Plant Nutrition Deficiencies:Phosporus and Potassium We have talked bout the role nitrogen played in played health and what to look for if a plant was deficient in one of the major nutrients, being Nitrogen. In fact there are three major nutrients which are classified as NPK ratio on the back of all fertilisers. So in this part of the blog, we carry on with the two other major or macro nutrients. Let's look at phosphorus deficiency Phosphorus is responsible for the development of flowers...

 PLANT HEALTH Plant Nutrition Deficiencies: Macro Nutrient Nitrogen The 'Plant health' segment was created for my radio show "Real World Gardener,' as a division of the 'Plant doctor' segment, because I felt that it’s important to focus on what can go wrong with plants that isn’t a pest or a disease. In the following audio podcasts, you will hear about what to look for in plants that have deficiencies of one of the macro nutrients: Nitrogen:Phosphorus:Potassium; in other words NPK or the...

 KITCHEN GARDEN LACTO-FERMENTATION There are several ways to preserve food, these include freezing, drying, pickling and fermenting. You may think that fermented foods are a recent trend, but in fact, fermenting food has been carried out for thousands of years. Fermenting food is one way of preserving your ample supply of produce that's growing in your garden. There are a few ways to ferment foods but lacto-fermentation is one of the easiest. The term lacto-fermentation is a scary one and...

 PLANT DOCTOR Brown Rot of Stone fruit There’s plenty of cultivars of stone fruit trees that can fit into any size garden. Trixie and Pixie dwarf nectarine and peach trees have been around for years. “There’s even a nectarine tree classed as Super Dwarf called ‘ Peach Sunset” that is grafted onto super dwarfing rootstock to produce a more compact tree growing to around 1.5 m tall. This Nectarine is self fertile so only one tree is needed. But before we get too carried away, what are the...

KITCHEN GARDEN Rose Geranium  Scientific name: Pelargonium graveolens Family: Geraniaceae Rose geranium leaves (photo Corinne Mossati)   Personally I’m a fan of scented plants whether it’s the flowers or the leaves. I just love to inhale their perfume either by sniffing the flowers or touching the leaves. This next plant, the rose geranium, is not just your ordinary scented geranium because of its many uses. Sure you can get by just inhaling the perfume after crushing the leaves but...

 SPICE IT UP Indian Cooking Class Forget those jar sauces and ready- made pastes that you can buy in supermarkets. If you want a real curry, you’ll need to make it yourself but aren’t they complicated? Well they can be but that’s why you need an Indian cooking class. Ian's spice kit is named after Christine Manfield's new cookbook called 'Indian Cooking Class.' If you're a bit daunted by Indian recipes then would be chefs would find this very useful. In this segment Ian takes us...

 KITCHEN GARDEN Festive Drinks with Pineapple Sage I talk with Corinne Mossati about this wonderful culinary sage that is so useful in festive drinks. You may be growing some lovely salvias in your garden but not realise that one of them in particular, can make a luscious and revitalising drink, just right for the festive season.  Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is in the Lamiaceae or mint family. Found growing naturally in forests quite high up but does well along the east coast of...

 SPICE IT UP Dill versus Fennel How well do you know your herbs? Have you ever used fresh dill in any recipes? Perhaps a dill sauce, with smoked salmon or in a potato salad, but what about fennel.? Those feathery fronds of dill, have a similar smell to fennel, so can they be used interchangeably? Dill is pictured here but it looks similar to the feather fronds of fennel doesn't it? So how can you tell the difference between dill and fennel fronds? Fennel bulb and frond Dill fronds are...

Slime Moulds part 2 The podcast continues with the topic of slime mould but particularly, about the slime mould called phytophthora.  Did you prick up your ears? Yep, that’s the root rot known as phytophthora which gardeners dread. Gardeners are often told that phytophthera, in particular Phytophthera cinnamomi,  is a fungi but it's actually a water mould. You may have even heard it called 'root rot.' Phytophora is a particular slime mould that belongs to a group or Phyllum called...

 PLANT DOCTOR Slime Mould: What Is It?  Part 1   What do the words slime mould conjure up in your imagination? Is it that black stuff growing in the grout and on the tiles in your bathroom? Or is it that green stuff on your paths on the south side of the house? You may be surprised to find that it’s neither one of those so where is it lurking? There are a lot of other moulds that live in the garden some of which are very useful. Wolf Milk Slime mould Slime moulds are in the...

GRAFTING TECHNIQUES Part 2 Approach grafting is an alternative method for citrus. In part 1 of grafting techniques Margaret Mossakowska and I talked about how growing from a tree such as an orange or lemon from seed isn’t all that successful unless you graft it onto hardy rootstock. In this segment, we refresh some of those points and take you onto more grafting techniques. There are many types of grafting that are available to be used, some more complex or more exacting than...

 THE GOOD EARTH Grafting Techniques part 1 & 2 If you’ve ever grown a tree from it’s seed, such as an orange lemon or avocado, you probably were disappointed by the result.  I daresay, that firstly, it took a long time for it to fruit, and when it did, it was nothing like the fruit that the seed came from.  After all apart from the novelty factor of  being able to grow a tree from a tiny seed, the time involved isn't really worth the effort. So what to do instead? Lemon tree Switch to...

SMALL SPACE GARDENING-COURTYARD STYLE Modern day gardens are much smaller than they used to be. Many gardeners and would be gardeners, hanker for a produce filled garden with as many different edibles  as befits their lifestyle. If you you only have a small space such as a paved courtyard or even just a balcony, but don’t know what to do next, this next segment will spur you onto creating your own oasis, without digging up the stones or pavers.  Be inspired Corinne has managed to squeeze...

PLANT OF THE WEEK Number 5 Scientific Name: Billardiera scandens Common Name: Appleberry Family: Pittosporaceae Native Habitat: found mainly along the east coast in a variety of commnityes such as coastal heath and sclerophyll forest. Description:A twining climber or groundcover.. Pale lance shaped green leaves have wavy margins. Height-Width: 1.5 x3 m Flowering: September to December. Pendulous bell-shaped flowers on branch tips, similar to correa flowers. Appleberry flowers. photo...

PLANT OF THE WEEK Number 4 Scientific Name: Tetragonia tetragoniodes Common Name:Warrigal Greens Family: Aizoaceae Native Habitat: fcoastal areas, sandy shorelines or inland rivers and salt marshes Description:A ground cover that can act like a dune stabiliser. Height-Width: 2 x 2 m Flowering: tiny inconsipicuous flowers Spring and Summer Fruiting:Juicy fruit produced in clusters. Position: Full sun or part shade. Attributes: Dry tolerant once established. There are many...

PLANT OF THE WEEK Number 3 Scientific Name: Microseris Lanceolata Common Name:Murnong Yam Family:Asteraceae   Yam Daisy Native Habitat: found in a wide range of habitats in Australia: these inlcude mallee, slerophyll and sub-alpine communities. Description:-Strappy, linear green leaves above underground tubers that emerge after rain in Autumn. Height-Width: 30cm x 30cm Flowering: yellow daisy flowers in spring-autumn. Fruiting:fluffy seedheads (known as achenes), similar to...

PLANT OF THE WEEK Number 2 Scientific Name: Atriplex nummularia Common Name:Old Man Saltbush Family: Chenopodiaceae Native Habitat: found in semi-arid and arid areas of Australia. Description:-grey-green leaves on a somewhat woody shrub. Dioecious-separate male and female plants. Height-Width: 3 x 2-5 m Flowering: small white flowers occur throughout most of the year. Fruiting:rounded fruits. Position: Full sun and tolerant of some shade.  Attributes: Dry tolerant once established due to...

 PLANT OF THE WEEK Scientific Name: Rubus parvifolia Common Name:Native raspberry Native Habitat: found mainly along the east coast in rainforest or coast heath communities. Description:A scrambling vine or shrub the shoots from underground rhizomes with hooked thorns to help it climb.  Height-Width: 2 x 2 m Flowering: December to April Fruiting:Juicy fruit produced in clusters. Position: Full sun or part shade. Attributes: Dry tolerant once established.   Rubus parvifolia Not all...

 Nasturtiums  with Corinne Mossati Quite often we gardener have flowering plants in the garden but never think about bringing them into the kitchen to make something. They may be just fillers or self-seeders, but in this case, the nasturtium, has so many extra uses other than ornamental, you’ll be inspired to do something. Germinating  Nasturtium Seeds. Plant the seeds in moist well drained soil, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged. Corrine find it takes between 14-21 days.   Why...

Therapeutic Horticulture part 2 The next part of my interview with specialist Cath Manuel,  is more about how anyone interested in this field can get started plus the actual benefits for participants. Cath was asked what kind of activities she creates or devises?   Cath uses basic gardening skills and/or tasks but the activity is very much person centred.  For example, someone with  low confidence and low self-esteem who is unable to participate in a community garden, perhaps on the...

 GARDEN AS THERAPY Therapeutic Horticulture What makes a garden therapeutic? What is therapeutic gardening? Are these two things connected or are they separate? You would think that yes gardening is therapy, so doing a bit of gardening would amount to therapeutic horticulture but you would be wrong. To understand therapeutic horticulture, you have to be across two areas:-health and well-being and horticulture. You can start from the health sector and then gain some qualifications in...

Part 3: The final Countdown   In the last 5 years Glenice and husband Phil, have made so many improvements to the soil . A very difficult spot that experiences 40 degrees C  temperatures in summer and winter temparatures below 0  and even minus 5 degrees C at times. A hard clay soil that had been compacted by heavy vehicles driving over part of it for many years. The planting also included these very tough and hardy plants. Teucrium fruiticans- also known as Germander, is a very hardy small...

Part2 Tough Garden Bed In the last 5 years Glenice and husband Phil, have made so many improvements to the soil . We used a rotary hoe to break up the soil before planting. Spread/dug through gypsum and watered in liquid gypsum Dug through premium garden soil and compost. Mulched the area with fine grade pine bark, sugar cane mulch, straw and tea tree mulch. Continued fertilising any new plants with composted animal manure pellets and liquid fertilisers every 2 to 3 months. She said...

 DESIGN ELEMENTS When the going gets tough Many gardeners have a section of their garden that might often see plant failures year after year. They’ve tried all sorts of plants that claim to be tough as old boots, but still they fail. Glenice Buck has dealt with one such problem garden bed where she lives and this week starts a series of 3, on how she went about solving the problem.   Glenice explains that the bed is on a slope (see photo below) so the water would just hit the soil and run...

 THE KITCHEN GARDEN SUCCESS WITH CORIANDER Scientific name: Coriandrum sativum I mentioned before that certain herbs that look alike and again I find myself talking about another herb that confuses people.   Australians refer to the seeds and leaf as coriander but in the northern hemisphere, the leaf is sometimes known as 'cilantro.' Coriander is one of those herbs that people either love it or hate it. Do you love it?   Coriander leaves Coriander is easy enough to grow but being in the...