Thanks to a damp, mild and gloomy Brisbane winter, succulent mushrooms have boosted my menu from a low of 112 taxa last month to 157 taxa.
Category Archives: Remedies
Citrus: Avoiding The ‘Danger Zone’ To Achieve Abundance
Trish & Malcolm have finally solved their citrus fruit drop problem.
Autumn is an important season for citrus maintenance, especially if they’re growing in areas with summer rainfall.
This is because heavy rainfall leaches nutrients through the soil and citrus are really quick to show they’ve got deficiencies.
For a quick nutrient fix:
To four and a half litres (4.5L) of water add:
3 tablespoons of seaweed concentrate, 1 teaspoon of trace elements, 2 teaspoons of iron chelates
Mix it all well, and water it in around the roots.
We’ve been in touch since 2006. On 13.2.10 Gardening Australia screened one of my Citrus Care segments, and last September Trish & Malcolm emailed me to say:
How Can I Avoid Buying Plastic Bagged Potting Mixes?
Question
Hi Jerry,
I don’t know if you remember me…I’ve seen you at lots of Save the Mary things and on Gardening Australia, which I love!
I have a vege and herb garden in pots and need to find a soil solution. Presently I buy bags of potting mix at Bunnings, choosing one that’s free of fertiliser etc. I mix in worm castings from my worm farm and a measure of Mcleods soil improver. But the end result doesn’t retain moisture all that well and my plants don’t thrive…I want to find a more sustainable way of doing it, and to end up with a mix that’s better than what I’m currently use too. I’m really conscious of the plastic consumption from buying small-ish bags, the morality of buying from a chain store, the transport miles, etc. And I want to nurture my plants with perfect soil too.
Warmest regards
Tilly x
King Tides Now – Commoners By 2050
Rising sea levels have major implications for coastal gardens. Yesterday’s king tide gave us the perfect opportunity to see what will be commonplace by 2050. One corner of the world that is experiencing greater than average sea level rises is north eastern Australia.
Even if all greenhouse gas emissions ceased immediately, oceans respond very slowly. As water warms it expands, occupying more space, while melting ice caps and glaciers further add to ocean volumes.
Big Solutions Create Bigger Problems
Glenda Pickersgill is a passionate conservationist and leading light in the Save the Mary River campaign.
ABC news on line reports that the Queensland Premier believes that the proposed Traveston Crossing dam at the Mary River Valley is a cheap solution for SE Queensland’s water needs.
The truth is somewhat different: as Oscar Wilde said “The cynic knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing”…
The Traveston Dam proposal was a political stunt, delivered by a premier who intended to retire. Despite the CSIRO evidence of decreasing rainfall in South East Queensland in his hands, his desperation to appear decisive and capable of managing the region’s water crisis won out. Continue Reading →
International Compost Awareness Week
International Compost Awareness Week started on Sunday and today I installed a new compost bin from Aerobin.
It took an hour:
Luffas – Grow Your Own Bath Sponge
It’s time to sow heat-loving summer crops and this year I’ve sown some angled luffa.
Luffas are mostly grown for their fibrous fruit used to make bath sponges. They may resemble sea sponges but this is a vegetable, a curious member of the Cucurbitaceae or cucumber family. Two species are grown: the smooth luffa, Luffa cyclindrica, which I’ve grown for many years, and the angled luffa, L. acutangula.
A Plant For Every Preschool
I’ve just got back from speaking at the opening day of SEEN, the world’s first early childhood learning conference, at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.
The theme was sustainability – creating the future today. There were discussions about plant safety, landscaping and books on these topics for carers and educators. A great conference and some really uplifting people…
Listen To Bindii
Whether you call it bindii, bindi weed or bindi-eye, this prickly-seeded little weed is currently causing big problems in Pine River Shire, Brisbane.
People are keen to control it, so they can sit or walk barefoot on their lawns. Fair enough, but people seem less willing to hear what bindii means in terms of good gardening.
Safer Solutions – Media Release
Total Environment Centre (TEC) today released the ‘Easy Guide to Organic Gardening’ at the showcase of the Integrated Sustainability Education Partnership Program. The new guide provides home gardeners with advice on how to avoid exposing themselves and their families to the harmful chemicals found in many synthetic pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides used in the garden.
