Growing plants from seed is not as hard as you might think. Many of us have tried and failed – (even the experts have failures for no apparent reason). So. what is the cause of most germination failures? The main culprit is sowing the seed too deeply. When seeds are planted too deeply they germinate…
DetailsHave you ever driven past a field and overhead lights were on covering the whole field? Chances are that the grower had a crop of Chrysanthemum flowers and needed lighting to control flower production. Chrysanthemums are what is called ‘short day length’ plants. That is that the plants will flower once the day length is…
DetailsTHE DORMANCY OF PLANTS AND SEEDS. Dormancy in plants and seeds is a survival strategy and it may be a simple or complex dormancy. Plant dormancy is usually simple and the best example is with deciduous plants that lose their leaves in autumn preparing themselves for the unfavourable conditions of winter. However, plants do not…
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In the 1960’s there was no such thing as a ‘potting mix’. Back then nurseries made a ‘soil mix’ with what was available and it had to be modified to suit the plant. Because they were made from soil, they were heavy and there was no standard manufacturing recipe. Today we use soilless ‘potting mixes’…
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SMOKE TREATMENT FOR SOME SEEDS FROM AUSTRALIA. I wondered what I could write about and then I had two enquiries about using smoke treatment for seeds, so I thought a rundown on the subject might be interesting. Some Australian and South African plants live in areas that experience severe bushfires and have developed a strategy…
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With a majority of species native to Australia, Wattles (Acacia) are a fantastic way to add a splash of bright yellow to your yard or garden, though flowers can vary in colour through cream, pale yellow to gold depending on the species. There are some 1350 species of Acacia found throughout the world and close…
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Here are some golden rules for watering your plants. Keep these on hand when watering
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We’re talking about all things spring and how you should care for your plants when the temperature warms up
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