Gardening / Landscaping

[Fu Manchu]

The issue I face is that the industry is not trained to help you. It’s trained to sell you short term fixes.

I struggle to get colleagues in horticulture and agriculture to even grasp these concepts. It’s just so ingrained in them.

When some of the most talented people in enviro science, horticulture, agriculture and conservation come together and share their knowledge, you quickly get blown away about the depth of information we all can bring to the table. Seeing why so many big picture issues happen is like suddenly noticing the sun in the sky. You wonder how it’s all possible. Then politicians get involved and the problems continue.

Here in WA, fertiliser and irrigation knowledge is 30 years ahead of the east. Sustainability knowledge in horticulture and agriculture is incredible. It’s constantly shut down by people from the east, people outside of the industries who have no knowledge on the subjects and by one of the most dumbed down trained trades going, horticulture.

The advice many get is from people that have experience engaging in practices they think are working well but instead have never had the opportunities to find out from scientists if it is.

A bit like using a machine gun to hit a target when a well trained sniper can achieve a hit with far less resources and far less collateral damage.

 

[Drawnnite]

No doubt if you really get into the scientific side you can really get more knowledge in the field.

At the same time, nothing is wrong with some old school techniques away from any science.
Small example, the grandfather (used to be a groundskeeper at a few places) taught the old man how to really look after roses. They don't get any feed (maybe when they were first planted) or water beyond rain and when cut back they are cut back very hard and short. Over 20 years on of doing this and the roses are over 2m tall and flower incredibly. I'd say that's a win all around.

But then the other end of the spectrum you probably would know, farming techniques that use gps so that they can monitor the soils especially for Nitrogen contents. Obviously there is much more to the story on that front with the science, but it is quite interesting how far in-depth it does and can go.

I'm still assuming you work in ag-science? Tell us more. (Am genuinely keen to learn your knowledge/secrets and see how they go)

 

[Fachoo]

Urea is the crystal meth of the fertiliser world. It’s unsophisticated and grossly inefficient at delivering nitrogen. Like putting out a camp fire using a lake.

When I worked at the MT Lofty Botanical Gdns we used to add Urea to a certain liquid in certain porportion, add a single detonator + ignition source and cheaply blow out the gum stumps from any broken trees from storm/wind damage, all SA Govt approved.

You can add super phosphate to the list due to poor soils and over use of agricultural practices.

 

[Fu Manchu]

When I worked at the MT Lofty Botanical Gdns we used to add Urea to a certain liquid in certain porportion, add a single detonator + ignition source and cheaply blow out the gum stumps from any broken trees from storm/wind damage, all SA Govt approved.

You can add super phosphate to the list due to poor soils and over use of agricultural practices.

It would of been good fun sorting the stumps out.

 

[Fu Manchu]

WA has strict regulation around the use of Phosphates because of what it does outside of the gardens and agriculture when it’s applied. It’s the only state that does regulate nutrient balances in retail and agricultural fertilisers. Nitrogen IMO (an that of many others) should also have been heavily regulated.

We accidentally found the urea to be inferior to the use of Seasol when combined with Glyphosate.

The urea being added has always worked. It’s just what horticulture does. On investigation, when the herbicide hits the leaf the stomata (like mouth parts in the leaf that do a lot of in and out stuff) constrict. That constriction reduces the uptake of the herbicide, so addition of urea makes it more readily absorbed. With Seasol, the stomata constrict far less and the uptake is even greater. It’s good to find better alternatives to nitrogenous fertilisers… except when blowing up tree stumps.

 

[Deuce]

It’s not great. We are talking about regular salt? Sodium Chloride?

Should have said weed spray, not feed spray.
Yeah regular pool salt or water softener salt. I emptied my water softener and cleaned it out and had lots of left over contaminated salt.
My mate reckons it'll kill off whatever I spray it on, so was going to use on the driveway cracks and stoney pathway around side of house etc.
I didn't know how lethal it was and if it may harm surrounding plants.
I'm not a fan of having 10000 sprays for my plants and the more natural I can keep it (and less work mainly) the better.

I just thought the salt is free and a more natural solution to the problem.

 

[Baldoldfart]

Not good spraying salt for weed control, too much of anything not good for soil health.

 

[Deuce]

Not good spraying salt for weed control, too much of anything not good for soil health.

But if it is literally a path of loose stones where I want nothing to grow is soil health an issue? Or will my fruit trees and plants near the path be affected - how far back is safe? 1metre maybe?

 

[Fachoo]

It would of been good fun sorting the stumps out.

Not so much at work with the public wandering around the gdns but hell of fun using bigger mix in the old mans paddocks, cheap way of collecting firewood and cheap bang for buck than old ute paddock basher

 

[VS 5.0]

Was out in the front garden this morning and heard what sounded like a water stream hitting plastic.

Discovered the nipple on the outlet of the ball valve was spraying a fine jet at the valve box lid.

But, the ball valve handle is MIA.

Bunnings run.....no 20mm ball valves in stock so gate valve it is.

New 20 x 25mm nipple connected to the gate valve but coz can't screw into gate valve and retic valve at the same time, need to cut the retic valve outlet pipe and fit a barrel union.

Done and leak free.