pumpkin blossom

Same in Adelaide veggie wise. Everyone I have spoken to has said the same.

Paulandnic, the height a plant will get to is very variable in oz. To start with the labels are the same ones used over the whole country. So the soil, water levels etc will all be different.
Have you fed your canes at all? Bushing out is good too though. You want them to be good and strong before they go up so the wind doesn't blow them over.
They look lovely though.

My garden wise, I ate my first almond this morning. Yay.

lesleys

Yours look fine to me. I planted some, and other things, in 2009 (picture is April 2009). 2nd pic is Feb 2010. Too dark for a 3rd pic but they are now forming a solid wall screening the shed, practically full height. I spent half a day cleaning up their dead fronds not long ago.

PaulandNic

To be honest they got fed for the first time last week. I've been giving them plenty of water when dry, but no food ...

I was told by the local garden center to give each plant half a bag of this stuff that had all-sorts in it, and return after a few weeks. I popped in there today and see a diff person and they've recommended a fertilizer for tropical plants. Twice a year he said and they'll be off!

Thanks.

sassie

The growth rate of golden canes depends on serval factors.

1. Are they getting enough sunshine. The should be planted in a full sun position otherwise their grow rate can be stunted.

2. What sort of soil are they planted in. If its clay or very pool soil, this can also have an effect on their growth. If you have poor soil, give them a good fertlise and see how they respond. Excessive moisture in the soil could also have an impact, they prefer a well drained soil.

3. They seem to be planted fairly close together which could cause the palm to have a stunted growth pattern due to the palm having to fight for soil space and nutrients with the palm next to it. They should be at least 1.5 metres apart to allow each plant room to grow and mature.

Hope this helps

Evelin

for gardening questions try the homeone forum, garden and landscaping.
http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewforu...63109703bd6f2c

Fu Manchu (from Perth) will be happy to answer your question. He is the gardening expert for WA.

ozzieeagle

Probably a good link.... I would love to see people swapping their experiences on here. My Wife belongs to a gardening forum already and I could get her to ask this question for me. Seeing as it's my query I'll try here first.

Does anyone know of a strong as in flavour garlic breed I can grow..... plus where to get it. Online would be good.

Grayling

Try www.diggers.com

They have a forum and you can access old fashioned and unusual plants through them

ozzieeagle

That could be handy.... I'd like to add a strong garlic to my Chilli, Basil and Lemon Grass plants, Got 3 different types of strong Chilli growing at present Scotch Bonnet, Habenero and Birds eye.... I may be able to source that chilli that originated in Dorset through them.

It's actually the Wife that's the main gardener in our household... I just dabble with certain plants. Grass.... as in lawn. Bamboo and my stronger herbs.


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pumpkin blossom

The range of seeds etc you can get isn't as wide here, but it is getting better all the time, especially for edibles. :-)

AlliF

Wondering if anybody had experience of trying to protect newly laid turf in extreme heat?
We pre-ordered turf before christmas, and installed it Sat just past, and of course now this week its going to be a flippin heatwave (we are in north Melbourne)
We are of course watering it well (2xdaily) but as it is a relatively small area was wondering if it would be worthwhile trying to cover it up during the hottest part of the day?
What does anybody think? I've got enough tarpaulins I could chuck over it, thin enough to let it breathe but possibly stop it scorching? Any thoughts?

sassie

What kind of turf is it?

We laid our Palmetto in extreme heat (couldn’t have been a worse time), and it turned brown within 12 hours, despite constant watering. Onc it took hold and put down roots it recovered very quickly.

All you can do is make sure it is always kept really moist and make sure you do not water during the hottest part of the day as it will evaporate very quickly. Maybe also sprinkle some water crystals over it as well, which will help retain the moisture. Best time for watering is early in the morning between 5 and 6 or after the sun has gown down. It is better to give it a deep watering less often, then watering often but for less time, as this will encourage the roots to go in search of water and therefore encourage a healthy root system.

Do not cover it with a tarpaulin, unless you want to kill it all together. If it doesn’t get any light it will die altogether not to mention the extreme heat underneath the tarp. We laid a tarp on ours (just temporarily) while we had some top soil delivered. Within a few hours the grass was already starting to go yellow!.

AlliF

Thanks Sassie, that's a great help. It is Kikuyu turf, which i'm told is supposed to be good in dry conditions anyway.
I have no idea when it comes to gardening (does it show) - we are just doing this to get ready to sell up so really don't want it dying on us before we get it sold.
Will refrain from putting tarp on it..

asprilla

It'll be fine.

Do you have an edging tool? if not, get one now. Just an old style one will do.

Otherwise the grass will take over.

ozzieeagle

I personally reckon I would try and work out a system where I could place some raised shade cloth above the turf.. the one that lets air and light through... for the hottest part of the day... circa 3 or 4 hours. Make sure it breaths and lets air in though.

You would have to be very dedicated and disciplined to do this.

My turf (circa 70 sq meters) is about 10 weeks old and going really well... luckily we just beat the heat and boy am I throwing water at it.... darn the cost. Managed to keep it 100 pct green thus far... except for dog pee spots... we've got dog rocks now... not worked yet.

One thing it has done is throw up seed heads at a very low height.... It's a buffalo grass "Kings Pride" I've read that is a symptom of lack of nutrient... so I'm feeding it very lightly at present and testing it out.

PaulandNic

Thanks for all replies, but this one is good for me ...