Presenter: Kim Syrus

A friend of Kim’s has a couple of sad looking roses that desperately need replacing and no prizes for figuring out who is going to do all the work.

It is not as simple as pulling one out and putting the other in its place as you can’t plant a new rose where an old one has been growing without doing a couple of really important things.

First, remove the old rose and as much of the root system as possible. It is the fine roots left behind that cause any new rose from properly developing. Roses are very territorial and stop the roots from another rose invading their space.

A simple way to get around this is to remove a barrow load of this old soil and swap it for some new soil, collected from different parts of your garden.

Tip the new soil into place and dig a hole. Add water crystals, plant the rose then water in with seaweed extract and mulch. By getting rid of the old rose roots, this new plant will get off to a flying start without any problems.

There are always plenty of questions from our Garden Gurus Club members on how to save money in the garden, well here is a great example.

One member has irises that are scattered amongst a garden bed that is just about to be completely renovated. Rather than digging them up and tossing them away, how about reusing them in another part of the garden?

Select a spot that will get around 6 hours sunlight and is well drained. A little blood and bone worked into the area won’t go astray. Grab the spade and lift as many irises as you can. Trim back the leaves a little to compensate for any root damage and bury the rhizome, keeping the crown at ground level. Water in well and you will have a sea of flowers in spring all without paying a cent.

There is a great selection of winter veggies out at the moment. A couple of new ones for you to try are Honeysnap peas which will produce a mountain of super sweet and crunchy pods in no time. The Broccolette is a branching broccoli with a knockout flavour and so simple to grow.

The Winter Edition of the Garden Gurus Newspaper is out now and it is even easier to get a copy - available not only from your local garden centre but also your local Mitre 10 store as well. Check out our latest competition - you could win $200 dollars of waterwise gardening products.

Featured Products

Waterwise Water Storage Crystals

• When added to potting mix or garden soil, the crystals absorb up to 500 times their own weight in water.
• The water is released over a period of time as the plants require it.
• Reduce water usage and increase the times between watering.
• Effective for up to five years and biodegrade harmlessly.
• Prevents the soil from drying out, improves soil aeration and drainage.
• Potassium based.

Dynamic Lifter Seaweed Tonic

• rich source of micro-nutrients, alginic acid, essential amino acids, minerals and other complex organic compounds.
• improves nutrient uptake, increases root development, encourages stronger stem growth, increases photosynthesis, increases yield and gives produce a longer shelf life and improved quality.
• Contains Molasses which provides a food source for beneficial soil microbes which make nutrients more available to the plant and improve soil structure.
• Wetting agent improves water penetration, reduces water usage and improves soil structure.
• improves retention and plant uptake of essential nutrients.

Blood and Bone

• An organic fertiliser suitable for all gardens including Australian natives.
• Provides nitrogen for healthy leaf growth and phosphorus for strong root development.
• Organic nutrients are released slowly to the plant, improves soil structure, promotes beneficial soil micro-organisms and encourages earthworms.