What to Do
Episode: # 27 1/12/07
Presenter: Kim Syrus
One of the most frustrating things as a gardener is looking at your garden then the neighbours and wondering what you are doing wrong. If it makes you any happier, it may not actually be you, it may be the soil you are growing in.
Contaminated ground can be a real issue particularly in new homes where a thin layer of top soil may hide a lot of problems. Digging often reveals a multitude of sins old bricks and tiles are not the things plant roots enjoy and blobs of concrete are even less welcome. The best thing to do is go searching and remove as much of this waste as possible.
It is also a good idea to check the pH level of the soil, it may be too acidic or too alkaline, a pH test kit will help work out the correct levels. If you don’t have one, take a soil sample to you local garden centre, they will test it and advice the best solution to the problem.
Removing foreign objects or altering the pH of your soil will go a long way in helping your garden keep up with the neighbours.
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, Palm branches are a great example of what can be rescued. The Palms that Kim has rescued look as though they have dried out quite considerably so they will need cutting back quite hard. Start by removing the mature fronds leaving only 1 or 2 of the new leaf spikes. Then place the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours to help hydrate and then it will be ready to pot up. A good dose of seaweed extract will help the palms settle in and get growing again, the ultimate in recycling.
Garden gurus Club members have been busy with questions this week, and the main thing that they have been telling Kim is that the small sap sucking aphids are back on the roses, so here are a couple of things to do.
If there are only a small number of them, then you can control them with water, fill a spray bottle and just spray the aphids of the plants, kids love doing it and it is a great way to get them in the garden. If you have got a large infestation you will need something stronger, a dedicated rose spray is just what you need to get rid of those pesky insects. Aphids will damage your roses so it is best to get this problems sorted out as soon as you can.
Keep your garden questions rolling in, or to get yours answered join our Garden Gurus online club, simply follow the links from the homepage.
Presenter: Kim Syrus
One of the most frustrating things as a gardener is looking at your garden then the neighbours and wondering what you are doing wrong. If it makes you any happier, it may not actually be you, it may be the soil you are growing in.
Contaminated ground can be a real issue particularly in new homes where a thin layer of top soil may hide a lot of problems. Digging often reveals a multitude of sins old bricks and tiles are not the things plant roots enjoy and blobs of concrete are even less welcome. The best thing to do is go searching and remove as much of this waste as possible.
It is also a good idea to check the pH level of the soil, it may be too acidic or too alkaline, a pH test kit will help work out the correct levels. If you don’t have one, take a soil sample to you local garden centre, they will test it and advice the best solution to the problem.
Removing foreign objects or altering the pH of your soil will go a long way in helping your garden keep up with the neighbours.
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, Palm branches are a great example of what can be rescued. The Palms that Kim has rescued look as though they have dried out quite considerably so they will need cutting back quite hard. Start by removing the mature fronds leaving only 1 or 2 of the new leaf spikes. Then place the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours to help hydrate and then it will be ready to pot up. A good dose of seaweed extract will help the palms settle in and get growing again, the ultimate in recycling.
Garden gurus Club members have been busy with questions this week, and the main thing that they have been telling Kim is that the small sap sucking aphids are back on the roses, so here are a couple of things to do.
If there are only a small number of them, then you can control them with water, fill a spray bottle and just spray the aphids of the plants, kids love doing it and it is a great way to get them in the garden. If you have got a large infestation you will need something stronger, a dedicated rose spray is just what you need to get rid of those pesky insects. Aphids will damage your roses so it is best to get this problems sorted out as soon as you can.
Keep your garden questions rolling in, or to get yours answered join our Garden Gurus online club, simply follow the links from the homepage.
AS SEEN ON 
