Gardening thread

bokdrol said:
Most trees cause problems with root damage. What about nice indigenous shrubs like lemon thorn or "bloukappie"? They are fast-growing, waterwise, hardy and grow reasonably tall (2 m plus) and full with proper pruning.
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Thanks for the suggestions, been looking for some shrub options.
 
I have a very.... very... tall tree in my yard. 2 actually.

The branches fall every now and then. If a branch falls on one of my neighbours, would I be liable for any expenses?

I have another tree in front of my garage and the roots are damaging the brick work underneath. I can prolly cut the tree but how do I remove the roots if the tree is between my garage and road?
 
the tree felling companies should remove the stump for you. in Johannesburg they charge an arm and a leg, sometimes as much as they charge for felling the tree.
 
bokdrol said:
Most trees cause problems with root damage. What about nice indigenous shrubs like lemon thorn or "bloukappie"? They are fast-growing, waterwise, hardy and grow reasonably tall (2 m plus) and full with proper pruning.
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Thanks. Will have a look at them.
 
holler said:
I read somewhere that red pepper, mixed with water and then sprayed on the plant help to get rid of some plants.
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This seems to have done the trick. Haven't seen caterpillars in over a month now and the mint is back on track.

Either it was the red pepper or caterpillar season just ended.
 
registerforfree said:
I thought we might have an official thread for gardening question in general. I often have questions regarding gardening and it might be better to have an official thread dedicated to it rather than making a thread every time.

So I've currently got a massive caterpillar problem. I started a mint garden (about 3x2.5) in the alcove in front of my flat last year October and they were really doing amazing until about two weeks ago. It was very lush and full. Now it's barren and almost completely destroyed by green caterpillars. I kill them whenever I see them, but they still seem to be gnawing away like crazy. It doesn't help that they're the same color as the mint, which makes them very hard to spot.

Anyone have any advice on getting these little monsters under control?
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Margaret Robert's caterpillar biocide. Safe for animals and birds and works like a bomb. I have regular infestations of the stripey caterpillars that go after my clivias, so I use it regularly.
 
bokdrol said:
Margaret Robert's caterpillar biocide. Safe for animals and birds and works like a bomb. I have regular infestations of the stripey caterpillars that go after my clivias, so I use it regularly.
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You never get rid of these b*****ds. Turns a clivia into a rotting stinking mess if you do not catch them early enough. I usually spray in the beginning of the season, 1 month later and then mid feb again.

Lily Borer
Black caterpillar with yellow bands. Feeds on leaves and tunnels into leaves, stalks and bulbs of various lilies and amaryllids.
 
biena said:
You never get rid of these b*****ds. Turns a clivia into a rotting stinking mess if you do not catch them early enough. I usually spray in the beginning of the season, 1 month later and then mid feb again.

Lily Borer
Black caterpillar with yellow bands. Feeds on leaves and tunnels into leaves, stalks and bulbs of various lilies and amaryllids.
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Yes, they are a bane :mad: They can kill an entire bed of clivias in a few days.
 
I got chickens.
Since then I no longer need insecticides for the bigger things, just for aphids and such.
 
AstroTurf said:
I got chickens.
Since then I no longer need insecticides for the bigger things, just for aphids and such.
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Don't they destroy your garden, though? I would love two or three hens. But I can't have a rooster. Do hens "need" a rooster or are they OK without one?
 
bokdrol said:
Don't they destroy your garden, though? I would love two or three hens. But I can't have a rooster. Do hens "need" a rooster or are they OK without one?
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They have a go at my veggies. I don't really care as they don't actually destroy anything (although most of the veggies have bite marks in the leaves).
My hens were hand reared so I can let them out and put them back as I please (no chasing them down to get them back in the coop, i just bend over them, they sit down, I pick them up and put them in the coop).
They do not need a rooster to lay eggs, in winter they will likely need a light source or they may stop laying.
What you want is one of the hybrid species (I have red sex links as an example) that are engineered so that you can tell the difference between hens and roosters from hatching by colour and in that way ensure you get pullets instead of roosters.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/products/red-sex-link

Oh, I am getting around 2 eggs a day for the cost of around R30 worth of feed a month.
 
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Is R550 a reasonable price to trim a palm tree ? about 6m high ( my ladder only does 3m :) .
Is about 6 dead leaves/branches and those nasty orange seeds/fruits bundle.. TIA
 
Corbin said:
Is R550 a reasonable price to trim a palm tree ? about 6m high ( my ladder only does 3m :) .
Is about 6 dead leaves/branches and those nasty orange seeds/fruits bundle.. TIA
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My dad attached a small curved saw blade and a hook to the ends of a pool pole.

One side to just rip off whatever is loose, the saw for the stubborn stuff.
 
AstroTurf said:
My dad attached a small curved saw blade and a hook to the ends of a pool pole.

One side to just rip off whatever is loose, the saw for the stubborn stuff.
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That sounds like a good idea. Will give it a bash. Next time . they just pitched up at my place . Cant turn them back
 
I am still looking for a company that buys palm trees from owners and sell it to malls and such.
 
CamiKaze said:
I am still looking for a company that buys palm trees from owners and sell it to malls and such.
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There used to be a large amount of those but just as an example I drive past 3 separate plots each day that grow nothing but palm trees so yea I think that ship has sailed.
 
this time of year again - sigh :(

have to plant grass to make sure we have a nice lawn in summer for the kids/dogs to play

every year we get these weeds, they go dry and have thorns like Poseidon's trident - cant seem to get rid of them.
Had a guy come through and pull out all the weeds by the root but i see they back

cant use weed killers because of the dogs, do we even get pet friendly weed killers ?
 
ryu said:
this time of year again - sigh :(

have to plant grass to make sure we have a nice lawn in summer for the kids/dogs to play

every year we get these weeds, they go dry and have thorns like Poseidon's trident - cant seem to get rid of them.
Had a guy come through and pull out all the weeds by the root but i see they back

cant use weed killers because of the dogs, do we even get pet friendly weed killers ?
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Are you talking about devil thorns?
Devil+thorns+004.jpg

or paper thorns?
9d4015ea9ee4c95f84394524e93e1357.jpg

Either way the only real solution is to keep pulling them out (root and all) as they grow.

The normal herbicides do not really work and the stuff that does work will kill all your grass leaving the yard open for more weed infestations.
Broad leave herbicides are supposed to do the trick but I found they do not work.

Get rid of most of the seeds/thorns by putting a yoga mat on the ground then rolling a full paint can over it a few times and then removing all the thorns from the mat and repeating.
As soon as you see a plant start coming out get it and it's root out of the ground pronto.
Dispose of the leftovers away from compost. I suggest a flame thrower.
 
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