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Posted (edited)
  On 21/12/2016 at 10:27 AM, Super Mustud said:

 

Coopex. A wonderful product. Just don't put it into your tea or whisky.

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As one stoner said to the other, thanks for sharing. Shall investigate and procure.

 

The latter would also stop me getting ant-angst I guess. :D

Edited by Darren69
Posted (edited)
  On 21/12/2016 at 2:02 PM, t_mike said:

Borax for the ants.

White oil spray for the black pods.

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Borax, very interesting, and one can also do the following with it-

 

Edited by Darren69
Posted
  On 21/12/2016 at 8:59 PM, Darren69 said:

 

Borax, very interesting, and one can also do the following with it-

 

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I shall have to keep this in mind for the next time I need to mount a skull

Posted
  On 21/12/2016 at 10:30 PM, Super Mustud said:

 

I shall have to keep this in mind for the next time I need to mount a skull

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Captain Kremmen (Kenner Everett Video Show).

 

Kremmen, this statue of you and Carla, would you like it mounted?

 

No, holding hands will be fine........

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

Beautiful long lasting storm last night, plenty of thunder and lightning and just moderate rain, about 20 mm all of which soaked in which is a bonus.

 

On Christmas morning the first sunflower has opened.

 

sunflower.jpg

 

And the insanely vivid hybrid gum flowers are drowning the bees in the nectar. Nice way to go.

 

gum flowers.jpg

Edited by Hergest
  • Like 2
Posted
  On 25/12/2016 at 1:29 AM, Darren69 said:

God we could do with 200mm here, lovely pics Hergy, thanks for sharing.

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200 mm would run off and you would probably be lucky to end up with 5 mm soaking in:( Slow, gentle rain was so nice and very un-Sydney Summer like especially considering all the sturm und drang in the heavens at the time.

Posted
  On 25/12/2016 at 3:56 AM, Hergest said:

 

200 mm would run off and you would probably be lucky to end up with 5 mm soaking in:( Slow, gentle rain was so nice and very un-Sydney Summer like especially considering all the sturm und drang in the heavens at the time.

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True, especially on my hydrophobic land. I try and keep things mulched and manured and watered as much as possible to stop it becoming repellent. :(

Guest Peter the Greek
Posted
  On 25/12/2016 at 7:36 AM, Darren69 said:

True, especially on my hydrophobic land. I try and keep things mulched and manured and watered as much as possible to stop it becoming repellent. :(

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Mulch will only get you so far and takes an eternity to work.

 

You both need polyculture cover crops with shallow, fibrous, and tap roots to assist with this. Especially tap rooted legumes to spear holes deep into the sub soil.

Posted
  On 26/12/2016 at 2:58 AM, Peter the Greek said:

 

Mulch will only get you so far and takes an eternity to work.

 

You both need polyculture cover crops with shallow, fibrous, and tap roots to assist with this. Especially tap rooted legumes to spear holes deep into the sub soil.

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Yes, I do need t look into green fertiliser more (crops grown to enhance the soil).

 

Tried to buy a heap of lupins a few months ago but they were all 'out of season' (meaning, they aren't flowering now so they wont attract impulse buyers at the nursery/Bunnings).

Posted
  On 26/12/2016 at 7:13 AM, Darren69 said:

 

Yes, I do need t look into green fertiliser more (crops grown to enhance the soil).

 

Tried to buy a heap of lupins a few months ago but they were all 'out of season' (meaning, they aren't flowering now so they wont attract impulse buyers at the nursery/Bunnings).

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Whilst Green crops are beneficial I would suggest that there are other more beneficial strategies that you can consider for your garden.  For example spreading rock dust that has high paramagnetism or biochar.  I have spread at least 23 tonnes of rock dust in my garden over the last few years.  Both products were used by wiser people than us many hundreds of years ago.  The Incas used biochar.  Check out the Irish round towers constructed from basalt.  Rock dust and biochar have many positive attribute including enhancing the soil life and water retention. 

John

  • Like 2
Guest Peter the Greek
Posted

My understanding is biochar is only really effective in tropical climates? Ive heard mixed  (mostly poor) examples in temperate and cold areas. 

 

Nothing beats mixed root polycultures imo. You can fix just about any soil and water issue with it.

Posted
  On 26/12/2016 at 2:58 AM, Peter the Greek said:

 

Mulch will only get you so far and takes an eternity to work.

 

You both need polyculture cover crops with shallow, fibrous, and tap roots to assist with this. Especially tap rooted legumes to spear holes deep into the sub soil.

Expand  

That's a good point.

 

  On 26/12/2016 at 7:13 AM, Darren69 said:

 

Yes, I do need t look into green fertiliser more (crops grown to enhance the soil).

 

Tried to buy a heap of lupins a few months ago but they were all 'out of season' (meaning, they aren't flowering now so they wont attract impulse buyers at the nursery/Bunnings).

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Daz about 6 months ago I drilled 5000 or so tree planting holes for macadamias and the paddocks had been tilled and hilled  in preparation for the new trees. An older existing orchard of 20 year old producing trees had been ripped two years previously.

I commented to the farmer that the weeds just loved his raised rows of rich red volcanic soil. Now I know your area down at Grafton doesn't have this kind of soil and needs improving but what he said next made me think. "Those aren't weeds, they're comfrey. It's a natural fertiliser and the huge tap root breaks up the soil and their an excellent companion planting for young trees and shrubs."

 

Chatting to my big sister about it she agreed and said she'd been doing it for years. She has a huge garden on acreage and the lucky bugger has topsoil to a depth of about 700mm,light fluffy red volcanic soil. So I reckon it'd be beneficial in your poorer soil area. I pinched this next bit from Wiki, it explains it.

 

 

Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator,[6] mining a host of nutrients from the soil. These are then made available through its fast-growing leaves (up to 1.8–2.3 kilograms (4.0–5.1 lb) per plant per cut) which, lacking fibres, quickly break down to a thick black liquid. There is also no risk of nitrogen robbery when comfrey is dug into the soil as the C:N ratio of the leaves is lower than that of well-rotted compost. Comfrey is an excellent source of potassium, an essential plant nutrient needed for flower, seed and fruit production. Its leaves contain 2–3 times more potassium than farmyard manure, mined from deep in the subsoil, tapping into reserves that would not normally be available to plants.[7]

There are various ways in which comfrey can be used as a fertilizer. These include:[8][9]

  • Comfrey as a compost activator – include comfrey in the compost heap to add nitrogen and help to heat the heap. Comfrey should not be added in quantity as it will quickly break down into a dark sludgy liquid that needs to be balanced with more fibrous, carbon-rich material.
  • Comfrey liquid fertilizer – can be produced by either rotting leaves down in rainwater for 4–5 weeks to produce a ready-to-use "comfrey tea", or by stacking dry leaves under a weight in a container with a hole in the base. When the leaves decompose a thick black comfrey concentrate is collected. This must be diluted at 15:1 before use.
  • Comfrey as a mulch or side dressing – a two-inch layer of comfrey leaves placed around a crop will slowly break down and release plant nutrients; it is especially useful for crops that need extra potassium, such as fruit bearers but also reported to do well for potatoes. Comfrey can be slightly wilted before application optionally but either way, avoid using flowering stems as these can root.
  • Comfrey as a companion plant for trees and other perennials – soil tests confirm[10] that soil nutrients increase in the presence of comfrey even when it is not used as mulch, side dressing, or liquid fertilizer, but just allowed to grow. This is what the macca farmer is doing
  • Comfrey potting mixture – originally devised to utilize peat, now environmental awareness has led to a leaf mold-based alternative being adopted instead; two-year-old, well decayed leaf mold should be used, this will absorb the nutrient-rich liquid released by the decaying comfrey. In a black plastic sack alternate 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) layers of leaf mold and chopped comfrey leaves. Add a little dolomitic limestone to slightly raise pH. Leave for between 2–5 months depending on the season, checking that it does not dry out or become too wet.  The mixture is ready when the comfrey leaves have rotted and are no longer visible. Use as a general potting compost, although it is too strong for seedlings.

 

 

Could be worth a try.

  • Like 2
Posted
  On 26/12/2016 at 8:08 PM, Peter the Greek said:

My understanding is biochar is only really effective in tropical climates? Ive heard mixed  (mostly poor) examples in temperate and cold areas. 

 

Nothing beats mixed root polycultures imo. You can fix just about any soil and water issue with it.

Expand  

From my perspective the statement about biochar is not correct.  Biochar or as it is called sometimes Agrichar has been used in many parts of the world for many years.  The literature on Biocahr and its use as a soil additive is extensive.  A book worth reading is "The Biochar revolution" ed by Paul Taylor

It is a very high value soil improver as:

§Its microscopic structure of small holes is a refuge for bacteria and fungi
§It enhances the soil structure for drainage and aeration
§It holds large amounts of moisture that is available to plants and it is valuable for water saving
§It has high CEC in that can hold nutrients in the soil
§It has excellent pH buffering capacity
 

Mycorrihizal fungus that has a fundamental role of nutrient take up by plant roots can live in Biochar particles. 

 

John

Posted (edited)

@Peter the Greek @Luc @Assisi  thanks so much gents for those tips, I will try all of them.

 

I am in a sub tropical area, apparently.

 

Johnno, the diggers club often champions rock minerals, a  good example is how much grass loves crusher dust or even a bitumen road! 

 

Pete, love the link, quite a few of those can also double duty as quite attractive ground covers as well.

 

Lee- awesome, will do some research on the Comfrey. Old man used to plant lab lab every now and then to replace the cane for a while, to enrich the soil, until they worked out soy beans did the same thing but you might fluke a crop every now and then. I wonder if the comfrey will grow in my concrete clay? :D 

 

It would be very good in the paddock around my orange/mango/macadamia/pecan/Chinese cedar trees at the very least.

 

You guys are the bomb, which I think is young person speak for 'helpful'.

Edited by Darren69
Posted

Hi Darren, 

You are correct about crusher dust etc.  A proviso is the degree of paramagnetism.  It is all about energy and so the degree of paramagnetism the better.  Some rock dusts are more paramagnetic than others.  I think that Diggers sell the Munash product.  Munash is about 20 minute drive from me and I have used a couple of tonnes of their stuff.  Even at approximately $600 a tonne it is relatively expensive.  Much less so though than if you buy 10 or 20Kgs.  Munash is a mix of basalt and granite

 

Most of what I use is a basalt dust that is used as a base for water tanks.  It costs me $50 a tonne hence the amount I have used. 

This photo shows tree roots growing into  a pile of basalt rock dust.  They really love it.

 

IMG_5059.JPG

 

This next photo is a powerful rare earth magnet

IMG_5063 (2).JPG

 The last photo shows the magnet in a plastic bag.  I have dipped the bag in the rock dust and some is attracted to the magnet.  I use the plastic bag because when the manet is taken out of the bag the dust just drops off.  Otherwise it is an absolute bugger to get the dust of the bare magnet.  If you try rock dust get a magnet and test.  I consider that the Munash stuff is slightly less paramagnetc than what I use.

IMG_5061 (2).JPG

 

So get a magnet and test what you can get locally.  Ulhru is on of the strongest paramagnetic places on earth.  It is no wonder that it is special and sacred.  Everything grows better around the Irish round towers.  Why?  It is all about resonance and energy and the soil.  One day I will talk about my towers of power and rock dust.  You may think that fiddling with audio systems is fascinating, but so is this stuff with soil and plants. Push the limits.

 

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 2
Posted

by the way I was pressure washing garden furniture prior to our christmas dinner ... when I thought I would give the pavers a little squirt...

 

oh goodness ... the pavers have been there 14 years ? and god hadnt realised how much their colour had been masked by the grunge built up on their ! 

 

a lovely off white and deep red terracotta they are ! compared to the almost black or built up in moss/mould  some are !  

 

I guess I just made myself some work to pressure wash the lot when get a chance ... slowly have to make my way around.

 

oh and @Luc the boiling of the weeds has been working...

 

slowly working my way around with that as well...one cuppa at a time :D 

 

ps I read somewhere too if replacing sand between the pavers to replace with "polymeric" sand ? stuff apparently weeds dont grow in ? dont know if we have that stuff here. but if pressure washing the pavers and if have to top up sand between I might look to see if can find this polymeric stuff...overseas costs same as river sand...

Posted

The metal dust(cracker dust) here in my locale which is 2 hours north of Daz  and which I'd be fairly comfortable in saying  is on a par with what ever Daz could get is all basalt and I use a magnetic level on some of my jobs and it gets covered in metal dust. I use the finer grades of metal dust as top dressing for lawns, in potting mixes and as a base for laying turf which gives the added benefit of greening your lawn whenever it rains and giving much needed drainage in the wetter periods of the year.

 

10 tonne is about 500 smackas plus delivery. If you leave it in a pile for six months then you'll get weeds and other things growing in it. $600 per tonne is exorbitant IMO but if your in the big smoke then I can understand why.

  • Like 1
Posted

@:) al  al that's why laying pavers on a concrete base is such a great idea. Not everyone can do it for obvious reasons,not everyone can afford it either but you never have an ant problem and you can Gurney your heart out with the biggest baddest pressure cleaner you can find, even hot water models and you'll not affect your pavers one bit.

*Just boil the jug al and pour the whole lot on your weedy spots...gone! I us a bit of stick with a nail banged in it to scratch out the dead weeds after about a week or so which tidy's things up.

  • Like 1
Posted

  @Assisi  fascinating, thanks for sharing, yes wasting ones time buying bags of stuff, that's for sure. One needs to be backing up truckloads :)

 

Am loving the sound of this Comfrey stuff, it even stops grass runners in their tracks! I shall put some around the paddock trees as previously described and some along the back of the boundary lilly pilliy hedge. The neighbours seem to like the wrecking yard look in their own yard so they wont mind the comfrey and the hedge will get some love at it's roots, I wont be able to see it at all. The aforementioned grass runners from 'the wrecking yard' wont come through either.

 

http://greenharvest.com.au/Plants/Information/Comfrey.html

 

 

Posted
  On 27/12/2016 at 12:38 AM, Luc said:

The metal dust(cracker dust) here in my locale which is 2 hours north of Daz  and which I'd be fairly comfortable in saying  is on a par with what ever Daz could get is all basalt and I use a magnetic level on some of my jobs and it gets covered in metal dust. I use the finer grades of metal dust as top dressing for lawns, in potting mixes and as a base for laying turf which gives the added benefit of greening your lawn whenever it rains and giving much needed drainage in the wetter periods of the year.

 

10 tonne is about 500 smackas plus delivery. If you leave it in a pile for six months then you'll get weeds and other things growing in it. $600 per tonne is exorbitant IMO but if your in the big smoke then I can understand why.

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I live in a rural area incidentally close to Munash.  The Munash product is a mix of rocks and its content is analysed and listed.  Whereas the crushed rock that you and I mention is not.  As well the Munash is probably better value and beneficial even at the price than the likes of super etc for farmers.  Rock dust is not just for grass or lawns.  Everything I plant gets a handful in the hole and another on top.  All pot plants are dressed with rock dust.  Paths are rock dust.  It is a miracle for me.

John

Posted
  On 27/12/2016 at 1:25 AM, Assisi said:

I live in a rural area incidentally close to Munash.  The Munash product is a mix of rocks and its content is analysed and listed.  Whereas the crushed rock that you and I mention is not.  As well the Munash is probably better value and beneficial even at the price than the likes of super etc for farmers.  Rock dust is not just for grass or lawns.  Everything I plant gets a handful in the hole and another on top.  All pot plants are dressed with rock dust.  Paths are rock dust.  It is a miracle for me.

John

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Thought it had to be something like that especially at the tonnage price.

 

" Everything I plant gets a handful in the hole and another on top.  All pot plants are dressed with rock dust.  Paths are rock dust.  It is a miracle for me."

 

Next you'll be telling me you add it on your morning cereal;)

 

@$20 a kilo on eBay, your $600 per tonne is cheap isn't it.

 

*As an aside: Does anyone plant by the moon stages here? I don't but I know a few who do and also use beyerdynamics and the magic 500 in a cow horn.

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