WEBVTT
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Hello, I'm Elizabeth, an obsessive backyard gardener, who might be able to offer you a couple of tips.
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And I'm Keith, a landscape consultant, and I'm also passionate about gardening.
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The one thing we both have in common is muddy boots.
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Welcome everyone to another QA.
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As always, we have a load of great questions for Keith to get through, but before we start, we need to announce the three lucky winners of our latest giveaway from the original Lowy and the Backyard Botanist.
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The original Lowy number one anvil pruner is designed to handle tough pruning tasks with ease for medium to large hands, and is equally at home in either the garden or the workshop.
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A really great prize.
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So our three winners of these fabulous pruners are Andrew, whose Instagram account is Grandy Andy.
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That's number one.
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Julie, and her Instagram is Julie A.Burton2.
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And Allie, whose Instagram account is a.macing.
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Congratulations to you all.
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We will be in contact with you shortly to arrange delivery of your prize, which you will love.
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Okay, Keith, let's get started on our first QA.
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We have got the first question from Lee.
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He says, I've just dug up some lawn to start another vegetable bed, and I've noticed white curl grubs in the soil, the ones with the yellow head.
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Last season I had a bed, I had a bed that struggled.
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The plant started well but then struggled for the rest of the season.
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I had a tomato plant that was healthy to start with but eventually died.
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Is it possible that these grubs were the reason for the poor performance?
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And if so, how do I get rid of them?
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Everything else in the bed grew well.
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Well, I'd say that the tomato is more to do with um maybe pH in the soil.
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Um that's something that that that really ties them, ties them down and really makes them either go or not.
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Um Lee sent a photograph of the actual um curl grubs to me.
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Um and the fact that they've got an orange head means that they're not going to be problematic in the soil.
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If they had a blackhead, they are problematic.
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Because black-headed and we call them cockchafers, black-headed cockchafers eat roots of plants, roots of of turf, the works.
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And then that's the end of that.
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But the the orange-headed or the yellow-headed cockchafer, they actually eat dead vegetative matter.
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So in the lawn, for instance, he would have seen them in the lawn because they were in there eating the thatch layer that's in that lawn area.
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So that's that's um that's comes with older lawns, and that's where you'll get the curl grubs.
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They're they're not as I said, the the one you've got to worry about is the one that they have in the turf industry and on golf courses, where it is the black-headed cock chafer, and then during the uh during the the the late spring into summer you you see these black beetles, and that's uh that that is the you know the the life cycle starting all over again.
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So no, you haven't got a problem at all, but you you I would just be suggesting you get as much compost and go-go juice and um rock dust into those into those um beds that you're uh you're gonna be growing in, and I think you'll be perfectly fine.
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Okay, fantastic.
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Our next question is from Jerry.
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I have two 18-year-old feature olive trees in my front garden.
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They are in a large raised bed and have always been happy and healthy, producing lots of fruit.
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Until now.
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One of the trees has developed what I think is verticillium wilt.
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Random branches are dying with the leaves turning brown while the other branches around it continue to do well until they don't.
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We have been cutting out the dead branches and have given the tree a good feed, but are very concerned.
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Two factors changed last year.
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One, we added irrigation to the surrounding plants in the same garden bed.
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And two, the trees had olive lace bug last year, which we were able to control, but wonder if this may have weakened the tree.
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The prognosis from Google isn't good.
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Do you have any recommendations as to how to proceed to try and save the trees?
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Yes, um I'd recommend that you cut back on irrigation and do not apply any fertilizer at this particular stage because that could send them into a bit of a chock uh shock.
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Uh, I would be suggesting that you get yourself some neutrog populate, which is P-O-P-U-L, and then the the the numeral eight um and and apply that at recommended rates.
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Sea sole is also another great thing that you can be adding to the to the soil because it'll help stimulate root growth and and cell um production, and I'd be doing that on a weekly basis.
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And then to try to patch up and and rebalance everything, I would suggest that you get in there and and apply some monash mineral rock fertilizer.
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So the moneash rock dust, get in there and sprinkle that around the root zone of the trees, not the trunk of the trees.
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And then if you like, I would be suggesting that you maybe go into some companion planting and stick some some plants that like those sorts of conditions around olive trees, and that would be things like lavender and rosemary.
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Um, and then of course, um if you uh if you really wanted to go right out there and do the right thing, get yourself a prepping fork and get some mico gold down into the where the root systems are, and that will then strengthen the the the root systems up and give it a much better chance at uh coming good because they look absolutely fantastic, olive trees.
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Yeah, they do not have a lot of different things.
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I keep on thinking back to your beautiful olive olive trees at your place.
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At my old place.
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They were just magnificent standards, weren't they?
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Yeah, they were massive, gorgeous.
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Um, what is verticillium wilt?
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And so is that that's verticillium wilt is is a is a fungal disease, and it's something that that you would notice more on on the likes of um uh tomatoes.
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So they'll get either verticillium or or fusarium.
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And these are these are fungal diseases, and that's why going to the populate, for instance, it's going to be then providing those plants with the microbes that are going to be fighting off the nasty ones.
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Okay.
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Build up build up all the things in the soil by using the the the the the the populate, the the monash rock dust and the you know the the the mycogold, and I tell you it that should set them up and they'll be bouncing back for sure.
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Now we have a question from Jennifer.
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I need help with my cauliflower plants, which are being eaten.
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I'm not sure what is eating them, but have noticed heaps of slugs in the soil.
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So I'm guessing it's either slugs or earwigs.
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It was growing amazingly, and then two days later it wasn't.
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So I'm feeling that I may have to cut it off and wait for the next one to grow.
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What do you think, Keith?
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Um I'd be suggesting that you um you actually just give them a really, really good feed.
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A really good feed.
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Um thinking about that sort of a situation is is that there's an imbalance happening and you need to get on top of that that imbalance.
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Um I think that um feed with what?
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Feeding feeding it with with because of the the size of the plants, I think I'd be feeding them with with um uh go-go juice.
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I give them a dose of go-go juice and then some compost around them.
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Yep.
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Um I would probably suggest that it would be snails and slugs at this particular time of the year.
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If you've got mulch underneath them, then it could be um earwigs that were coming up.
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And you can generally tell the the earwigs will will tend to give you little circular holes in the leaves themselves.
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So they go up there with their little tiny mouths and just chew around in one little spot.
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Um and they do that because their food's not available, which is normally aphids.
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So that's that's what the the earwigs tend tend to uh to feed on.
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But snails and slugs in this time of the year, this is when the the the little baby ones are just coming into into life, you know, so we're in that early, early season.
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So so I'd be getting getting stuck into that with um with some some liquid food, um, populate or go-go juice, and just try to you know force them along.
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Um, and then maybe next year think about adding stuff like the monash rock dust.
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That will just set your garden up for the high bricks level in your plants that won't be attacked by the pest and disease.
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Good stuff.
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Anastasia's question is next.
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Do you recommend rice hulls as a mulch?
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Um no, I don't, because they they're just about pure carbon.
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So what what that they they might retain the moisture in the soil, but they're not adding anything good really into the soil because um the hulls themselves are carbon, so therefore the microbes are you are stealing the nitrogen deep in the soil in order to break the carbon down.
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Um and and the other thing too is that they can be blown around and all the rest of it.
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So it's not a it's not a great um it's not a great mulch as far as I'm concerned.
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I I wouldn't rate that very highly.
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If you're going to be using it because you've you've got plenty uh you know access to it, then put put in a nitrogenous fertilizer over the top of it.
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So sprinkle some um blood and bone over it or some rooster booster or something else like that.
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Feed the microbes rather than than starve the microbes, so the microbes are not putting the their goodness into where it should be, which is the plants.
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So, what alternative that looks a bit similar to a rice hole?
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I'm trying to think what it would look like.
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Um well some uh peak.
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Colour wise pea straw, lucerne, that sort of stuff.
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But if you're going to be using uh pea straw, make sure that you haven't got doves around because the doves will just get in there and they'll move it everywhere, trying to find the peas that might be in the in the pea straw.
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Yes, that'll be.
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I have to I put pea straw down this year and I use Brunning's pea straw.
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Um and I've had to put a net around it because otherwise the doves would be in there just flicking it everywhere.
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Liz has the next question.
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I've had an issue over the past few years with trips in my ornamental capital pear trees and underplanting of Raphael's Snowmaiden.
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I've tried a product called Success, as was recommended to me by a local garden centre, but had zero success.
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And now they are back with a vengeance.
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They're distorting the growth with yellowing leaves, and the plants look looking generally unwell.
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I would love your suggestions on what I could use to eradicate them, and I will need and will I need to treat the soil as well as spray the plants.
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Um well you're wasting your time using success because obviously.
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Yeah, because um success is for is for caterpillars mainly.
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Um and thrips are not going to be not going to be phased by putting that on, so that's the reason that didn't work.
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Um and in the soil, yes, most most insects pupate in the soil, as well as in the leaf litter and bark crevices.
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I always go back to the old favourite for spraying for thrips and for most of these bugs that that suck living daylights out of your out of your leaves and things, going into using the eco oil and the eco neem.
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So the old the old saying of um how many how many mil of of eco oil?
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Twelve to twenty oil.
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That's right, yep.
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Twenty-five mil of eco oil.
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Yep, uh twelve round.
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Twelve mil.
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I don't know, twelve and twenty-five.
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Which one?
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So neem.
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The smaller one.
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Smaller bottle which comes in.
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The more expensive stuff.
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Yeah, and twenty-five and twelve.
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And twenty-five mil of the eco oil, mix those together into a five-litre sprayer, and then you need to spray the back side of the leaves as well as the front side, because if you spray the if you spray just the front, it ain't getting to the back, and that's where those thrips and all the other things will tend to tend to be.
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Um the eco oil will smother the smother the bugs and and and kill them.
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The neem will then become systemic if you spray it on a regular basis, so that anything that comes along later on to chew and suck, it'll kill those good.
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And then I'd suggest you get out with your munash rock dust and give that a bit of a dose just to increase in increase the soil microbes in the soil and build up the bricks level of the plants that will ward off pest and disease.
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Thank you, Keith.
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Kimberly is next.
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I have a few blueberry bushes in fairly large pots, which we repotted last year.
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They haven't outgrown their pots yet, but I would like to know how often the soil should be replenished.
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I'm also keen to know your approach to pruning blueberries.
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Is it necessary?
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And if so, when's the best time and what is the best way to prune them?
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Um if you potted up last year, then uh they'll require a light trim now just to shape them up to allow light and uh air penetration.
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So go through and just give them a nice light prune, and they'll they'll be fine.
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And that will that will then force the the plant to provide energy into the growing of the blueberries.
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Um plants in pots, they should be changed every three to five years, so in the middle of winter, and always use an acidic potting mix.
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So you you can buy those from the big green warehouse.
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It is specifically for acidic loving plants like camellias and azaleas and these sorts of things, but they're also great for blueberries.
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And then once you've got them in the pots and growing, go and get yourself some pine needles and sprinkle that as a nice thick layer over the top, and then I think that will be fine.
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There you go.
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Uh now we have a question from Carolyn.
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She says, I have a lime tree which is planted beside a lemon tree which has never flowered or fruited.
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I have had many seasons of beautiful green limes, but this year some are green and others are bright yellow and taste like lemon.
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Is this normal or is the plant lacking something?
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I always feed it well with neutro products.
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Caroline, there's absolutely nothing wrong with your limes except maybe not enough gin and tonics.
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You might have to uh start having a few more gin and tonics.
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We've been conditioned to think of limes as being green because when you go to the supermarket, you go and buy green limes.
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Limes are exactly the same thing as lemons, they're a citrus, and they will eventually become yellow.
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But they're bright yellow.
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Yeah, and that's what happens.
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So they've been left on the plant for too long.
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So therefore, they're they're exuding a lot more sugars and they're making them a lot sweeter.
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So they're they're more like a more like an orange than they are a lemon in that respect.
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Yeah.
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So they'll they'll always colour up.
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You know, if you leave them on the plant long enough, they'll go from the beautiful spicy uh lime that you love in your in your cooking, because it's got that real, you know, bite to it.
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Um, but if you leave them on the bush, they'll just become yellow.
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And that's where they lose lose their flavour overnight.
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So over the stuff.
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Just like the chewing gum.
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The chewing gum?
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Yeah, the chewing gum on the bedpost overnight loses its flavour.
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Oh yeah, it would be revolting.
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Helen's question is next.
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I have a ten by ten area outside a bedroom window that I'm trying to plant out and bring birds in for my granddaughter to look out at and love.
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I was going to plant a crepe myrtle in the middle of the bed and circle it with a number of beautiful pink gravilla called majestic, although I'm finding it very difficult to find these anywhere.
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When I told the Native Garden Centre what I was trying to plant, he told me I could plant I couldn't plant the myrtle and gravillias in the same garden bed.
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Is this an accurate warning?
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And if it is, how do you know what plants go with each other?
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Hi, Helen.
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Lovely to hear from you again.
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And um, as I said in the email that we responded back to earlier on, I've never heard a greater load of rubbish in my whole life.
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Right.
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Um crepe myrtles and gravilliers, why won't they grow together?
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Well, there's no absolutely no reason.
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Crepe myrtles will grow in just about any condition you can come across without any love and attention.
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And gravilliers are exactly the same.
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The only problem that may may occur might be problematic where the soils are very high in phosphorus.
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So um, and on the Mornington Peninsula, where I know that you you live, you don't have a high phosphorus content in your soils down there, so the likelihood of that happening is absolutely minimal.
00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:44.639
Um so we get back to this phosphorus toxicity thing, and we've we've spoken about it before.
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82% of Australian natives do not suffer from phosphorus toxicity.
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However, gravillias and banks are those that that can suffer.
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But if you use Clyde Compost, the levels of phosphorus in there is not going to have one little iota of problem with uh with the with your uh thingo.
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With regards to your choice of of uh gravilia, no wonder they're hard to find, as the only grower of that particular variety of um of gravelia is in a new in a in a nursery in New South Wales called McClay Valley Nurseries.
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And after consideration about what you're trying to achieve is of a concern to me.
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A crepe myrtle in the middle of the bed surrounded by these gravillias will mean that you won't see the crepe myrtle at all because these gravillias will get between four and a half metres high with a spread of between one and a half and three metres.
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In order to attract bird life into your garden, you need to have successional flowering to keep the birds coming in.
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So I hope this by in some way addresses a lot of those concerns that you have with your plants.
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What are you going to plant, hey, Keith?
00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:57.359
Absolutely.
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There's lots of things that you can plant.
00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.119
Um and I gave her some suggestions.
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Oh, you did.
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Good, good, good.
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Okay, now we have a question from Jess.
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We love Jess from Mona Vane.
00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:11.920
I live in Warren, New South Wales, which gets very hot in summer with many days over 40 degrees.
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I'm wanting to start a decent sized vegetable garden, but don't have a good watering system relying on moving hoses.
00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:28.559
Thinking of the health of the veggies I want to produce, should I put money towards plumbing in a w plumbing in a watering system or keep with the wicking beds which I just fill up when needed?
00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:37.920
After listening to your last podcast about earthworms not being able to access wicking beds, I'm wondering which is best for a poor-time gardener, wicking beds or raised beds.
00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:40.880
Hi, Jess from Warren.
00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.680
You have a beautiful garden there, love.
00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:52.160
Um if you've used the wicking beds last summer and you found them to be successful, then I would suggest that you stick with them.
00:18:52.319 --> 00:19:07.839
Uh if I had my preferences, then I'd be looking to order on your next Clyde Compost delivery to Warren bags of their lignite humates and apply it at 5 litres per square meter, mixed in with Clyde Compost at 10 litres per square metre.
00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:27.039
The best thing about this possible mix mix is that it will have an amazing water holding capacity because it's the carbon content in the lignite humates that will hold up to 400% of its own size and area in moisture, and that will reduce your your watering requirements.
00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:35.200
If plants have available water at their root zones, then transpiration is minimized enormously.
00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:38.400
So I think that's just a great way of doing it.
00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:45.680
With regards to an irrigation system, if you're going to put one in, uh I would suggest that you have a look at the Dan sprinkler system.
00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:54.960
There is a company in New South Wales called Dural Irrigation, and they have the um have the Dan sprinklers.
00:19:55.039 --> 00:20:09.920
Um and you need to set those up off a 20 mil supply of polypipe attached to a tap and where you can actually have an orbit beehive battery-operated uh controller on it with um one station, two stations, or four stations.
00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:28.720
I've got four stations and mine, and then you can have a Wi-Fi hub, which just goes into your PowerPoint, and that will give you control over that that irrigation system, whether you are up in um i uh at an at an IGA expo, somewhere uh up in Queensland or somewhere else.
00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:30.960
You can turn your irrigation system on from up there.
00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:32.559
So, how about all that, Jess?
00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:36.160
And uh if you need any more information, call me.
00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:37.519
There you go.
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:40.079
Fanella has the next question.
00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:46.400
I planted a badge of Boston ivy against a Cularbon fence in December last year, which the nursery said will climb anything.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:53.359
I'm concerned that it hasn't climbed much yet, and also wonder if it's safe to grow it against the metal fence or if it might cause the fence to rust.
00:20:54.480 --> 00:21:03.759
Boston ivy is one of the best climbing plants that you can put on just about any surface whatsoever, um, as opposed to say um climbing fig.
00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:08.880
So the thing about Boston Ivy is that it is a deciduous climber.
00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:19.359
Um and you'll notice that if if you purchase a Boston ivy this year and stick it in the ground, it will sit basically for the whole year.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:26.000
And the reason for that is that it needs to establish a decent root system throughout the soil.
00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:44.079
Now uh without getting too technical about how that how this system works, uh suffice to say that the the the Boston ivy sticks to the wall using uh calcium that it takes out of the soil in order to to use those pads to stick.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:58.240
And it's the calcium that makes it probably one of the best um forms of of of attaching itself to any surface because it's not invasive, it's not gonna degrade or damage uh any surface that it's growing on.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.039
Oh, okay, good.
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:04.960
And now Getting back to the part about the calcium, it needs to get calcium out of the soil first.
00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:24.160
And the only way that that calcium can be taken out of the soil and supplied to the plant is not necessarily through microbes that live in the soil, but the beneficial fungi that live in the soil that that make that that the calcium that is in the soil available to the plants.
00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:26.880
So that's probably one of the one of the best ways to say it.
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:28.000
So does that make sense?
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:33.440
Does vanilla will vanilla have had have that beneficial fungi in the soil already, or depends does she need to have added a potential?
00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:40.880
It will come, and if she uses, say, something like populate or go-go juice, um, that will that will help.
00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:43.759
Or if she uses something like myco gold.
00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:44.000
Yeah.
00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:46.079
She had to put myco gold in the bottom of the hole.
00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:47.519
She can still sprinkle, she can still get some.
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:50.559
Yeah.
00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:52.319
So that's what I'd I'd be suggesting.
00:22:52.400 --> 00:23:00.160
You know, it's it's it's the the Boston Ivy is probably one of the least aggressive of all the climbers, but it will sit for a year.
00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:02.400
And I think you've got some Boston ivy here.
00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:04.160
It's sitting in the and what's it been doing?
00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:08.319
Hasn't grabbed at the wall yet, but I only put it in a couple I don't know, I can't remember now.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:09.119
Uh autumn.
00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:10.240
I put it in autumn and nothing.
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:16.799
So it doesn't, it doesn't it needs to sit and it needs to get that symbiotic relationship happening with the good bugs in the ground first.
00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:24.319
So it's busy working underground at the moment, and next year it will suddenly attach itself with those calcium-y calcium little suckers.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:24.880
Suckers.
00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:26.000
Okay, fantastic.
00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:28.640
Uh last question for this QA is from Jan.
00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:36.400
After listening to the latest podcast about passion fruit, I'm second guessing planting a black passion fruit Passaflora edulus.
00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:42.000
My grandkids love passion fruit, but they cost a fortune, so I've decided to try growing some.
00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:47.119
Up until a couple of weeks ago, it was thriving, but we've had some nasty frosts and it's looking rather ill.
00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:52.799
So after listening to your podcast, I'm wondering if I should abandon that one and plant another in a pot.
00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:55.839
Yeah, you look, you can.
00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:04.880
Um pots will will tend to attract and hold hold the the the heat around them in a in a better way than the soil will.
00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:15.279
Um I would be suggesting to you, Jan, that you actually grow your own passion fruits from the seeds of the black passion fruit.
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:21.359
Um, and there's some seed companies around that diggers club sell the black passion fruit, the seed company sells them.
00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:27.359
There's lots of um, you know, they're available pretty easily from any of those sorts of things.
00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:34.480
The best position to grow um passion fruit is where they are facing east.
00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:44.400
Okay, so I've I've got I've got three in my garden, um, and the one that performs the absolute best faces due east.
00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:55.519
The other two face due north, and they are the most affected by the the cold conditions um and also the hot conditions.
00:24:55.680 --> 00:25:00.240
So if you can find a an eastern aspect, that's going to be the absolute best way to do it.
00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:05.359
They love plenty of food, so make sure that you've got a well-composted hole that you put them in.
00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:10.960
Um, and you generally get between five, three, five to seven years out of each particular plant.
00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:20.240
So have yourself a backup plan um, you know, in you know, after you planted your first one in a couple of years' time, think about another one, booting it, you know, growing a new one from seed.
00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:33.039
For goodness sakes, do not buy one that's been grafted because you will hate yourself, and so will your neighbours, because that stinking rotten graft will take over one day and it'll rule the world.
00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:35.200
Yes, we know about those.
00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.960
Okay, thank you, Keith.
00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:39.440
That brings us to the end of another QA podcast.
00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:42.160
So thank you again to you all for the great questions.
00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:46.880
Now all we have left to do is announce the winner of the very generous prize from the Plant Runner.
00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:52.559
And this month the prize is going to Gerry, who is working very hard to keep her 18-year-old olive trees alive.
00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:55.200
Congratulations, Jerry, we'll be in touch shortly.
00:25:55.359 --> 00:26:03.359
And to everyone else, don't forget to check out theplantrunner.com for your organic indoor and outdoor plant care needs and happy gardening.
00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:04.799
Happy gardening.
00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:07.279
Thank you for listening to Muddy Boots.
00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:14.319
For more information on today's podcast, please go to muddyboots.net.au and happy gardening.
00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:06.480
Hello, I'm Elizabeth, an obsessive backyard gardener, who might be able to offer you a couple of tips.
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:11.599
And I'm Keith, a landscape consultant, and I'm also passionate about gardening.
00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:16.160
The one thing we both have in common is muddy boots.
00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:19.199
Welcome everyone to another QA.
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:30.960
As always, we have a load of great questions for Keith to get through, but before we start, we need to announce the three lucky winners of our latest giveaway from the original Lowy and the Backyard Botanist.
00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:42.479
The original Lowy number one anvil pruner is designed to handle tough pruning tasks with ease for medium to large hands, and is equally at home in either the garden or the workshop.
00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:44.640
A really great prize.
00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:52.960
So our three winners of these fabulous pruners are Andrew, whose Instagram account is Grandy Andy.
00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:54.079
That's number one.
00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:58.320
Julie, and her Instagram is Julie A.Burton2.
00:00:59.039 --> 00:01:03.119
And Allie, whose Instagram account is a.macing.
00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:05.439
Congratulations to you all.
00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:10.799
We will be in contact with you shortly to arrange delivery of your prize, which you will love.
00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:14.079
Okay, Keith, let's get started on our first QA.
00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:17.760
We have got the first question from Lee.
00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:26.400
He says, I've just dug up some lawn to start another vegetable bed, and I've noticed white curl grubs in the soil, the ones with the yellow head.
00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:29.840
Last season I had a bed, I had a bed that struggled.
00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:33.120
The plant started well but then struggled for the rest of the season.
00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.959
I had a tomato plant that was healthy to start with but eventually died.
00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:40.400
Is it possible that these grubs were the reason for the poor performance?
00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:42.319
And if so, how do I get rid of them?
00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:44.879
Everything else in the bed grew well.
00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:53.120
Well, I'd say that the tomato is more to do with um maybe pH in the soil.
00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:01.120
Um that's something that that that really ties them, ties them down and really makes them either go or not.
00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:07.359
Um Lee sent a photograph of the actual um curl grubs to me.
00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:14.960
Um and the fact that they've got an orange head means that they're not going to be problematic in the soil.
00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:19.360
If they had a blackhead, they are problematic.
00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:29.360
Because black-headed and we call them cockchafers, black-headed cockchafers eat roots of plants, roots of of turf, the works.
00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.400
And then that's the end of that.
00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:38.719
But the the orange-headed or the yellow-headed cockchafer, they actually eat dead vegetative matter.
00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:45.280
So in the lawn, for instance, he would have seen them in the lawn because they were in there eating the thatch layer that's in that lawn area.
00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:51.199
So that's that's um that's comes with older lawns, and that's where you'll get the curl grubs.
00:02:51.520 --> 00:03:12.080
They're they're not as I said, the the one you've got to worry about is the one that they have in the turf industry and on golf courses, where it is the black-headed cock chafer, and then during the uh during the the the late spring into summer you you see these black beetles, and that's uh that that is the you know the the life cycle starting all over again.
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:25.840
So no, you haven't got a problem at all, but you you I would just be suggesting you get as much compost and go-go juice and um rock dust into those into those um beds that you're uh you're gonna be growing in, and I think you'll be perfectly fine.
00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:27.039
Okay, fantastic.
00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:29.120
Our next question is from Jerry.
00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:33.360
I have two 18-year-old feature olive trees in my front garden.
00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:38.240
They are in a large raised bed and have always been happy and healthy, producing lots of fruit.
00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:39.360
Until now.
00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:43.840
One of the trees has developed what I think is verticillium wilt.
00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:50.639
Random branches are dying with the leaves turning brown while the other branches around it continue to do well until they don't.
00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:55.120
We have been cutting out the dead branches and have given the tree a good feed, but are very concerned.
00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:57.439
Two factors changed last year.
00:03:57.680 --> 00:04:01.759
One, we added irrigation to the surrounding plants in the same garden bed.
00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:09.199
And two, the trees had olive lace bug last year, which we were able to control, but wonder if this may have weakened the tree.
00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:11.599
The prognosis from Google isn't good.
00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:16.000
Do you have any recommendations as to how to proceed to try and save the trees?
00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:27.680
Yes, um I'd recommend that you cut back on irrigation and do not apply any fertilizer at this particular stage because that could send them into a bit of a chock uh shock.
00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:40.800
Uh, I would be suggesting that you get yourself some neutrog populate, which is P-O-P-U-L, and then the the the numeral eight um and and apply that at recommended rates.
00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:52.879
Sea sole is also another great thing that you can be adding to the to the soil because it'll help stimulate root growth and and cell um production, and I'd be doing that on a weekly basis.
00:04:53.120 --> 00:05:01.839
And then to try to patch up and and rebalance everything, I would suggest that you get in there and and apply some monash mineral rock fertilizer.
00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:09.439
So the moneash rock dust, get in there and sprinkle that around the root zone of the trees, not the trunk of the trees.
00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:22.480
And then if you like, I would be suggesting that you maybe go into some companion planting and stick some some plants that like those sorts of conditions around olive trees, and that would be things like lavender and rosemary.
00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:45.279
Um, and then of course, um if you uh if you really wanted to go right out there and do the right thing, get yourself a prepping fork and get some mico gold down into the where the root systems are, and that will then strengthen the the the root systems up and give it a much better chance at uh coming good because they look absolutely fantastic, olive trees.
00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:45.839
Yeah, they do not have a lot of different things.
00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.680
I keep on thinking back to your beautiful olive olive trees at your place.
00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:50.639
At my old place.
00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:52.800
They were just magnificent standards, weren't they?
00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:54.160
Yeah, they were massive, gorgeous.
00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:56.000
Um, what is verticillium wilt?
00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:06.800
And so is that that's verticillium wilt is is a is a fungal disease, and it's something that that you would notice more on on the likes of um uh tomatoes.
00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:10.160
So they'll get either verticillium or or fusarium.
00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:22.560
And these are these are fungal diseases, and that's why going to the populate, for instance, it's going to be then providing those plants with the microbes that are going to be fighting off the nasty ones.
00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:22.959
Okay.
00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:36.720
Build up build up all the things in the soil by using the the the the the the populate, the the monash rock dust and the you know the the the mycogold, and I tell you it that should set them up and they'll be bouncing back for sure.
00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:39.439
Now we have a question from Jennifer.
00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.879
I need help with my cauliflower plants, which are being eaten.
00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:46.560
I'm not sure what is eating them, but have noticed heaps of slugs in the soil.
00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:49.199
So I'm guessing it's either slugs or earwigs.
00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:52.319
It was growing amazingly, and then two days later it wasn't.
00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:56.160
So I'm feeling that I may have to cut it off and wait for the next one to grow.
00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:57.920
What do you think, Keith?
00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:05.519
Um I'd be suggesting that you um you actually just give them a really, really good feed.
00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:06.959
A really good feed.
00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:17.120
Um thinking about that sort of a situation is is that there's an imbalance happening and you need to get on top of that that imbalance.
00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:20.879
Um I think that um feed with what?
00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:30.079
Feeding feeding it with with because of the the size of the plants, I think I'd be feeding them with with um uh go-go juice.
00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.519
I give them a dose of go-go juice and then some compost around them.
00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:33.920
Yep.
00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:39.360
Um I would probably suggest that it would be snails and slugs at this particular time of the year.
00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:44.959
If you've got mulch underneath them, then it could be um earwigs that were coming up.
00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:51.680
And you can generally tell the the earwigs will will tend to give you little circular holes in the leaves themselves.
00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:55.839
So they go up there with their little tiny mouths and just chew around in one little spot.
00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:00.959
Um and they do that because their food's not available, which is normally aphids.
00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:04.879
So that's that's what the the earwigs tend tend to uh to feed on.
00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:14.240
But snails and slugs in this time of the year, this is when the the the little baby ones are just coming into into life, you know, so we're in that early, early season.
00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:24.560
So so I'd be getting getting stuck into that with um with some some liquid food, um, populate or go-go juice, and just try to you know force them along.
00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.879
Um, and then maybe next year think about adding stuff like the monash rock dust.
00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:35.519
That will just set your garden up for the high bricks level in your plants that won't be attacked by the pest and disease.
00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:36.960
Good stuff.
00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:39.120
Anastasia's question is next.
00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:42.320
Do you recommend rice hulls as a mulch?
00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.200
Um no, I don't, because they they're just about pure carbon.
00:08:47.279 --> 00:09:06.159
So what what that they they might retain the moisture in the soil, but they're not adding anything good really into the soil because um the hulls themselves are carbon, so therefore the microbes are you are stealing the nitrogen deep in the soil in order to break the carbon down.
00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:10.559
Um and and the other thing too is that they can be blown around and all the rest of it.
00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:15.679
So it's not a it's not a great um it's not a great mulch as far as I'm concerned.
00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:18.000
I I wouldn't rate that very highly.
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:26.159
If you're going to be using it because you've you've got plenty uh you know access to it, then put put in a nitrogenous fertilizer over the top of it.
00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:32.879
So sprinkle some um blood and bone over it or some rooster booster or something else like that.
00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:39.919
Feed the microbes rather than than starve the microbes, so the microbes are not putting the their goodness into where it should be, which is the plants.
00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:42.879
So, what alternative that looks a bit similar to a rice hole?
00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:44.000
I'm trying to think what it would look like.
00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:45.519
Um well some uh peak.
00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:48.559
Colour wise pea straw, lucerne, that sort of stuff.
00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:58.879
But if you're going to be using uh pea straw, make sure that you haven't got doves around because the doves will just get in there and they'll move it everywhere, trying to find the peas that might be in the in the pea straw.
00:09:59.120 --> 00:09:59.600
Yes, that'll be.
00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:04.399
I have to I put pea straw down this year and I use Brunning's pea straw.
00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:10.720
Um and I've had to put a net around it because otherwise the doves would be in there just flicking it everywhere.
00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:13.200
Liz has the next question.
00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:21.039
I've had an issue over the past few years with trips in my ornamental capital pear trees and underplanting of Raphael's Snowmaiden.
00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:27.200
I've tried a product called Success, as was recommended to me by a local garden centre, but had zero success.
00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:29.600
And now they are back with a vengeance.
00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:34.879
They're distorting the growth with yellowing leaves, and the plants look looking generally unwell.
00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:42.639
I would love your suggestions on what I could use to eradicate them, and I will need and will I need to treat the soil as well as spray the plants.
00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:49.440
Um well you're wasting your time using success because obviously.
00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:53.919
Yeah, because um success is for is for caterpillars mainly.
00:10:54.320 --> 00:11:00.159
Um and thrips are not going to be not going to be phased by putting that on, so that's the reason that didn't work.
00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:07.600
Um and in the soil, yes, most most insects pupate in the soil, as well as in the leaf litter and bark crevices.
00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:22.480
I always go back to the old favourite for spraying for thrips and for most of these bugs that that suck living daylights out of your out of your leaves and things, going into using the eco oil and the eco neem.
00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:28.480
So the old the old saying of um how many how many mil of of eco oil?
00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:30.240
Twelve to twenty oil.
00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:31.200
That's right, yep.
00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:32.879
Twenty-five mil of eco oil.
00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:36.720
Yep, uh twelve round.
00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:37.360
Twelve mil.
00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:39.200
I don't know, twelve and twenty-five.
00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:39.679
Which one?
00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:42.559
So neem.
00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:43.200
The smaller one.
00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:44.480
Smaller bottle which comes in.
00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:45.759
The more expensive stuff.
00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:46.799
Yeah, and twenty-five and twelve.
00:11:47.039 --> 00:12:05.039
And twenty-five mil of the eco oil, mix those together into a five-litre sprayer, and then you need to spray the back side of the leaves as well as the front side, because if you spray the if you spray just the front, it ain't getting to the back, and that's where those thrips and all the other things will tend to tend to be.
00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:09.919
Um the eco oil will smother the smother the bugs and and and kill them.
00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:19.840
The neem will then become systemic if you spray it on a regular basis, so that anything that comes along later on to chew and suck, it'll kill those good.
00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:33.840
And then I'd suggest you get out with your munash rock dust and give that a bit of a dose just to increase in increase the soil microbes in the soil and build up the bricks level of the plants that will ward off pest and disease.
00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:35.440
Thank you, Keith.
00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:36.879
Kimberly is next.
00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:41.279
I have a few blueberry bushes in fairly large pots, which we repotted last year.
00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:46.240
They haven't outgrown their pots yet, but I would like to know how often the soil should be replenished.
00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:49.120
I'm also keen to know your approach to pruning blueberries.
00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:50.080
Is it necessary?
00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:54.000
And if so, when's the best time and what is the best way to prune them?
00:12:54.480 --> 00:13:01.440
Um if you potted up last year, then uh they'll require a light trim now just to shape them up to allow light and uh air penetration.
00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:05.919
So go through and just give them a nice light prune, and they'll they'll be fine.
00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:12.960
And that will that will then force the the plant to provide energy into the growing of the blueberries.
00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:22.559
Um plants in pots, they should be changed every three to five years, so in the middle of winter, and always use an acidic potting mix.
00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:26.960
So you you can buy those from the big green warehouse.
00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:34.879
It is specifically for acidic loving plants like camellias and azaleas and these sorts of things, but they're also great for blueberries.
00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:45.200
And then once you've got them in the pots and growing, go and get yourself some pine needles and sprinkle that as a nice thick layer over the top, and then I think that will be fine.
00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:46.639
There you go.
00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:48.960
Uh now we have a question from Carolyn.
00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:53.919
She says, I have a lime tree which is planted beside a lemon tree which has never flowered or fruited.
00:13:54.159 --> 00:14:00.879
I have had many seasons of beautiful green limes, but this year some are green and others are bright yellow and taste like lemon.
00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:03.440
Is this normal or is the plant lacking something?
00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.399
I always feed it well with neutro products.
00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:12.480
Caroline, there's absolutely nothing wrong with your limes except maybe not enough gin and tonics.
00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:16.879
You might have to uh start having a few more gin and tonics.
00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:25.279
We've been conditioned to think of limes as being green because when you go to the supermarket, you go and buy green limes.
00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:31.279
Limes are exactly the same thing as lemons, they're a citrus, and they will eventually become yellow.
00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:33.200
But they're bright yellow.
00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:34.960
Yeah, and that's what happens.
00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:36.720
So they've been left on the plant for too long.
00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:41.840
So therefore, they're they're exuding a lot more sugars and they're making them a lot sweeter.
00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:46.240
So they're they're more like a more like an orange than they are a lemon in that respect.
00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:46.639
Yeah.
00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:48.320
So they'll they'll always colour up.
00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:58.639
You know, if you leave them on the plant long enough, they'll go from the beautiful spicy uh lime that you love in your in your cooking, because it's got that real, you know, bite to it.
00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:02.320
Um, but if you leave them on the bush, they'll just become yellow.
00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.279
And that's where they lose lose their flavour overnight.
00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:06.080
So over the stuff.
00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:07.360
Just like the chewing gum.
00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:08.480
The chewing gum?
00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:12.159
Yeah, the chewing gum on the bedpost overnight loses its flavour.
00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:14.159
Oh yeah, it would be revolting.
00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:15.679
Helen's question is next.
00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:23.919
I have a ten by ten area outside a bedroom window that I'm trying to plant out and bring birds in for my granddaughter to look out at and love.
00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:33.679
I was going to plant a crepe myrtle in the middle of the bed and circle it with a number of beautiful pink gravilla called majestic, although I'm finding it very difficult to find these anywhere.
00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:41.360
When I told the Native Garden Centre what I was trying to plant, he told me I could plant I couldn't plant the myrtle and gravillias in the same garden bed.
00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:42.960
Is this an accurate warning?
00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:46.960
And if it is, how do you know what plants go with each other?
00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:48.559
Hi, Helen.
00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:50.240
Lovely to hear from you again.
00:15:50.399 --> 00:16:00.240
And um, as I said in the email that we responded back to earlier on, I've never heard a greater load of rubbish in my whole life.
00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:00.960
Right.
00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:06.399
Um crepe myrtles and gravilliers, why won't they grow together?
00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:08.080
Well, there's no absolutely no reason.
00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:14.240
Crepe myrtles will grow in just about any condition you can come across without any love and attention.
00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:16.879
And gravilliers are exactly the same.
00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:23.519
The only problem that may may occur might be problematic where the soils are very high in phosphorus.
00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:36.320
So um, and on the Mornington Peninsula, where I know that you you live, you don't have a high phosphorus content in your soils down there, so the likelihood of that happening is absolutely minimal.
00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:44.639
Um so we get back to this phosphorus toxicity thing, and we've we've spoken about it before.
00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:49.519
82% of Australian natives do not suffer from phosphorus toxicity.
00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:54.320
However, gravillias and banks are those that that can suffer.
00:16:54.559 --> 00:17:03.759
But if you use Clyde Compost, the levels of phosphorus in there is not going to have one little iota of problem with uh with the with your uh thingo.
00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:19.680
With regards to your choice of of uh gravilia, no wonder they're hard to find, as the only grower of that particular variety of um of gravelia is in a new in a in a nursery in New South Wales called McClay Valley Nurseries.
00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:25.839
And after consideration about what you're trying to achieve is of a concern to me.
00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:40.079
A crepe myrtle in the middle of the bed surrounded by these gravillias will mean that you won't see the crepe myrtle at all because these gravillias will get between four and a half metres high with a spread of between one and a half and three metres.
00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:48.160
In order to attract bird life into your garden, you need to have successional flowering to keep the birds coming in.
00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:54.960
So I hope this by in some way addresses a lot of those concerns that you have with your plants.
00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:56.559
What are you going to plant, hey, Keith?
00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:57.359
Absolutely.
00:17:57.519 --> 00:17:58.960
There's lots of things that you can plant.
00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.119
Um and I gave her some suggestions.
00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:01.759
Oh, you did.
00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:02.480
Good, good, good.
00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:04.720
Okay, now we have a question from Jess.
00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:06.799
We love Jess from Mona Vane.
00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:11.920
I live in Warren, New South Wales, which gets very hot in summer with many days over 40 degrees.
00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:18.720
I'm wanting to start a decent sized vegetable garden, but don't have a good watering system relying on moving hoses.
00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:28.559
Thinking of the health of the veggies I want to produce, should I put money towards plumbing in a w plumbing in a watering system or keep with the wicking beds which I just fill up when needed?
00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:37.920
After listening to your last podcast about earthworms not being able to access wicking beds, I'm wondering which is best for a poor-time gardener, wicking beds or raised beds.
00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:40.880
Hi, Jess from Warren.
00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.680
You have a beautiful garden there, love.
00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:52.160
Um if you've used the wicking beds last summer and you found them to be successful, then I would suggest that you stick with them.
00:18:52.319 --> 00:19:07.839
Uh if I had my preferences, then I'd be looking to order on your next Clyde Compost delivery to Warren bags of their lignite humates and apply it at 5 litres per square meter, mixed in with Clyde Compost at 10 litres per square metre.
00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:27.039
The best thing about this possible mix mix is that it will have an amazing water holding capacity because it's the carbon content in the lignite humates that will hold up to 400% of its own size and area in moisture, and that will reduce your your watering requirements.
00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:35.200
If plants have available water at their root zones, then transpiration is minimized enormously.
00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:38.400
So I think that's just a great way of doing it.
00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:45.680
With regards to an irrigation system, if you're going to put one in, uh I would suggest that you have a look at the Dan sprinkler system.
00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:54.960
There is a company in New South Wales called Dural Irrigation, and they have the um have the Dan sprinklers.
00:19:55.039 --> 00:20:09.920
Um and you need to set those up off a 20 mil supply of polypipe attached to a tap and where you can actually have an orbit beehive battery-operated uh controller on it with um one station, two stations, or four stations.
00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:28.720
I've got four stations and mine, and then you can have a Wi-Fi hub, which just goes into your PowerPoint, and that will give you control over that that irrigation system, whether you are up in um i uh at an at an IGA expo, somewhere uh up in Queensland or somewhere else.
00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:30.960
You can turn your irrigation system on from up there.
00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:32.559
So, how about all that, Jess?
00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:36.160
And uh if you need any more information, call me.
00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:37.519
There you go.
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:40.079
Fanella has the next question.
00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:46.400
I planted a badge of Boston ivy against a Cularbon fence in December last year, which the nursery said will climb anything.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:53.359
I'm concerned that it hasn't climbed much yet, and also wonder if it's safe to grow it against the metal fence or if it might cause the fence to rust.
00:20:54.480 --> 00:21:03.759
Boston ivy is one of the best climbing plants that you can put on just about any surface whatsoever, um, as opposed to say um climbing fig.
00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:08.880
So the thing about Boston Ivy is that it is a deciduous climber.
00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:19.359
Um and you'll notice that if if you purchase a Boston ivy this year and stick it in the ground, it will sit basically for the whole year.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:26.000
And the reason for that is that it needs to establish a decent root system throughout the soil.
00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:44.079
Now uh without getting too technical about how that how this system works, uh suffice to say that the the the Boston ivy sticks to the wall using uh calcium that it takes out of the soil in order to to use those pads to stick.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:58.240
And it's the calcium that makes it probably one of the best um forms of of of attaching itself to any surface because it's not invasive, it's not gonna degrade or damage uh any surface that it's growing on.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.039
Oh, okay, good.
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:04.960
And now Getting back to the part about the calcium, it needs to get calcium out of the soil first.
00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:24.160
And the only way that that calcium can be taken out of the soil and supplied to the plant is not necessarily through microbes that live in the soil, but the beneficial fungi that live in the soil that that make that that the calcium that is in the soil available to the plants.
00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:26.880
So that's probably one of the one of the best ways to say it.
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:28.000
So does that make sense?
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:33.440
Does vanilla will vanilla have had have that beneficial fungi in the soil already, or depends does she need to have added a potential?
00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:40.880
It will come, and if she uses, say, something like populate or go-go juice, um, that will that will help.
00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:43.759
Or if she uses something like myco gold.
00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:44.000
Yeah.
00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:46.079
She had to put myco gold in the bottom of the hole.
00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:47.519
She can still sprinkle, she can still get some.
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:50.559
Yeah.
00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:52.319
So that's what I'd I'd be suggesting.
00:22:52.400 --> 00:23:00.160
You know, it's it's it's the the Boston Ivy is probably one of the least aggressive of all the climbers, but it will sit for a year.
00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:02.400
And I think you've got some Boston ivy here.
00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:04.160
It's sitting in the and what's it been doing?
00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:08.319
Hasn't grabbed at the wall yet, but I only put it in a couple I don't know, I can't remember now.
00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:09.119
Uh autumn.
00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:10.240
I put it in autumn and nothing.
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:16.799
So it doesn't, it doesn't it needs to sit and it needs to get that symbiotic relationship happening with the good bugs in the ground first.
00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:24.319
So it's busy working underground at the moment, and next year it will suddenly attach itself with those calcium-y calcium little suckers.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:24.880
Suckers.
00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:26.000
Okay, fantastic.
00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:28.640
Uh last question for this QA is from Jan.
00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:36.400
After listening to the latest podcast about passion fruit, I'm second guessing planting a black passion fruit Passaflora edulus.
00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:42.000
My grandkids love passion fruit, but they cost a fortune, so I've decided to try growing some.
00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:47.119
Up until a couple of weeks ago, it was thriving, but we've had some nasty frosts and it's looking rather ill.
00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:52.799
So after listening to your podcast, I'm wondering if I should abandon that one and plant another in a pot.
00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:55.839
Yeah, you look, you can.
00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:04.880
Um pots will will tend to attract and hold hold the the the heat around them in a in a better way than the soil will.
00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:15.279
Um I would be suggesting to you, Jan, that you actually grow your own passion fruits from the seeds of the black passion fruit.
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:21.359
Um, and there's some seed companies around that diggers club sell the black passion fruit, the seed company sells them.
00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:27.359
There's lots of um, you know, they're available pretty easily from any of those sorts of things.
00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:34.480
The best position to grow um passion fruit is where they are facing east.
00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:44.400
Okay, so I've I've got I've got three in my garden, um, and the one that performs the absolute best faces due east.
00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:55.519
The other two face due north, and they are the most affected by the the cold conditions um and also the hot conditions.
00:24:55.680 --> 00:25:00.240
So if you can find a an eastern aspect, that's going to be the absolute best way to do it.
00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:05.359
They love plenty of food, so make sure that you've got a well-composted hole that you put them in.
00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:10.960
Um, and you generally get between five, three, five to seven years out of each particular plant.
00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:20.240
So have yourself a backup plan um, you know, in you know, after you planted your first one in a couple of years' time, think about another one, booting it, you know, growing a new one from seed.
00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:33.039
For goodness sakes, do not buy one that's been grafted because you will hate yourself, and so will your neighbours, because that stinking rotten graft will take over one day and it'll rule the world.
00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:35.200
Yes, we know about those.
00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.960
Okay, thank you, Keith.
00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:39.440
That brings us to the end of another QA podcast.
00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:42.160
So thank you again to you all for the great questions.
00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:46.880
Now all we have left to do is announce the winner of the very generous prize from the Plant Runner.
00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:52.559
And this month the prize is going to Gerry, who is working very hard to keep her 18-year-old olive trees alive.
00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:55.200
Congratulations, Jerry, we'll be in touch shortly.
00:25:55.359 --> 00:26:03.359
And to everyone else, don't forget to check out theplantrunner.com for your organic indoor and outdoor plant care needs and happy gardening.
00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:04.799
Happy gardening.
00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:07.279
Thank you for listening to Muddy Boots.
00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:14.319
For more information on today's podcast, please go to muddyboots.net.au and happy gardening.
