[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[Weststander]

Well it's not that chalky, its an allotment site that has been there for quite a long time. It's reasonable loam and I have never been able to dig deep enough to hit bedrock !

You probably know already, the coastal belt (not on the Downs) from Worthing to Chichester often has great loamy soils, perfect for market gardening. I think we covered it in O’Level geography!

 

[Jack Straw]

My newly planted opuntia leaf is disagreeing with you!

That's a prickly subject!

 

[vegster]

You probably know already, the coastal belt (not on the Downs) from Worthing to Chichester often has great loamy soils, perfect for market gardening. I think we covered it in O’Level geography!

Combined with the local seaweed harvest, that was a winner... it's a bit harder now !

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Looks like I finally have to give up on grass in my back garden. It's a small L- shape but the leather jackets have circumvented the nematodes and wreaked havoc. The side with the wall and shrubs has a 12" wide line of mud instead of grass. The rest is now a patchwork of sparse grass, mud, couch grass weeds, moss and beak holes from birds looking for leathers. Green Thumb and another company don't think it's retrievable. So three options: dig it up and return or reseed; dig it up and lay artificial grass; dig it up and lay decorative stones and create an ornamental garden. All very expensive - what to do, hmmm.

Artificial grass looks like shit. [emoji90]

 

[Petunia]

It doesn't look like an c. australis hybrid, maybe some sort of c. fruticosa or even might be a dracaena...more pictures required

I forgot to mention I’m in Australia.........

 

[Weststander]

I forgot to mention I’m in Australia.........

View attachment 122701View attachment 122702View attachment 122703

Bruce-us purpurea?

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Petunia, the location of downunder was a give away
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it is a dracaena...which type of dragon tree, I'm unsure.

 

[jevs]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it is a dracaena...which type of dragon tree, I'm unsure.

That was my thought too

 

[Jack Straw]

Petunia, the location of downunder was a give away
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it is a dracaena...which type of dragon tree, I'm unsure.

I've been doing a bit of research too and I'm going to agree with you Coldeanseagull. You are the "exotics" guru on here!

 

[Coldeanseagull]

I've been doing a bit of research too and I'm going to agree with you Coldeanseagull. You are the "exotics" guru on here!

Can't deny it, I would rather grow palms, cycads, ferns and bananas, than pansies, lavendula, delphiniums and lupins.
However, I've been told by swmbo to strike a balance between foliage and flowers, so pelargoniums, begonias, tagetes and mesembryanthemums here we come

It's funny and sad how collecting plants can become an obsession and an expensive one at that, but I have picked up a vast amount of anorak worthy information over the last 35+ years!

 

[Jack Straw]

Can't deny it, I would rather grow palms, cycads, ferns and bananas, than pansies, lavendula, delphiniums and lupins.
However, I've been told by swmbo to strike a balance between foliage and flowers, so pelargoniums, begonias, tagetes and mesembryanthemums here we come

It's funny and sad how collecting plants can become an obsession and an expensive one at that, but I have picked up a vast amount of anorak worthy information over the last 35+ years!

I tended to have fads as the years went by. I had my exotic phase about fifteen years ago. I planted an area in Queens Park with weird and wonderful things, Trachys, Cordylines, Agapanthus, Phormiums, Echiums etc. Thanks to Jevs, I'm now into herbaceous and grasses. Since I've left working for the Parks, I now do friends' gardens and impose my likings on them!

 

[jevs]

. Thanks to Jevs, I'm now into herbaceous and grasses. Since I've left working for the Parks, I now do friends' gardens and impose my likings on them!

Don't blame me for that :lol

 

[Cheshire Cat]

How long should I give veg seeds to germinate? I sowed them at the start of the month and so far nothing.

I haven't watered them much either which won't have helped.

 

[Jack Straw]

How long should I give veg seeds to germinate? I sowed them at the start of the month and so far nothing.

I haven't watered them much either which won't have helped.

You should see something after three weeks. However, it has hardly rained since you sowed them and without water, they won't do anything. I can offer you a little bit of advice here - WATER LIKE BUGGERY! (until there is rain of biblical proportions).

 

[jevs]

How long should I give veg seeds to germinate? I sowed them at the start of the month and so far nothing.

I haven't watered them much either which won't have helped.

I started sowing into the ground on the 12th April and so far, lettuce, kale and beetroot is germinating. Different seeds take different times. Some are up in a week, carrots 2-3 weeks, parsnips are notoriously slow and sporadic.....im germinating mine on damp kitchen paper on a warm windowsil.
As Jack says above.....water and warmth is the key. I water mine every morning without fail and i sometimes go back for a second time and water again.
Good luck

 

[Stat Brother]

Is it best to water like buggery in the morning or the evening?

Is the opposite part of the day more a 'splash and dash' or yet more buggery?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Is it best to water like buggery in the morning or the evening?

Is the opposite part of the day more a 'splash and dash' or yet more buggery?

I'm no expert but I was always told to water when the sun is at it's lowest to avoid scotching the plants. So morning or evening or both is fine just as long as the sun isn't too high.

 

[Jack Straw]

Is it best to water like buggery in the morning or the evening?

Is the opposite part of the day more a 'splash and dash' or yet more buggery?

Evening is best so the water is able to drain through without evaporating. Any time is better than no time, but in any event...you know what to do!

 

[Jack Straw]

WATERING LIKE BUGGERY! Whilst we're on this subject, there are other times when water needs to be applied as well as after you've planted things. I watch a lot of garden make-over programmes, and probably due to time constraints, fail to do the following perhaps not teaching people the best thing to do.
Water thoroughly the day before when turfing or grass seed sowing or planting anything. Make sure the soil is wet down to at least 150mm - 6".
When planting container grown plants, fill the hole with water and allow to drain before planting.
Water plants in whatever the time of year. This helps to settle them in.
Water the ground, not the plant.
If you're watering by hand with a hose-pipe, imitate rainfall. Your not putting out a fire.
A regular light spray (unless it's newly germinated grass seed), is no good.
Water before you think you should. Don't wait for the plants to show stress. Get in early.
It's unlikely you'll over-water this time of year.
When necessary... WATER LIKE BUGGERY!

 

[WATFORD zero]

Rather than go round spraying for something that's not there, I would be inspecting the plants every day. I appreciate that's a complete ballsache but I have to do that with Rose sawfly caterpillers. I then just tend to spot spray. I becomes a bit of an obsession in the end....not letting the little feckers beat you.

Incedently, I was having a beer with former Brighton Parks trainee and Blue Peter Gardener Chris Collins the other day (we worked together years ago) and he said the question he gets asked about the most was about Box caterpillers or Box blight.

They're here

Been checking regularly and found a few on hedges front and back, so have gone nuclear with the Provanto. I'm hoping that if I get this first wave (which I assume overwintered, even though I cleaned out and burnt everything I could find), then my box tree moth pheromone traps should get any further generations.

There's a lot of new growth on all the boxes which makes getting into the middle of them difficult. I may give them all a trim this week and then see if I can find any more.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for the buggers