Time to eat Crow - Oct 04, 2012
Dear gardening friends,
Someone quite famous recently said "If you are going to eat crow then eat it while it is still warm."
Well I am eating crow this week because it looks like I may have killed our famous Blueberry Plant. The staff are spewing because this plant gave them free Blueberries all summer long. Kenny often went home with blue lips! We used to always joke if you want to get service at Tim's Garden Centre then go and stand near the Blueberry bush.
Every spring and autumn I put cow manure around the base of this plant. This spring I got carried away and used the cow manure as a mulch. It must have been 5cms thick!
What was I thinking? The new season blueberries have all shriveled up and many of the stems have started to go brown. The cow manure has burnt all the roots so the plant can't take up water. To save the plant I have removed the cow manure and cut the plant back by 50%. I am watering it with Seasol mixed with water twice a week.
Hopefully in the next couple of weeks it will sprout new growth and come back to life.
I was at a mates place yesterday and his prized Ixora hedge was going yellow with brown tips. When I dug into the soil it was bone dry. The garden is under the eaves of his house so when it does rain this garden never gets wet. It is so dry at the moment you may have gardens around your house that are suffering the same symptoms. Cut the plants back urgently then treat the soil with "Wettasoil". The cheapest way to buy this is in a bottle where you mix it yourself in a watering can. Wettasoil breaks down the oily barrier and makes your soil accept water again. It lasts for around 6 months. Water your sick plants with Seasol twice a week and they will soon recover. Never fertilise sick plants or you will only make them sicker!
One of our gardeners recently got sick of asking her husband Adam to spray the lawn for Bindii. She decided to take matters into her own hands and she spot sprayed the bindii with Zero!
Two weeks latter her lawn has these huge almost one metre wide brown spots every where. Neighbours in Kentlyn are wondering if this new lawn disease could be contagious?
Adam has been busy digging up the patches and planting new turf. The moral of this story is, listen to your wife, and come and see Tim's Horticulturists for advice on the most suitable weed killer for your lawn.
Lavender plant sales are through the roof at this time of year but many of these plants will die within days of purchase. Lavender plants are nearly always pot bound, which means the roots have replaced the potting mix. The potting mix is what absorbs the moisture so once this is gone the plants dry out quickly and die. If you purchase a Lavender plant dunk it in a bucket of water as soon as you get it home. Then remove it from the pot and tease out the roots. Dig the hole and then mix some Greengold Planting compost with the existing soil. Backfill, then mulch around the base with Sugar Cane. Water your new Lavender plant every day for the first 3 weeks and then twice weekly once established. Lavender plants need to be pruned back by 25% every November and again in May to keep them looking bushy. Lavenders grow best in the hottest position in your garden.
My Geranium plants are flowering beautifully at the moment. Geraniums love the hot dry weather and it seems to make them flower even better. It also stops them getting fungus diseases. Geraniums are granny plants but they are so easy to grow in pots and if you are the type of person who forgets to water their plants, then Geraniums are very forgiving. I bought mine in a punnet and Lisa has them in the seedling area. This is the cheapest way to buy them and these new varieties from Oasis seem to flower forever.
If you are looking for a dwarf growing Lemon Tree then you can't beat a variety called Kevin The Lemon. Named after a former Prime Minister this compact growing shrub can produce 300 plus thin skinned juicy lemons every season. I have given away hundreds of lemons off my tree this season and the tree is still loaded. Check out the photo. This variety can be grown in a wine barrel sized pot but if you have a garden grow it in the soil. Citrus trees hate clay so plant it on a mound of garden mix for best results. I feed mine with cow manure every spring and autumn.
Citrus trees need lots of water or the fruit will be dry inside.
Simon chucked a massive tantrum last week because he is sick of people calling him Tim. It seems even my father can't tell us apart. This really cheeses Simon off because I am 20 years older than him. I am bald with freckles and I wear glasses. So the next time you come in, if you call Simon Tim, that would really make me happy.
If you're coming down to visit bring your sun glasses. Russell our apprentice is wearing shorts for the first time in 2 years.
The Macarthur Chronicle wrote a great story about growing tomatoes this week. The plastic tomato I am holding up almost looks real. Tomatoes are up to 12.99 a kilo in the super markets so it really is the right time to grow your own. The 3 best tomatoes to try are Tim's Taurus because it has huge fruit the size of your hand with fewer seeds. A Sweet Bite tomato because this cherry sized tomato is resistant to fruit fly and an Amish Paste tomato because this was voted by the birds to be the best tasting tomato ever!
I am growing some tomato seeds for a variety known as "Delicious". This holds the world record for biggest tomato. We will be selling these in about 4 weeks so save a little bit of room in your garden for one of these plants. A delicious tomato can weigh around one kilo!!!!
Tony Sexton's native garden is scheduled to be on ABC Gardening Australia this Saturday. Tony and Penny have the most amazing garden at Camden.
Check out the show this weekend.
The $1.00 winter bulb sale was a huge success. We are sold out accept for a handful of goodies.
Happy gardening
Tim