The met service has reported that we had the warmest August ever since records began with about 1.5 degrees above average, which does not seem a much on those odd cold days, but for a lot of insect pests it means an early arrival. A good hard, cold winter takes its toll on insect populations […]
It is Easter Saturday as I write this column, (I normally always write them on a Saturday morning each week) and for the last 3 days I have not watered any of my gardens or container plants – including those in my glasshouse. This is not because we have had lots of rain, in fact […]
Today’s extraordinary decision by the Environmental Risk Management Authority to immediately ban endosulfan has left the horticulture industry wondering what more it can do to work with the agency. Horticulture New Zealand is disappointed ERMA has taken the drastic option to totally ban the agrichemical on January 16. This gives growers just over a month […]
An informative video about understanding the role of weeds in our soil. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR__vMnQTYM For more information about Integrity soils please visit their website.
What to plant in November Beetroot Basil Carrot Capsicum Celery Climbing beans Coriander Cucumber Dill Dwarf beans Eggplant Globe artichoke Lettuce Leeks Parsnip Pepper Potato Pumpkin Radish Rhubarb Rocket Rockmelon Silverbeet Spinach Spring onion Strawberry Squash Swede Sweetcorn Tomato Turnip Watermelon Yams Zucchini Strawberry Protection If the birds keep eating your strawberries here’s a handy […]
There are many kinds of oxalis with different coloured flowers. This has to be one of the most frustrating weeds in the garden. It spreads prolifically and is a real challenge to eradicate. The main problem is that you can pull out the weed but under the soil is a parent bulb with a number […]
Bryophytes and Embryophytes are the botanical names given to mosses, lichen, liverworts, hornworts, molds, algae and slimes. These are what one could label primate plant-like forms which were the first land type plants on the planet, millions of years ago. It was as a result of these primitive plant forms that began the process of […]
This hot, dry summer brings many insect pests into our gardens and onto the plants. There are beetles chewing on the foliage at night (often we don’t see what is doing the damage when we inspect during the day, as they are away hiding). Leaf hoppers and whitefly that flit all around when we disturb […]
