I had to run a little repair job on a Magic Square Garden this week. I wrote about Frank Fisher's garden in the car parking space a few months back. Frank had specifically requested a "wicking bed". I have to admit to being only vaguely aware of the concept prior to this request but having done some research we adapted the standard Magic Square Garden Clean Patio Kit to create a wicking bed. The whole exercise worked really well including a great little ceremony while we set the beds up in his car park, unfortunately I left my wheel barrow behind (Clifton Hill!) so I had to go back. It took a week and a bit at least before I got back and I noticed a small leak from one of the beds. Not good, messy and affects the operation of the wicking bed.
Well eventually I got back to make some repairs. I expected to empty the bed entirely and replace the liner but fortunately I met Frank before he set off for work and he pointed out that the leak had dried up. Well that saves a mountain (small mountain, 1m3) of digging. We had a chat about the gardens. Frank had harvested some very nice Broccoli, Tomatoes, Lettuce and herbs. The bird netting we set up had worked perfectly to keep the possums out and I was really impressed at the lack of "Moth Holes" in the Broccoli leaves. No spraying involved, perhaps the bird net helped? Frank said something along the lines of "I suppose you saw the article on the weekend". No. What article? Says I. Well here it is... I couldn't ask for better unless Scotsburn had rated a mention. Such is life.
Click on the pic to see the article from the Age's Domain section.
Now as I mentioned Frank's beds are the first we have installed even if I have pushed the idea strongly since. It's fair to say that over the Summer we have experienced, watering has been relatively easy. We have ironed out a few bugs over time, including finding a better tap set up for the out let. I took a couple along and replaced the corks Frank had used to replace the clunky arrangements I originally put in. I pulled the cork on the first bed and was nearly knocked over by the smell as a week tea solution spewed out. It was clear, but brown and stank something septic. The second bed had clear, stink free water in the base.
My guess is the water in the first bed needed replacing. It is probably quite rich with nutrient, making it ideal for running off to a small garden bed elsewhere. I considered collecting this solution in a watering can and re-applying to the top of the bed but over time I think this will raise salt levels so let's share the nutrients around. We supply each Wicking Bed Kit with a dip stick (1m bamboo garden stake, nothing like using materials we have on hand) and we are still working out the ideal "saturation zone" in the base of each bed, I guess a round 10cm. Clearly though there needs to be a regular flushing of the bed to keep the water sweet. Love any feedback on this, especially if you have any experience with wicking beds or sub irrigation.
While I'm thinking water and the newspaper, how about the announcement from our new Water minister. Personally I think it's just playing politics and really disappointing. Target 155 was no great friend of nurserymen. But long term keeping water users conscious of consumption is better for all of us and I have always agreed with the theory that gardeners are more aware of their water use than any other group in the community.
I didn't grow up in and around Scotsburn Nurseries, but my mother did so I was taught "It's not dirt, it's soil" from a young age.
Soil/potting media was such a critical element of the nurseryman's craft. My Grandfather, Uncle Dave would collect Elephant poo (manure) from Wirth's Circus which had a permanent site on StKilda Road (Wirth's 'Olympia' Circus building burnt down in 1953, the site is now the Arts Centre). The elephant manure was mixed with local South Oakleigh sand to produce potting mix. Now that's recycling.
Wirth's Circus Elephants crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 1932.
In 1957 Kenneth F Baker published the UC System for Producing Healthy Container Grown Plants. Baker's system turned plant production in pots on it's head. Out with soil and animal manures, in with sterile, measurable, manageable materials that minimized the risks of disease. The UC system was introduced to Australia primarily by bedding plant growers: Peter Wood (Woodlyn), Dick Wall (Floriana), Fred Wood (FG Wood Nurseryman) and young Dave Wood (my uncle Robert) amongst others were heavily involved. I think it was all a bit technical for Uncle Dave but each grower developed his own blend that made their plants special. As much as the blend was important the attention to detail in preparation was critical. A key element was steaming the blended soil to kill the disease organisms, steaming at the right temperature for the correct time pasteurized the soil leaving good organisms healthy. The growers all invested in boilers and steam chambers (Bakerizers, I'm still embarrassed at sniggering at the name before I put Baker in his place... under a withering stare).
Australia had it's own potting mix pioneer in David Nichols who developed soil less potting mixes at CSIRO before moving to Debco. In my 20 plus years as a nurseryman I have never mixed a potting media from scratch, the attempt we made in recycling old mix is another story altogether. Scotsburn started purchasing mixes from Decbo shortly before I started here and despite many trials of other mixes we use Debco potting mixes almost exclusively. What was once a major competitive advantage to good nurserymen has vanished it is now just so easy to buy consistently premium quality mix. Potting mix, please note. Not dirt or soil. Our pot mix is essentially Terra Cotta and Tub mix with a little extra controlled release fertiliser. We use a finer blend for punnets and a really fine mix for seed raising.
What prompted writing this item? We have had a bad batch of mix. We have had 3 or 4 batches like this over 20 years, always in January. I believe it has something to do with composting bark in hot weather, it may also be that slight imperfections are amplified when growing in hot weather. The variation in technical specifications is so slight that our measurment of pH, salt level and ammonia can't pick up a problem so I have given up regular testing of new batches of mix. We rely on observation of our plants. The symptoms are plants that just won't grow, they don't die, they just get very hard and refuse to move. Except of course for the odd plant that finds a prill of mini Osmocote and bolts away from the rest. Observation is of course a very reactive way to deal with this type of problem and forcing extra liquid feed into these plants can end up with all of them racing away from us.
So what's the point? Not poor me. I am a loyal Debco customer because I'm confident they supply the most consistent potting mix minimizing the possibility of problems like the one we currently face. This is why I beg and plead with garden clubs and anyone else who'll listen to use quality potting mix. Inexperienced gardeners won't try to fix problems caused by planting into raw plant litter (cheap potting mix), they'll just give up thinking they just aren't cut out for gardening.
We are getting closer and closer to releasing our first Gerbera Garvinea. This pic is a trial planter we are preparing for retail nursery displays. No tricks, Lisa has put 9, 200mm pots in the box and taken a photo.
Garvinea is a very new Gerbera bred for outdoor growing. The emphasis is on overwintering. These plants will happily survive consistent night temperatures below zero. That's not to say they will continue to flower through winter although Kaye has grown on plants we trialled last year in her garden and she reports some flowers right through the year.
Gerberas are very drought tolerant plants, we grow our regular pot varieties under clear glass through the summer and they love it. Having grown our Garvineas outdoors through the spring and a very wet summer we have learnt that they really do need good drainage. We had a large block growing on a low bed which prevented them draining freely. Just as we thought we had them ready we started losing plants to a very ugly wilt. At first I just thought they were hungry and didn't check properly. Having had our fingers burnt we moved them to a better drained, still outdoor position and they have re-grown roots they lost very promptly. Tough as nails, just need to be kept clear of wet feet.
I love a little irony, but this is ridiculous. Last week I wrote about surviving fierce hot weather, Tuesday turned out to be the worst. Tonight I have driven from StKilda through floods all along Brighton Road/Nepean Highway, St Kilda, Elsternwick, Brighton and Mordialloc. Too much too quick. It was all a little frightening and exhausting. Makes me even more accutely aware of the trauma the people in Queensland have experienced over the past month.
I did get some great replys to last week's Newsletter, it appears my frustration with trigger nozzles is not mine alone. Hellen sent a great suggestion that I hadn't considered: pick your roses (and other flowers) before hot spells force the blooms open and smash them. I was just thinking about how practical this idea was when Kerry came in with a mountainous bowl of Tomatoes from the garden. Our 'matoes are needing regular picking at the moment so Kerry was just getting in before the heat caused the fruit to split. The Black Russians regularly crack but the cherry types appear to get to the point where their skin just can't hold all that goodness any longer, they are probably best picked just as they turn to red.
I don't have any suggestions for massive down pour mediation. Get your pots out of the weather? I am interested to see how a lot of the drought loving varieties planted over the past 10 years will cope with wet conditions. I'd love a difinitive prediction for weather conditions over the next 5 years, but then again I'd like a lot of other stuff too.
