
I have figured out the kangaroos can maintain my yard almost as well as I can, so I have just got rid of the mower.

englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #218 on: October 27, 2016, 12:44:17 AM »
niiiice.

Grogounet

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #219 on: October 27, 2016, 06:34:43 PM »
Hi everyone,

Which plant/veggie would you start to grow on a unit's balcony?

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #220 on: October 27, 2016, 06:53:13 PM »
Hi everyone,

Which plant/veggie would you start to grow on a unit's balcony?

How much sun does it get?

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #221 on: October 27, 2016, 07:04:15 PM »
In winter, plenty! Through the day, the whole balcony will see the sun eventually.

In summer, I get sun only on one part of the balcony.

I'm exposed N, but have a balcony above and buildings on each side.

englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #222 on: October 27, 2016, 08:10:29 PM »
This time of year, probably cherry tomatoes. In a self-watering pot.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #223 on: October 27, 2016, 08:26:38 PM »
Basil would be good too right? Then you can have fresh basil all summer!

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #224 on: October 27, 2016, 08:37:17 PM »
Let me give it a try!
When do you usually buy? I have seen that you can buy all necessary stuff at bunnings

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #225 on: October 28, 2016, 02:10:45 AM »
Super dwarf nectarine has set fruit!

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #226 on: October 28, 2016, 02:12:03 AM »
Let me give it a try!
When do you usually buy? I have seen that you can buy all necessary stuff at bunnings

Which state are you in? I often buy from Bunnings because it's easy and cheap, but there are local nurseries I prefer. So people in your state might have good local suggestions.

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #227 on: October 28, 2016, 05:22:32 AM »
Let me give it a try!
When do you usually buy? I have seen that you can buy all necessary stuff at bunnings
Depends on the season and what you are planting.
The advice you have been given is good - its coming into summer, so you could sow tomatoes and basil NOW.  You can plant them together side by side, they are companion plants.  If you are somewhere very hot,don't dawdle with those tomatoes, they don't like it over 30C.

As a beginner Bunnings is fine, but  you might get better stuff at a local nursery. Also my Bunnings carries stock that isn't necessarily seasonal, whereas my local nursery keeps better to the seasons. If you're a beginner, then you can buy stuff that looks ok but doesn't do well  at home because its out of season. I mostly grow from seed now, but its taken me a few years to get to that  skill level.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #228 on: October 28, 2016, 11:53:52 PM »
So the rats moved on from pillaging the compost to the worm farm. They are now dead to me so we've set traps but I think we are dealing with the Rats of NIMH as they've removed the bait without getting caught. So the project this weekend is now to deal with the pile of leaves and other nesting material and then set traps on the path from their nest to the worm farm. We got a decent dog in (mine is too old) to locate the nest. He found an old one in a pile of leaves but now they are almost certainly living on our neighbours' side between the palings and some bamboo screening.

I think we have early tomato blight, the leaves have brown spots that are making holes :( I was expecting it on our old plant (Aunt Ruby's German Green) that didn't get pulled but not on our roma which is in a bed at least 5 metres away. The leaves haven't been getting wet so it must just be poor hygiene on my part moving between the old and new plants. Other plants bought from aldi next to the roma are unaffected. I wonder if snipping the few affected leaves on the roma will save all the plants. The old plant I will just leave be.


happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #229 on: October 29, 2016, 02:09:27 AM »
Your rats sound tricker than my antechinus were.

Everything not netted is fair game for the wallaby. It pruned a patch of mixed flowers last night. I just had a few flowers and other things looking like they might flower.  Since it was a surprise pack I was just getting interested to see what I'd grown. Might never know now. They also pruned the rocket, my snow/snap peas, and a container tomato. They don't like fever few, nor calendula.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #230 on: October 29, 2016, 02:24:22 AM »
Eewwwww rats.

Picked up a free worm farm today! All my fruit and veges will be amazing if I fertilise them with worm tea and casings, right?

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #231 on: October 29, 2016, 02:43:12 AM »
Eewwwww rats.

Picked up a free worm farm today! All my fruit and veges will be amazing if I fertilise them with worm tea and casings, right?

With the worm tea etc, I'll say that it seemed (in my case) to be not balanced food and my plants that had some worm liquid went quite pale so I'm assuming from my googling that it's heavy on nitrogen but low on other nutrients. But YMMV depending on what the worms eat, just something to monitor. I've thought about digging it into the soil a few weeks before planting or pouring onto compost pile so that the richness gets processed a bit.

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #232 on: October 29, 2016, 03:29:40 AM »
There're two kinds of mulch, the dusty, spongy, composted stuff that you can get from garden centres that I could understand being better to avoid while pregnant that actually is worse than nothing for retaining water in the soil , and then there's the stuff that is basically lumpy woodchips that actually does its water-retaining purpose that I can't see any harm in for a pregnant person. For probably more backup to this assertion than you ever wanted: http://www.plantsman.com.au/page2/files/Mulch%20Ado%20About%20Something.pdf


While I was looking for that, I was reminded of these excellent threads for waterwise, Australian gardening that works:
Starting your new landscape http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=21643
Vegetable Growing: A guide for home gardeners http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=17096
It really depends upon WHAT you are using mulch for - to reduce watering requirements, keep the roots cooler, stop weeds from growing, gradually improve the soil as it breaks down. Most of the time I mulch to reduce the weeds and to improve the soil - that means pebbles are out as a mulch. However, I have pebble paths because they reduce the rate of water flow, retain rain on my block, and move the water to where I want it (so I guess they are acting as a mulch - we have a sloping block). We were amazed at how they stopped each downpour moving large amounts of soil onto the concrete. Really, having as much permeable ground as possible helps to build up water penetration on your block and reduce the need for watering.

my2c+61

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #233 on: October 29, 2016, 03:49:00 AM »
When have to put the traps out I bait them which crunchy peanut butter. It gets them every time.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #234 on: October 29, 2016, 04:04:32 AM »
When have to put the traps out I bait them which crunchy peanut butter. It gets them every time.

I used peanut butter on one and cheese on the other. The rats licked them clean, fired the trap but didn't get caught!

my2c+61

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #235 on: October 29, 2016, 08:59:04 PM »
When have to put the traps out I bait them which crunchy peanut butter. It gets them every time.

I used peanut butter on one and cheese on the other. The rats licked them clean, fired the trap but didn't get caught!

It's time to up the ante.

Bait the traps but don't set them for a couple of nights. Let them get comfortable eating off the traps. Then on the next night set the traps. By then they shouldn't be so cautious.


englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #236 on: October 30, 2016, 07:53:32 PM »
good points on mulch

True, but we're in Perth. Basically a good evaporation-resisting mulch is compulsory for things you'd like to stay alive over the summer.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #237 on: October 30, 2016, 08:18:15 PM »
good points on mulch

True, but we're in Perth. Basically a good evaporation-resisting mulch is compulsory for things you'd like to stay alive over the summer.
Yah, like this point:
Really, having as much permeable ground as possible helps to build up water penetration on your block and reduce the need for watering.
Is, uh, not so applicable when everything is highly permeable sand. There are definitely clayey areas in Perth where they need to add sand, or a few places with high water tables, but mostly the water goes straight through and that is the end of that! :)

That said: remember, people, water goes downhill. Grass should be lower than the paving next to it so it can soak up the rain. Whoever designed the gardens at my rental did not understand this, so the weeds between the cracks in the paving get all the lovely water instead.

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #238 on: October 30, 2016, 08:25:04 PM »
Even in Perth you have the occasional house where concrete appears to have replaced lawn or any other permeable surface! And my relatives who live in Perth need to add humus to the soil and make it more friable - one of the types of mulching I alluded to.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #239 on: October 31, 2016, 04:28:36 PM »
Roses don't need much water - if it's only 2, I'd water them by hand. Melbourne (and a lot of Australia) often has water restrictions, and may even have permanent water restrictions (see http://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/Files/stage_1_water_restrictions_factsheet.pdf). This is as a result of the 8 year drought we had a few years ago. Whenever we get a drought, water restrictions can restrict the times and days when you can water (evening and early morning for hand watering, different regime for automatic - sometimes none) and the types of automatic equipment you can have (no sprays, just drippers). There are a number of sites about watering wisely - for instance http://www.melbournewater.com.au/getinvolved/saveandreusewater/Documents/Great%20ideas%20to%20save%20water%20fact%20sheet.pdf

A lot of councils give mulch away for free (or did when I lived in Melbourne), and certainly many tree removal people also do so. This is minced tree mulch, so meets englyn's requirements as well as being something that breaks down with time and adds organic elements to the soil. You will probably need some gypsum (add a handful and a handful of fertilizer - mixed in with a few handfuls of the soil - to the hole when you plant) as Melbourne soil tends to be clay.

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #240 on: October 31, 2016, 04:59:57 PM »
good points on mulch

True, but we're in Perth. Basically a good evaporation-resisting mulch is compulsory for things you'd like to stay alive over the summer.
That study is REALLY quite meaningless because it misses out on the evaporation rates that soil without mulch experiences. Evaporation is key in summers in Australia. That is why even the negative mulches in that study are recommended by all the water wise sites. People also include plant as a mulch in many books, because, again, this reduces evaporation rates.

englyn

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #241 on: October 31, 2016, 09:41:49 PM »
"Figure 3 shows the same data presented as a %age of the moisture lost from F which was the
unmulched surface. The worst mulch lost 73% more than the bare potting mix and the best lost
57% less."

« Last Edit: October 31, 2016, 09:43:33 PM by englyn »

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #242 on: November 05, 2016, 06:40:18 PM »
We've had to turn sprinklers on today. At least we made it to November. Mulching and letting inappropriate plants die seems to be a successful strategy.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #243 on: November 05, 2016, 07:09:46 PM »
We've had to turn sprinklers on today. At least we made it to November. Mulching and letting inappropriate plants die seems to be a successful strategy.

This is similar to my strategy. Except I've been watering the fruit trees as they're still establishing their root systems and some of them don't catch any rain.

Anatidae V

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #244 on: November 05, 2016, 07:12:23 PM »
We've had to turn sprinklers on today. At least we made it to November. Mulching and letting inappropriate plants die seems to be a successful strategy.

This is similar to my strategy. Except I've been watering the fruit trees as they're still establishing their root systems and some of them don't catch any rain.
My potted plants need watering year round, but I've been impressed my itty bitty kangaroo paw have managed to establish without extra water. Fruit trees are a good reason to hand water!

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #245 on: November 05, 2016, 07:16:35 PM »
What's everyone done / doing un the garden this weekend?

Personal Gardening Consultant (my Dad) is coming around this afternoon to help me reconnect retic that had to be disconnected for the removal of ornamental trees from the backyard. He'll also show me how to use the pH meter he gave me, to see whether the blueberry bushes need soil amendment.

Other than that, I need to add some dynamic lifter / DPM to a heap of fruit trees.

Next stage of the garden redo is to plant the fruit trees in the backyard (still three left to buy...) and then mulch, mulch, mulch. I'm hoping to do this next weekend.

Wouldn't mind picking up more self-watering containers and potting mix from Bunnings for my summer veges. I'll need to start planning what to do with all this available space in autumn and winter once my summer plants are dead.

Anatidae V

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #246 on: November 05, 2016, 08:31:19 PM »
Today is weeding and wettasoil. DH and MIL have a lot of plants to pull, masses of tall grasses down the side of the house. I've done the little niggly plants/ areas.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #247 on: November 05, 2016, 08:42:18 PM »
AV - I also need to do those things! Good reminder.

Debating whether or not to let the back lawn die, as we're going to redo it within the next year or so anyway. Tough call.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #248 on: November 05, 2016, 11:57:26 PM »
No real gardening this weekend. Just watering a few times to keep plants alive in the first dry hot spell of the summer.

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #249 on: November 06, 2016, 01:44:47 AM »
Harvesting:
Lettuces, Grapefruit, Apple Mint, Asparagus, Lemon, Bay Leaves.

Weeding

Getting rid of junk, and tidying up under the oak.