Some Glasshouses Don’t Shatter

When propagating your cuttings or seedlings, are you held back by the lack of having a glasshouse or cold frame? Well no longer is this the case, in these days of disposable everything.
 
If you are like me, you are always looking for ways of getting better use out of anything that comes into the house. Well for quite a while now I have been using those horrible plastic containers that come around the commercially purchased sandwiches or cakes.
 
I’m sure you know the ones that I am talking about, those horrible clear plastic things that take up so much room in the garbage. Sometimes they are totally clear, while sometimes they have a black plastic tray on the bottom.
 
Once they have been cleaned out and soaked to remove any product tags on them, you will have an ideal little greenhouse to protect young plants from the ravages of the weather, pets or kids. Hygiene though, is an extremely important issue with any little babies, man, animal or plant. So clean the containers out well.
 
The only two things to remember is that
 
1. With the lid sealed, it is a closed system. So do not over water the propagation mix. Have it lightly moist, not wringing wet.
 
2. If some fungal infection does get into the system, it will spread with rapidity. So if any signs of an infection appear. Then start lifting the lid off and letting moisture out and air in, which may assist in slowing or killing any infection.
 
After the young plants have become established you can start slowly lifting the lid off for part of the day. This will help harden them up to outside conditions.
 
These cake containers also make excellent short-term terrariums for garden group projects. Just follow the normal instructions around either in books or on the web for terrariums, and away you go. But being only small compared to some terrariums, look for instructions particularly dealing with Bottle gardens, (this being a particular form of terrariums).
 
So now there is nothing stopping you going out and growing or starting your new garden. Anyone, anywhere can have their own little glasshouse that won’t shatter in a storm.

RIP - So many Garden Plants

With the current series of rainy days, and even flooding in areas near us. Take a moment to reflect on so many garden plants, shrubs and tree's that we lost during the past year. Nearly every garden shows evidence of dead shrubs & trees, or their stumps.

While our local dams will end up somewhere between 18 - 20% of capacity. We are still not out of the woods, in relation to urban water. And it is unlikely to mean that we will be able to start watering our gardens again, anytime soon.

So what plants have struggled to survive the long periods without water, could be in real trouble if they start putting on new growth now it's warming up with the current added moisture. If we fail to have follow up rain to back it up in the next month or so.

Plant Disease - "Good Intentions"

One of the biggest killers of newly aquired plants is the purchasers 'good intentions'.

That is the "I'll plant it later", Syndrome.

Unfortunately for the plant or tray of seedling, that 'later' doesn't come soon enough to save the from dying of thirst.

That is the 'intention' of plant out these newly acquired plants, but which are left at the back door. While the owner gets distracted by life's other happenings, until they die.

What you can do to prevent plants dieing from "Good Intentions".

1. Position them on a tray or base filled with water.
2. Post a note to yourself, on your fridge, phone, computer, etc.
3. Put a plastic bag over them, and place them in a cool shady spot till your ready.
4. Group them together with your other potplants.
5. Place them in a sink, laundry tub, or bath etc. with a little water in the bottom.
6. Delegate the planting to a partner, child etc.
8. deliberately not go inside till it's planted and watered.
9. leave it somewhere prominent to remind us, as enter and exit the house.
10. give it away to someone else for their garden.

These plants cost us a fortune over the years, and yet we can ill afford to throw this money away, intentionally. Yet we do so often lose plants or seedlings from this afliction.

Blog Action Day

After reading a posting by Ali at Our Patch i checked out a site about Blog Action Day. Where on October 15th as many bloggers as possible are to do a posting about the environment.

Naturally I signed up.

I will write more later when I have time.

Supertankers to bring in Townwater

The news on TV in the past few days isn't good for our hip pockets. Town water at 5 times the current price.

With the current drought biting hard in South East Queensland, a couple of options that the State government is floating, is One - To bring in Supertankers of water from North Queensland or even from New Zealand. What pests and diseases are we likely to be importing with the bulk water thus obtained?

Or Two - Floating portable desalination plants in the tidal flow part of the Brisbane River.

Now with at least parts of the overall Brisbane River system scoring a F (eg the Bremer River), on the environmental quality stakes. What does that say for the water obtained?

Let alone the damage that these will cause to the already overstressed plant and animal ecosystems of the river and it's margins. I would love to see a environmental impact study on what the likely impacts will be, of these desalination plants.

Though with nearly 2 million people in the Brissy Metropolitan area relying on the water they as usual will have to come before the natural environment that still survives here. Surely there must be things which could be done to lessen it's impact on the areas.

It’s Raining

Rain glorious rain.

South East Queensland is in drought.

Our urban water dams are now down to below 17% capacity. While the rain this week wont break the drought or even put much water in. it’s still very welcome and our gardens need it badly.

Sadly though this sort of weather is usually enough to put many disabled clients off their routines and moods. And create a challenge in distracting them.

It also comes way to late to save many established garden plants who have passed away this year due to lck of soil moisture, and we gardeners inability to water our precious gardens this year.