5 Jul 11 12:24 AM
It will grow North of Hamilton. It needs the heat....read more
5 Jul 11 12:16 AM
soft wood cuttings strike easily using iba ...read more
5 Jul 11 12:15 AM
Used coffee grounds. Cafe's will give them too you ifyou ask =)...read more
5 Jul 11 12:14 AM
What type of trees are they? Did they ever sprout new leaves? Specifically, what herbecide(s) did you use to kill off the old lawn?...read more
5 Jul 11 12:11 AM
These are large earthworms. They are of intrinsic value. They digest organic matter - part of the soil nutrient cycle....read more
5 Jul 11 12:06 AM
Most garden centres stock these. The Red taste stronger than then yellow. Note: The "NZ Cranberry" is not a true cranberry. It is a smaller fruiting guava called Chilean Guava, aka Myrtus u......read more
5 Jul 11 12:03 AM
Why kill something? The insects are there for a reason, and like any life form they have intrinsic value. Instead of killing something, how about considering introducing more plant and habitat diversi......read more
4 Jul 11 11:58 PM
Pruning is required if you want to keep the tree at a manageable size. Prune peaches in Summer AFTER the fruit have been picked. Google "peach pruning" and "home orchard pruning" e......read more
28 Jun 10 1:50 AM
rainwater is better, however, unless you can smell chlorine in your tap water, it's ok to use....read more
28 Jun 10 1:48 AM
always keep mulches well clear of the trunk - they hold in moisture... moisture = fungus and bacterial breeding issues. Furthermore, nitrogen will only amplify the problem. Another mistake I see some......read more
28 Jun 10 1:45 AM
But seems to be very fragile when young. CAUTION: do not disturb the roots!!!...read more
28 Jun 10 1:45 AM
For a hardier Avocado variety, try "Reed" or "Bacon" Apparently as hardy as a lemon......read more
28 Jun 10 1:43 AM
I purchased a decoy owl for a bird deterrant. It didn't work for sparrows eating seed... If you have a snail infestation you have a duck deficiency, so I guess if you have a bird infestation the balan......read more
28 Jun 10 1:39 AM
copper spray can be helpful preventative too... ...read more
28 Jun 10 1:39 AM
Milk is great as suggested... Anything that will acidify the outside of the leaf slightly will help. From sulfur powder to 10% vinegar solution - even diluted urine can be used. But might want a decen......read more
28 Jun 10 1:34 AM
Sounds good. Google "Berkley" composting method. This is a hot (thermolytic) style of composting. Kills most seeds, can even compost meat in it (if you were that wasteful)......read more
28 Jun 10 1:31 AM
sounds special... take photo and post it online... some micro organisms are very purple......read more
28 Jun 10 1:29 AM
Most landscaping places sell a vege garden soil mix which includes compost. Growing cover crops (ie lupin, oats, mustard etc) will also give you additional "bio-mass"...read more
28 Jun 10 1:27 AM
... A raised bed is primarily used to enhance drainage. In dry areas the opposite it applied ie "pit gardening". The idea being water travels to the lowest point. This is used in places like......read more
28 Jun 10 1:16 AM
another barrier idea i just remembered... plant a dense row of comfrey, and or canna lillies, and include hydrangeas if you want too. Idea being that the dense root systems of the comfrey or canna don......read more
28 Jun 10 1:15 AM
If the grass is constantly creeping into your garden use a barrier... Lots of choices... It needs to be a barrier that is deeper than the roots of the grass... so dig a hole and have a look how deep t......read more
28 Jun 10 1:08 AM
most garden centres have a herb section - it's often found there......read more
28 Jun 10 1:07 AM
it's either some sort of probe... or one of the thousands of varieties of gourd... i think the last one......read more
28 Jun 10 1:06 AM
look closer, take a photo and post it on here or a website... lots of insects chew, but if it's only a little damage then don't worry, enough tree to go around hopefully. Insects rarely destroy an ent......read more
28 Jun 10 12:57 AM
arrowroot or cornflour = slimey sauce... go for reducing, this will make it taste more sour, so add more sugar.. can also add diced apples to give thicker consistency...read more
7 Feb 10 11:34 AM
Try and Google "growing strawberries". The internet is a wealth of knowledge. In your particular case I can see that your soil needs more organic matter, and mulching, and you have also cov......read more
21 Jan 10 1:48 PM
good use of the chicken tractor... ...read more
21 Jan 10 1:35 PM
Bunnings have a herb section in their plants area. I picked up a horse radish plant there a few months ago. ...read more
21 Jan 10 1:33 PM
The size of any plant can generally be controlled with pruning and training. The fertility of the soil and other factors such as sunlight hours and temperature will also affect plant size over time. T......read more
21 Jan 10 1:14 PM
Get some ducks!!! They work for free......read more
21 Jan 10 1:12 PM
Hi. I'm in Feilding in the Manawatu. I have about 200 or so edible plant varieties on a permaculture site. I have trialled many subtropical varieties here and have found that most subtropicals have to......read more
29 Nov 09 10:09 AM
Can't go wrong with tomato paste which can be used for so many things, from indian curries like butter chicken, to italian pasta sauces and pizzas, tomato bread, pasta colouring, soups and stocks etc.......read more
6 Nov 09 1:48 PM
"Soiless growing" is an old and effective way of producing plants in a nice and controlled environment. Especially if the climate conditions aren't very suitable to growing outdoors. You get......read more
6 Nov 09 1:42 PM
Dog poo, and even meat, can be composted in a Berkley method "hot compost". This sort of compost can even be used to cook food in, heat water, and keep a greenhouse warm over winter for exam......read more
6 Nov 09 1:06 PM
Tell me a civilization that survived with it's soil still intact? The building of new topsoil depends on us, and our future depends on building new topsoil. This is the greatest challenge facing mode......read more
6 Nov 09 3:31 AM
Your question is very widespread and very important, and also quite telling... "I have found mealy bugs in the soil of my vege patch. How can I get rid of them?" ......read more
6 Nov 09 3:19 AM
Just clean them in some fresh water, put then in a container with come fresh veges like lettuce and carrot peeling as then will self clean. Then poach and consume, or poach then put in snail dishes wi......read more
6 Nov 09 3:16 AM
google "worm farm".. have fun!...read more
6 Nov 09 3:14 AM
Keep it as "natural" as possible I say. If we can mimic what happens in a natural forest system then we must be on the right track? The amount of chlorine in drinking water is quite low. In......read more
6 Nov 09 3:05 AM
Some varieties of lettuce (and other veges) "bolt" (go to seed) more readily than others. Going to seed is their main aim in life, as it is also our main aim so it seems. The white sap is th......read more
6 Nov 09 2:52 AM
If you put about half a teaspoon of dishliquid per litre of water (approx) and use a water your mix before you pop your seeds in this could work. The little bit of detergent acts as a "wetting&qu......read more
6 Nov 09 2:49 AM
Yes, used coffee grounds will work. Another tip is to plant a thyme border around your garden bed, and have a separate garden bed for the slugs. But on the other hand, maybe you don't have a slug surp......read more
6 Nov 09 2:45 AM
Planting the blueberry bushes directly into peat works best I have found. Peat has very low nutrient levels and is the right pH for the plant. Blueberries evolved under acidic soil conditions where le......read more
6 Nov 09 2:37 AM
The strong smelling english lavenders are great for codlin moth prevention apparently. Additionally, I use corrugated cardboard wrapped tightly around the trunk. They crawl into this and then the card......read more
6 Nov 09 2:31 AM
A neglected mature apple tree will take at least 3 years to rectify with major structural pruning - unless its already in good shape? If you can send in a few photos of the tree from at least 3 sides......read more
6 Nov 09 2:22 AM
Some cultivars suit being grown at specific times of the year to help prevent "bolting". This applies to most of the brassicas I believe....read more
6 Nov 09 2:21 AM
Hi I recently trialed using half milk half water sprayed onto seed raising mix. Applied this mix to half my trays and left the other half unsprayed. Appears to dramatically help prevent damping off....read more
6 Nov 09 2:16 AM
and regarding drainage... If your site isn't draining too well it may pay to think about water requirements and soil conditions before planting other things. If your tree is in a boggy site I'd recom......read more
6 Nov 09 2:03 AM
Hi A photo of the tree, the leaves, the soil and site would help. I planted about 25 or so citrus over the last 2 years. Some have literally lost nearly all their leaves and re-grew them. So there ma......read more
6 Nov 09 1:48 AM
STRAWBERRY: Friends are beans, borage, lettuce, onions, spinach and thyme. Foes: Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kohlrabi. Allies: Borage strengthens resistance to insects and dis......read more