japanese garden rotation - wk 4

Today's rotation day is a group effort in a large bed just down from the main gates. Some big trees were recently removed from the bed and needs some new soil added before replanting a large amount of Helleborus that have been dug out and put to one side. Today the team of willing workers consists of (the multiple lovely) Kath, Jeremy, Adam and Daniel...... (and if Margot was here she would definitely be lovely too!) 

Adam arrives with a load of top soil.

Where the large trees have been removed there are now some depressions in the soil level that need levelling off,  so we climb on to the back of the ute and start shovelling into the wheelbarrows. After three ute loads and multiple wheelbarrow loads, the soil is spread and the surface raked beautiful (Kath is a pro on the rake and show us how it should be done!) An even surface is important as the bed is on a slope and the irrigation may pool in the dips and make muddy wet patches instead of spreading evenly down across the bed.

Helleborus for replanting.

Now it's time to begin the large re-planting effort and I start to transport the heavy sections of mostly Helleborus orientalis down to the front of the bed in the wheelbarrow. Kath then marks out an curved area that we will being to fill in. We get into a nice rhythm where mostly Kath digs the holes and I select and plant a Helleborus to match it. We try and evenly mix the colours and large and small specimens so it looks as even as possible.

A beautiful white Helleborus orientalis.

My favourite colour is the deep burgundy. 

Planting notes include using a safe back when lifting them, making sure I support the root ball, being very particular about the holes soil level matching the plants soil level and back filling carefully without too much compression. The watering in will remove the air pockets and settle everything nicely.

Getting to the end of the planting.

This is obviously not the most ideal time to transplant them as they are in full flower at this time of the year but we have to get the bed repaired now and Kath ensures me they are quite tough and will cope with the shock of being moved just fine with a little TLC. 

Today's planting team finishing up.

It's now time for a clean up and Jeremy mans the hose and start the large job of cleaning all the tools and restoring the path behind the bed to it's former glory after having to dump soil there for easy shovelling.

Jeremy has the path and beautiful stone wall behind looking immaculate.

A big job well done and the large drift of Helleborus look great now we have finished. Kath hasn't quite decided what else will go in the bed with them yet but has a few ideas she is thinking of, in line with the surrounding Chinese collection. I will check back later to see how the Helleborus recover and what else finds a new home here.

The finished bed looks great.

lillium scaling - wk 19

Today we are learning how to propagate Lilliums. Before we start, we learn about the differences between the types of bulbs. True bulbs like Daffodils, Alliums, Tulips etc.... are known as 'tunicate' bulbs. These look like an onion when cut in half with a base plate (a modified stem) at the bottom where the roots come out from and where the fleshy onion like layers of the bulb (modified leaves) attach to. To the side of the base plate is where small offshoots (called bulblets) will form to create new bulbs.



Lillium bulb with side bulblets that have started to shoot.

Lilliums spp. however are different and are known as 'non-tunicate' bulbs. This means they are made up of a group of fleshy 'scales' that can be peeled off and propagated to create a new bulb. Lilliums have what's known as 'meristematic' tissue, which basically means the cells in the tissue can change and may be different from the original tissue, much like stem cells. Other types of bulbs called  'corms' (Anemones etc...) are basically modified stems that have nodes on the surface of them where new cormlets can form.

Marcus runs us through the procedure before we start.

Propagating Lilliums is a process known as 'Vegetative Propagation' where a section of the vegetation of the plant is used to create a new plant. Best time to do this is in the cooler months from autumn until around mid July. Any later and the bulbs will be starting to shoot.  An interesting point about Lilliums bulbs as well, is that they have contractile roots that grow in a manner to anchor the bulb downwards in the soil and counteract the vigorous growth of the stem from pulling the bulb to the surface. Ahh.... nature really has got it all worked out hasn't it!

Wash the bulb first to reveal the best scales for selection.

Now to the process (known as Scaling). First up wash the bulbs thoroughly in water. Select the fattest scales that show the least damage and gently peel them off the base plate. Put gloves on and place the selected ones into a mild bleach solution to remove the possibility of transferring any pests or diseases. 3 mins of soaking should be enough. Rinse them thoroughly in fresh water (still wearing gloves!) and you are ready to begin. Firstly prepare the propagation mixture in a plastic bag of about 2-3 cups of fine, high grade vermiculite. This is so fine is feels silky and almost weightless to touch.

Mix in a little water until the mix feels just damp but definitely not wet. Too wet and they would rot and too dry and they will not have enough moisture to feed the root growth.

Next you take a scalpel and cut a fine sliver off the bottom of the scale to

reveal new flesh that hasn't been burnt by the bleach.

Dip this edge straight into a hormone gel.......

....and then place it in the bag with the mix. Repeat this until you have up to 20 or so in the bag.

The finished scales in the mix.

Lastly and importantly, seal the bag, wrap in silver foil so no light can penetrate and place on the heating and misting bed which sits at around 20 degrees. We label ours M.E.M which stands for Michael, Emma and Mark and the date. We will visit back in 6-8 weeks to check if they have taken. Important points I have gleaned from this lesson include the differences in bulbs and how they grow, the actual propagation process step by step and very importantly, the attention paid to hygiene to give you the best chance of success.

Our little babies tucked into bed in the nursery.

soil excursion - results - wk 18

Soil testing day!

Today we are testing our soil samples collected on last weeks excursion. We lay them out in a row on the table, each with an example rock and three levels of the profile tests (apart from Alluvial which is only one sample) and the differences are great to compare. Laurie runs through each profile type briefly and I decide to put my hand up to test the sandstone profile, as this one sounds most like my soil type at home.

Mudstone - Sedimentary

Dolerite - Intruded Igneous

Basalt - Extruded Igneous

Alluvial - Mix of all of the above!

First up Josie and I start with a ribbon test for each of the three sandstone samples. The soil section I begin with is the deepest profile. When added to water it feels very sticky and clay like and the ribbons I make are extremely long before they break. I can almost mould the whole piece without a break so we decide on the classification 'Medium Clay'. Josie does the top profile that is a dark black/brown colour with quite a bit of organic matter in it. This Josie feels should be classified as a 'Sandy Loam' with the gritty large sand particles clearly felt. I do the middle section of the profile which is much paler and very sandy and hardly stays together at all. The soil is also quite water repellent and takes alot to work it in. The ribbons are barely 1-2cm long so decide on the classification of 'Loamy Sand' after referring to our list. Laurie explains that sandstone soil typically has these 3 distinct layers to it. The top is a very sandy 'hungry' soil that will darken in colour when organic matter is added to it but as it is so free draining the nutrients will quickly be depleted and need repeat applications. The middle layer which is very sandy and poor, acts as a sort of filter or sieve where the nutrients quickly pass through and are washed down and retained in the richer clay base.

The difference between a sandstone (L) and dolerite (R) soil type.

I know which one I'd rather have!

This is exactly like my soil at home.- hungry on top and constantly requiring the addition of organic matter that never seems to last very long. When we dig a hole there is an almost chalky white compressed layer of pure sand just beneath the top layer, that looks very poor and whitish, before you strike orange sandy clay about a metre down.

Phillipa and Josie examine our pH colour metric results.

Next job is to test the pH of the samples. We start with a colour i-metric test and then follow up with a meter test, which is 20gm of soil mixed into 200mls of distilled or rain water. The colour i-metrics test show up at 5.5 (top), 5.5 (middle) and 4.5pH (bottom). The meter test for the 4.5pH sample comes out at 6.0pH so quite a difference between the two!

The final number for the sandstone meter test is 6.0 pH

The final test to do is a salinity test. Laurie has a meter probe that works in the same water mixture as the pH meter so that is great. Measuring parts per million (ppm) the sandstone profile comes out at 39ppm. All of our samples fit roughly within normal parameters (33 - 60 ppm) so there are no salinity problems as we might expect here in Tas. All in all it's been a great day of learning and I think it is all starting to settle down and bed  into my grey matter nicely :)


The results of our hard day of testing.



soil excursion - wk 17

Today we head off on a soil excursion with Marcus and Laurie to improve our knowledge of the different types of rock and soils around the Hobart region. We will be taking soil samples from each area to analyse and assess at a later date.

Stop 1  - Mudstone

Our first convoy stop is a mudstone cutting on cascade rd heading towards the mountain. Here we look at the mudstone parent rock profile and the surrounding Silver Peppermint forest that is found on this soil type. Also here we find the Bush Cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis) which is an hemiparasitic tree.  Marcus points out how we can recognise different rock/soil types based on the dominant plant growth in the area.

All the Eucalyptus tenuiramis 'Silver Peppermint' growing

in this area thrive in the mudstone soil type .

Mudstone is identifiable by it's white, chalky colour 
and how it breaks apart easily into layers. 
The mudstone here also has a sulphur smell due to 
being laid down in anaerobic conditions.

The groups checks out the roadside cutting.

Being a sedimentary rock type, it is laid down
over the years in layers that can easily be seen here.

We take a soil sample from the shallow profile to find what Laurie describes as a 'duplex' profile. This is where the soil colour changes suddenly.  At the deepest tip of the sample the soil turns from white to orange. Mudstone soils typically have a pH of around 5 - 6. Sedimentary parent rock layers such as mudstone, sandstone and limestone are laid down over thousands of years of melting and erosion.

Mudstone soil profile.

Stop 2 - Mudstone Mt Wellington

Next stop was further up the road at the base of Mt Wellington where there is a fantastic cutting in the roadside carpark. Here there is a much higher rainfall and so a different concentration of plants thrive here.

This is a great photo to highlight the years and
years of sedimentary layers that have built up .

Stop 3 - Dolerite

Next up we park on the side of Summerleas Rd to eye spy a large exposed dolerite hillside. Here we observe the rounded red dolerite boulders that Marcus explains are intruded igneous (volcanic) rock that was formed and cooled under immense pressure but have been forced up from deep below during volcanic action many hundreds of years ago. Dolerite crushed rock has a pH of 8-9 where the dolerite soil is around 6.5 - 6.8 pH.

Dolerite hillside.

Now the rocks are up on the surface and no longer under the same kind of pressure, they literally start to expand and peel away from the bluestone core like an egg. A process known as exfoliating.

A classic 'egg' shaped dolerite rock showing a hard bluestone centre,
with aged outer layers that will easily peel and break off. 

The outer layers of dolerite rocks are more red in colour because they have been exposed to the rain and the high iron content in the rock is beginning to oxidise or 'rust'. Dolerite soil colour is typically browny/black. Dolerite rock is high in minerals and the rock dust can be beneficially added to compost or to contribute to clay soils.

Dolerite profile.

We take a dolerite soil sample and Laurie explains that this profile is more of a 'gradational' one which means that there are no clearly defined layers, more of an even gradual mix of the profile as it goes down. Trees that are happy growing on this bedrock type include Eucalyptus globulus (Bluegum), Eucalyptus pulchella (Narrow-Leaf Peppermint) and the registered weed Spanish Heath (Erica lusitanica).

Stop 4 - Basalt & Sandstone

Our next stop is another cutting just up from the Kingston on the Huon Hwy. Here we can see a section of Basalt bedrock that stops abruptly and turns into Sandstone. The Verbascum weeds growing along the top of the bank that prefer the volcanic soil also stop suddenly.

Here the Basalt soil on the right stops in the middle
and the pink sandstone on the left begins.

Basalt rock.

Marcus explains that Basalt is also an Igneous rock but 'extruded' rather than the 'intruded' Dolerite. Extruded means it is formed on the surface -  basically it is quickly cooled volcanic lava. It will also exfoliate and has a high iron content. Very high in nutrients, the basalt soils are the rich red volcanic soils that dominate the agriculture north of the state. There is also a large dolerite pocket in the valley near Richmond heading out to Campania. This is a blacker soil because of the lower rainfall and has a higher salt content. When the soil dries out it will crack or become sticky in the rain. Will benefit from the addition of gypsum.

Basalt is clearly identified by it's porous appearance.

The soil we take here is also a even gradational profile and you can tell it is a much richer, more desirable type than our previous two samples. Basalt soil is typically 6.5 - 6.8 pH, brownish and crumbly in texture with good aggregates - ideal for growing. It is a bit dangerous to cross the highway and take a sandstone profile but Laurie assures us he will do this later.

Basalt soil profile.

Stop 5 - Alluvial

Just a bunch of soil nerds hanging out in Browns Rivulet.

Laurie and Marcus are not entirely happy with the profile we find here. There has been some flooding in previous weeks and a lot of debris has been washed up alongside the banks. A better spot for a sample is perhaps on the other side of the river and seeing as no one brought their waders (or swimmers!) we are making do with this one and pop it in the bag for testing later. 

The dark Alluvial profile.

So that's it. We have come to the end - it's been a great day all up and I feel like I have a MUCH better understanding of the different types and how to identify them. I'm looking forward to getting into all the samples and testing them. Will have to wait till next week though.........

rose pruning - wk 16

This morning is clear and cold as we all head next door to Government House to learn all about the fine art of pruning roses.

Before

 We start out in the pottager garden to practice on some 'less important' roses lining the wall before being let loose on the rose garden past the tennis court. Anne, Jerry and Mick take us through some of the main points to think about with pruning roses:

• Ideally prune to a open 'vase' shape. 
• Prune out any central, inward growing or crossing growth. This opens up the airflow in the centre of the bush which is important to minimise problems like powdery mildew and black spot.
• Where you have the choice of old growth and strong new growth next to each other - remove the old wood and leave the strong new growth to replace it. 
• Remove any dead, damaged or diseased wood.
• Prune to an outward facing bud.

After

Other points to consider:

• Stop and contemplate before making the cut. Don't rush.
• Think about the pruning in stages. Perhaps only take one branch out this year and the other the following year after the bush has recovered and put on some good new growth.
• Prune off non flowering stem growth. These are short bright green stems that will not produce flowers.
• Don't leave to many cuts on the one branch. All these changes start to make the bush look unattractive, better to prune it off at the base and promote strong new growth.
• Know your rose! Each need pruning in different ways. Some thrive under harsh pruning and others (like some David Austin varieties) resent it and don't do well.
• And VERY importantly - use the right tool for job. Ideally you should have some secateurs for smaller cuts, some loppers for bigger cuts and a fine pruning saw for the big hard to reach cuts.
• Hygiene, hygiene, hygiene. Clean tools with a squirt of metho each time you move to another rose.
• Use gloves (that almost goes without saying if I wasn't being marked on it!)

John shows us how its done on a climbing rose.

Later back in the RTBG mixed border section we get to prune a different variety of types of roses. First we look at some hybrid teas edging the bed near the fuchsia house. Here I really feel I am starting to get the hang of what to look for now and tcheck with Jerry as I go, who agrees on each of my cut choices. After this we walk to the other side of the Eardley-Wilmot wall to run through pruning of climbing roses. Cut choices will differ a bit with climbers and you really need to have in mind what you are doing in stages each year. Weighting down branches with soft ties will send of lots of vertical shoots that helps to cove the wall. John talks us through a prune and I'm pleased to see that I would have made similar choices if i was doing it. maybe I am getting the hang of this now! Maybe I just have the right personality for it - a bit ruthless and ! :)


'Before' - David talks us through tackling a particularly prickly shrub rose.

 Back in the mixed border to tackle some large old fashioned shrub roses. These are the older species roses that have a different habit and growth to the modern shrub roses. Old Fashioned roses are very hardy and can cope with the even the most challenging of conditions. Some of the old fashioned roses only flower once in spring and put on heaps of growth in one season. regular pruning will mean lots of healthy growth and abundant flowers up to 1.5m.

'After' - You can see here the open centred vase shape
and reduction in overall height and volume.

Later everyone gets stuck into the rest of the shrub roses and climbers on frames - literally nothing is safe and the sound of secateurs snipping and loppers chopping creates a winter chorus throughout the mixed border. Much fun and hopefully not too many dodgy cuts is had by all.

How many pruners does it take to spoil the bush I wonder?

The next week I convince my lovely close friend who has 18 or so roses in her front garden and an intermittant case of carpel tunnel that I am definitely the girl for getting onto her winter pruning. She is thrilled and so am I, as I really get to practice and refine my skills while it is fresh in my head. I work my way through plenty of carpet roses to be cut off at the ground (not a huge fan of these now to be honest! very prickly and stubborn!) Then onto some modern hybrid teas, smaller floribundas and a couple of miniatures dotted throughout the beds. Lastly 3 huge shrub roses that are enormous and have such thick strong growth that I mainly use the pruning saw. I've seen these stunning blooms in summer and they are gorgeous. My friend informs me they are cuttings from old roses in the garden at the historic 'Prospect House' in Richmond where she used to work.

All cut back.

Also worth mentioning because it was so good......I stole the RTBG idea of using a large square of shade cloth spread on the lawn next to the bed to throw all the cuttings onto. Shade cloth is perfect for this because the thorny prunings stick into it just enough to stop bits falling out whilst you lug it to the burning heap.

Rust?

After 7 big loads and 5 hrs later I am one happy girl covered in cuts and jabs - rose pruning should be classified as a blood sport! When my friend returns from work she is extremely happy and thankful so that's great. Only of her large shrub roses was a little unhappy, with the leaves covered in rust and the stems darkly mottled right down to the base. I decide to document this and look up possible causes and treatment at a later date to get back to my friend on how we can manage it. Good for my Pests & Diseases unit!

treating pests and diseases - wk 13

Today is Pest, Diseases and Disorders day with Laurie Miller.

Laurie examining some of our many 'finds'.

After a thorough session of scribbling notes about the ins and outs of thorax's and rasping mouthparts and too many other insecty details to list here......Laurie seperates us into groups and we attack our first test of the day. Think of as many pests as we can and classify them in their correct orders. This is a fun! and out of our 26 undesirables (glad to have Josie on our team who seems to know all the insects almost in person!) we only get one wrong. The ole White Fly is not of the Diptera but the Hemiptera order. Ahh....a trap for young players!

Our collection of bugs and bits.

Next on the list is to break into groups and go out exploring for pests and all manner of problems to bring back with us. Our group heads into the veggie patch to bring back a massive haul of bugs and scabby bits to display on the found table back at the pod.

This particular leaf is holding a least three different types of bugs! Nice!

Marcus cracks out the magnifying glasses and we check them out up close. It's AMAZING the world we don't really see or even take notice of going on right under our noses.

Laurie is impressed at our different hauls and we start to look at some of the finds in detail. The first is a sprig of green weed called 'Pettyspurge' that is a host to plenty of white fly. It is also known to carry Chrysanthemum rust.

The next is a fern frond (above) which Laurie surmises is suffering from a form of bacterial disease that starts where the water pools on the leaf and spreads from there.

Botrytis

Next up is an unhappy Tuberous begonia that is suffering from grey mould or Botrytis. This is a fungal disease caused by the fungus 'Ascomycetes'. It appears just as it sounds with a soft furry grey covering over the effected area. It can also affect strawberries and cut flowers.

Powdery Mildew 

Aphid infestation

After many more discussions and identifications like the ones above, we call it a day and leave class with a lot more know how than we arrived with!