Real World Gardener-Horticulture, Gardening, Learning to Grow

PLANT DOCTOR

Problems with Beans

Beans are such an easy crop to grow, but if you live in a district where the weather plays havoc with your veggie garden, you could be in for a bit of trouble with your beans.

Perhaps it’s not just disease but a horde of insects have descended.

Powdery mildew on beans

 

Let’s find out what you can do about this.

I'm talking with Steve Falcioni from OCP’s www.ecogarden.com.au

 

PLAY : Bean Problems_28th November 2018

Whitefly, thrips and aphids control with eco oil or soap based spray to.

 

Possibly bean fly damage on leaf

Beanfly, is much harder to control, is cultural. If you don't pick off affected leaves, the eggs will hatch and the larvae will tunnel into the stems of the bean plants.

You may as well pull them out at this stage as there is no control.

 

Caterpillars can be picked off or use Dipel.

Powdery mildew can be controlled with potassium bicarbonate spray such as eco Carb.

Other diseases, such as rusts and leaf spots is better prevented with cultural methods because chemical control is difficult and mostly ineffective.

Good sunlight is best for beans so not near overhanging trees.

No pods but plenty of flowers?

The main reason for no pod set is very hot weather.

Steve says, just be patient and wait for the weather to cool.

Of course, encourage pollinators into your garden with plenty of flowers near your veggie bed.

If you have any questions, either for me or for Steve, why not email [email protected] or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

TALKING FLOWERS

Classic cut Flowers.

Mercede's definition of a bouquet of classic cut flowers is 'high end' cut flowers.

Think Ms Hydrangea, Ms Stephanotis,Mr Tuber Rose.

It's not just flowers though, there are berries that are incorporated into a bunch of classic flowers.

Try Ms Hypericum: red or green berries. Hypericum androsaemum, also referred to as Tutsan, Shrubby St. John’s Wort , or sweet-amber, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is a perennial shrub reaching up to 70 cm in height, native to open woods and hillsides.

Also suitable are Ms Crab -Apple. Some florists say the perfect bouquet consists of crabapple, pepperberries and red/orange roses. 

How to treat Ms Hypericum:

 

Slit the woody ends and then soak them in a bucket of warm water for 3 to 4 hours so they can absorb as much moisture as possible. Strip off any leaves that will be under the water level in their container, fill it up with more water and place them in a cool, dimly lit room until the buds swell and begin to show color. 

Ms Stephanotis is a high end cut flower.

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini of www.flowersbymercedes.com.au

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Grafted Eucalypt Trees: Corymbia ficifolia

 

Would you like a tree that provides you stunning colour that you could also cut for your vase?

A tree whose flowers cover the leaves like a coloured blanket?

Better still, these trees don't grow much over 3 - 5 metres in height.

 

Of course you do, and if you have thought of it before, you’ll definitely want to grow this after you hear why it’s so good.

I'm talking with the plant panel : Jeremy Critchley of www.thegreengallery.com.au and Karen Smith, editor of www.hortjournal.com.au

Let’s find out.

The Plant Panel recommends that if your tree is suckering like Karen’s one, keep removing the suckers with secateurs, otherwise they will take over and possibly result in the death of the upper part, which is the scion.

TIP: When you plan to purchase a grafted eucalypt, make sure you check the graft union so that the top and bottom is equally matched.

GARDEN HISTORY

New Zealand Plants in Australia

You may not know that Australia was once joined to New Zealand.

Does this explain some plants that are similar because they were left when the continents drifted apart ever so slowly?

Or was it the fashion of the day to bring over plants from other countries when the colonials started setting up their ornamental gardens?

Let’s find out why NZ plants have made their mark.

I'm talking with Stuart Read who’s a member of the National Management Committee of the Australian Garden History Society.PLAY : NZ Plants History_21stNovember 2018

 New Zealand plants it turns out, mostly came across to Australia in the 1800's.

Phormium tenax, or New Zealand flax plant is one example; this plant remains fashionable today because of its sculptural qualities that fit into modernist homes.

Apart from failing to learn the techniques of rope making using flax, gardeners even today, use this plant far and wide, not just in Australia.

 Cordyline australis or palm lily is another example, called Torquay palm in England because they think it's theirs.

The australis part of the scientific name reflects that it is from Australia, but in this case means "of the south" in a general sense.

Cabbage tree or palm lily has an exotic look and the buds of which were cut off and used as boiled cabbage.

Having more than one growth bud, it didn't kill off the plant.

Stuart remembers how the streets were lined with NZ Christmas bush where he grew up.

Plants in the myrtle family have many similarities, for example, Pohutakawa or NZ Christmas bush has the same type of flowers as our lilly pillies and bottle brush.

 

If you have any questions, either for me or for Stuart, why not email [email protected] or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

TALKING FLOWERS

Flowers that make a country theme

Mercedes says that most customers opt for having a country theme for their bouquets when she used to run a florist shop.

So what does make up a country theme when you're thinking cut flowers?

 

 

If you went for something  in the cottage garden line, you would be very close to the mark.

Also choosing flowers from the Asteraceae or Daisy family will make your floral bouquet look like a bunch of flowers you picked yourself, albeit, expertly arranged and presented.

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini, florist of www.flowersbymercedes.com.au

PLANT OF THE WEEK:

Brazilian Plume Flower: Justice carnea & Justicea carnea "alba"

This plant should be grown more in gardens with it’s tropical looking dark green large leaves and the plume of petals either in white or a sort of cerise pink.

But as always, some plants fall out of favour or are just forgotten, and shunned by big box stores that sell a limited range of plants.

You’ll definitely want to grow this after you hear why it’s so good.

Let’s find out.

I'm talking with the plant panel, Jeremy Critchley of www.thegreengallery.com.au and Karen Smith, editor of www.hortjournal.com.au

Justicea can be best described as an erect, evergreen fast growing shrub with an open, rounded habit up to 1.5m

It has large deep green leaves that have deep crinkly veins and are sometimes hairy.

Lance-shaped dark green leaves, long up to 20 cm and 5 cm broad, with prominent veins.

If you’re plants drops their lower leaves, get a big feed and prune back hard after flowering.

TOOL TIME

Secateurs times three

Are you a one type of secateurs gardener?

Did you know that you could be doing yourself a disservice by only having one pair of secateurs?

Especially if you’re a keen gardener who’s out there most days doing something in the garden even if it’s only thirty minutes.

Let’s find out what other types you could use?

I'm talking with Tony Mattson from www.cutabovetools.com.au

 Anvil vs By-pass vs snips are the three main types of secateurs.

Anvil secateurs: Cut above tools

The anvil type of secateurs can best be described as having an upper blade that cuts down onto a lower flat area. Much like a knife onto a cutting board. 

The upper blade can be sharp on one or both sides. 

Did you know that the majority of ratchet secateurs are anvil based because they need to be able to cut up to 28 - 30 mm thick branches.

These are best for thicker, harder stems such as chopping up branches to go into the compost bin. Good for either either a right hand or a left hander. 

For bypass secateurs the blade is going past the anvil at the bottom. More suitable for softer plant tissue and using on live wood or plant tissue. 

By-pass secateurs: Cut above tools

Note: only sharpen the outside edge of the cutting blade.

Good for sharp, precise cuts.

Snips are good for florists and those gardeners that like to propagate plants, as well as for cutting flowers. 

 

If you have any questions, either for me or for Tony why not email [email protected] or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

TALKING FLOWERS

Ethylene and Cut Flowers

How many times have you placed some unripe fruit in a brown paper bag with say a banana or ripe apple?

Why are you doing this exactly?

Because the ethylene gas releases from the ripe fruit, speeds up the ripening process of the unripe fruit.

You don’t even have to place them in a paper bag because in the same fruit bowl, the process will happen, just a bit slower.

Guess what, flowers go off faster next to the fruit bowl.

We’ve mentioned it before in Talking Flowers, but some flowers are more sensitive than others don’t you know?

 

By the way, Ethylene molecules are small enough to migrate through plastic and cardboard, so just closing up the box of fruit in the fridge doesn’t contain the gas.

Did you know that Ethylene is a stress hormone and it is released in response to rough handling, dehydration, chill damage and disease ?

But where does it come from?

There's two ways: internally — in fruits, flowers and veggies as a stress response; and externally — from rotting green trash, car exhaust, air pollution, cigarette smoke, inefficient space heaters, propane forklifts and/or floor polishers.

Why I mention the forklifts, because maybe they’ve got them at flower markets?

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini from www.flowersbymercedes.com.au

DESIGN ELEMENTS 

Gardening in Tight Spaces part 4: Mirror, Mirror

The thing with small spaces is that you can take it all in with one glance and for some gardeners, it’s just a tad boring.

What are the tricks then that you can use to make your garden look bigger and so more interesting?

Let’s find out what it’s all about.

I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer and director of Paradisus garden design.

Mirror mirror on the wall, but wait it’s on the fence or behind some plants.

Yes, outdoor mirrors can make your small space look bigger but if you place it flat on the fence you may be just looking at a reflection of roof tiles.

Peter suggests you need to angle it somehow depending on whether or not your "step out' from the back door steps down, steps up or is completely flat.

Even though Peter says you need to use toughened glass, I’m an advocate for the found mirror.

Why not hang it up and if it wears out in 3 months, so be it, you’ll find another one.

If you have any questions about gardening in tight spaces or have a sug

THE GOOD EARTH

Plastic Free Living

You may be aware that plastic is bad for the environment but do you know exactly how?

Perhaps you’re already using drink bottles that are BPA free, but did you know that BPA is in all soft plastics?

Ocean

The ocean may look calming and inviting, but did you know that any plastics that make it to the ocean breakdown into plastic microbeads?

These microbeads are ingested by plankton and in turn are eaten by fish.

It's even very likely that the fish you are about to eat contains plastic microbeads.

Let’s find out what we can use instead? 

I'm speaking with Margaret Mossakowska of www.mosshouse.com.au 

 

PLAY: Plastic Free Living 24th October 2018

Check out repair cafes, recycle stuff, don’t add to landfill. 

Margaret says, rethink what you are buying

Plastic pollution

Replace you worn out plastic containers with glass ones because cheeses, meats and any food that has more than 4% fats should be stored in glass. 

Why? because those plastic containers do contain BPA

One thirds of plastics are used for packaging such as food but you can avoid buying veggies that are wrapped in plastic, they don’t need it.

Bring your own container to get meat, fish, cheese etc.

Don’t take no for an answer, it’s not illegal.

 

If you have any questions, either for me or for Margaret, why not email [email protected] or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.