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| Welcome to Ronaash Gardening Questions, Answers and Hints Page |
The concept behind this section is to post a variety of common gardening problems, experiences and joys and to propose solutions where feasible as well as to learn from the experience of others. You are invited to send your comments through the Contact Us button and we will post them on the page and endeavour to answer them. (No names or addresses will be published)
Whilst all gardening questions are accepted, it must be recognised that answers can only be given from our experiences and are by no means to be considered as authorative.
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Do you have a problem with these cute, cuddly destructive nuisances?
Rabbits are a hot topic of conversation at the moment and one lady, at a recent show, told me that in the space of four days she lost all her flower buds, each one looking as if it had been carefully nipped by a pair of secatuers. All she was left with was peonies, roses and irises and the next day she saw the deer moving in on the irises! This lady had come looking for a solution to her problem as she was quite prepared to share her property with the rabbits and deer if they will only leave her flowers alone! Once she got going there were so many other tales of bunny fun that I could not resist introducing another Ronaash Product – Grazers.
This is a systemic spray which is calcium based and when sprayed onto the plants to be protected is ingested by the plant and voila the bunnies do not like the taste from that “bakery” and so they move off to greener pastures. The good thing about Grazers is that it also regenerates plant growth where it has been damaged, because it is calcium based and it is non-toxic and completely safe to spray on vegetables, plants, fruit trees.
The general feeling was that rabbits are very cute, but a year’s worth of produce disappearing almost overnight is too high a price to pay for any gardener and so it is really important to keep them out and away from the sumptuous spread so enticingly set out for them.
If you would like to send in any questions or hints on this topic or any other topics of interest please do so by going to Contact us and we will post your item on this page.
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| Slug it or Slog it! |
One Friday in June I spent a very happy, albeit busy, day at Gardening Scotland – one of the many ongoing garden shows of the summer season.
I don’t know if slugs are all the rage (literally in some cases!) in Edinburgh (as well as elsewhere) at the moment, but it certainly seemed to be a hot topic of conversation and everyone was feeling the same frustration of having tried everything from pellets to mats, to beer, to salt, to picking up and throwing over the wall into the neighbour’s yard, but still with little or no improvement.
Never being one to miss an opportunity to be able to explain the benefits of a Ronaash product, I entered into the discussions eagerly and was surprised to discover that very few of the people I was talking to realised that the slugs they saw on the surface of the soil only represented 10% of the actual slug population living in that area below the soil. Slugs essentially spend a great part of their time underground (that is where they breed) and as they do not have a shell like snails, they do not like to be exposed to sunlight (dry out very quickly).
This of course explains the limited effectiveness of any anti-slug programme that targets the beastie above ground.
So the solution is found in a product which tackles the problem at its root – below the ground. Nemaslug does exactly this by the use of nematodes which are mixed with water and watered onto the area to be treated. These nematodes are millions of microscopic worms which are natural predators of the slug. These microscopic worms are naturally occurring in all soils, but when Nemaslug is used the natural numbers are increased by 12 million. These nematodes then infest the body of the slugs, reproduce in the slug and so the slug problem is tackled quietly and very naturally below the soil surface. Gradually over a period of 6 weeks the nematodes die back to their natural numbers.
This is the only way that you will be able to get at least 6 weeks of slug free plant growth without 6 weeks of hard slog!
If you would like to send in any questions or hints on this topic or any other topic of interest please do so by going to Contact us and we will post your item on this page.
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| Put an end to Floppy Trays |
In BBC Gardeners World (March 2007, Letters p114) George has put an end to seed-tray moving frustration. He has got tired of sagging cellular seed trays which sag more when moved and has made a wooden fork which he inserts between the cells to support them. Very ingenious if you are a handyman! (He was the £100 winner that month).
But not everyone is a born handyman. Luckily, for the rest of us, is the Rootrainer. Its rigid seed tray supports 32 cells and makes it easy to carry anywhere without any sagging or damage to the plants. And if you are as unhandy as me, then it also avoids any potential accident that might result from sticking of the piece of wood into the cell of a plant!
If you would like to send in any questions or hints on this topic or any other topicc please do so by going to Contact us and we will post your item on this page.
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| Vine Weevils |
The vine weevil is definitely not a fussy eater as it attacks almost any plant, although it does prefer those grown in containers (probably because it is easier to move through the lovely compost we use rather than garden soil!).
I have found that they are more of a problem to perennial plants and plants with fleshy roots or tuber than they are to annuals. Of course they do love my rhododendrons, fuschias, cyclamens, hydrangeas and even my beautiful strawberries!
These pests seem to be very active in Scotland at present. The adult beetle emerges between March and May, but it seems with the warmer weather we have been having that this has happened earlier and it then lays its eggs in the soil close to a host plant. These eggs are invisible to the naked eye. The creamy ginger-brown headed grubs hatch in the late summer and feed on roots and tubers and then pupate and overwinter in this state.
There are organic alternatives, as well as chemical, to get rid of these pests but nothing really seems to eliminate them for good. One lady says she goes out every night and picks them off the plants and puts them in a large glass bottle which she empties into the toilet and flushes away when she comes in! I am not sure if this will kill them or just send them swimming off elsewhere!
The best solution I have so far found is to use the Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer which at least keeps them at bay for 6 weeks or more at a time.
If you would like to send in any questions or hints on this topic or any other topics of interest please do so by going to Contact us and we will post your item on this page.
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| Willow Wonder |
I was amazed to read in BBC Gardeners World (April 2007, p10) that I have been wasting my money on rooting hormone for so long when there is a free option for me at the bottom of my garden. Cuttings can be boosted by dipping them into a solution made by soaking young willow stems in water for 24 hours. (Willow contains rhizocaline which seeps into the water and creates a natural root stimulant)
All I now have to do is dip the cutting into the solution before I set it into the compost in my Rootrainer tray. Couldn’t be easier and doesn’t cost a penny!
If you would like to send in any questions or hints on this topic or any other topics of interest please do so by going to Contact us and we will post your item on this page.
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| New Zealand Flatworm |
This is an ugly beastie which is very active in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but is also found all over the UK. It was originally spotted in Northern Ireland in 1963 and probably came in in the rootball of a plant. The Australian Flatworm is a cousin this species and was first sighted in the Scilly Isles, it seems to be spreading northwards, but is not as virulent as its New Zealand cousin.
They have flat, purple-brown bodies with buff-coloured undersides and edges, pointed at both ends and covered with a sticky slime. When resting they are about 1cm wide by 6cm long,and they extend to about 12cm when they move, but become narrower. They are usually found coiled up encased with slime, under pots, stones, wood or pieces of plastic, where the surface is damp - not crawling about unless disturbed when they head for cover.
The main diet of this worm is earthworms and it greatly reduces the earthworm population, sometimes to below detectable levels. When feeding they lie on top of the earthworm, using their sticky mucous to hold on, while excreting digestive enzymes which liquidise the worm. They then absorb the resultant soup!
They either wait for the earthworms to surface or follow their borrows and other channels in the soil. Species of earthworm which stay near to the surface would appear to be more at risk, but studies have shown that the flatworms prefer the larger species which live deeper down.
Once the food supply decreases they shrink in size and can survive in this state for one or two years until the earthworms return.
New Zealand Flatworms are a great threat to soil conditions and also to the wildlife which feed on earthworms, and every means should be taken to prevent their spread and eradicate them if possible.
There are no approved chemical controls, but Ground and Rove beetle adults and larve are known to prey on the adults.
It has been reported that the maggot of a Tasmanian gnat parasitises the flatworm. They could be a solution to the problem , but much more research is needed to prove that we won't be overrun by gnats instead!
Birds take them as well, but because of their habitat they are rarely exposed to them. The earthworm population can be improved by adding lots of organic matter.
It is possible to trap the flatworms by laying sheets of black polythene, or placing bin-bags of compost around and collecting any which congregate underneath. Great care must be taken as they can be moved to another site accidentally if they cling to a bag or plant pot - farmers are moving them around on the large polythene-wrapped silage bales!
Chopping them up may not be enough to kill them as small pieces do crawl away. So it is best to grind them up between two stones, add to very salty or boiling water, or burn them - better still, all three recourses will make sure they don’t spread. Beware some people react badly to the mucous of the flatworm so wear gloves when handling them.
If you find one of these flatworms, scientists are studying their distribution and may be interested in it. Information of where and how to send the flatworm can be found at the Central Science Laboratory information page.
If you would like to send in any questions or hints on this topic or any other topics of interest please do so by going to Contact us and we will post your item on this page.
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| Our New Creation - Container Junkies |
This is just a bit of light hearted writing, but it does make one think that maybe we are not using the good earth for its intended purpose. I certainly do not advocate getting rid of all pots and trays as they do serve a good purpose used correctly.
Walking around my garden yesterday I was counting up the number of pots and containers that I have accumulated with a wide variety of plants growing in them - totalling the princely sum of 45. As I walked around I pulled some weeds out of various pots, pushed a couple of stakes into pots where the plants needed support and were bending over with the weight of the blooms. Mentally I noted where some aphids were setting up house, so that I could get the soapy water spray out to douse them. On most of the containers the silvery trails of the snail were evident and wherever seen I picked the nasties up and sent them packing.
I finished my trail around the garden and went inside to start the tea, where my eldest and dearest was intently watching a programme on SkyTV, some sort of ER/Holby City/Casualty programme. I have an open plan kitchen and so whilst peeling the potatoes I was half watching the TV and more listening than watching.When it began to get a bit bloodthirsty for me my mind went back to the garden and what needed to be done next. Maybe I could get another visit into the garden centre this week and I could see what special offers were going to add to my collection. Some corners of the garden needed some more colour splashes and I was looking for some big colourful pots.
Tea over, the greenhouse closed for the night with all safely fed and watered I settled down for a quiet evening's viewing of the Box - Corrie followed by Taggart - an exciting evening! After the news and weather (more terrorists and more rain forecast!) I had a bath and into bed and off to the Land of Nod.
The mind is a strange thing isn't it because I went to sleep without a care in the world, no plans, no worries and yet BOOM as I drifted down into sleep I found myself in a world I recognised - my garden and as I looked around I realised that my garden was nothing but an intensive care unit. Each patient was comfortably settled in a container, seed tray, plant pot, hanging basket, trough but unless I the doctor/nurse administered the correct dosage of medicine and ensured that each pot got its quota of food and water these patients were doomed. The longer I looked the more I saw and heard and the more shocked I became because the plants were actually communicating with me and with each other and they were demanding their daily "fix" NOW! The Lobelias were whining and pleading for more plantfood, the Hydrangeas were not getting enough water and they were suffering with the shakes, the vine tomatoes needed liquid feed every second day and they had only been getting it every third day and they were snapping at each other and so it went on and on. The hostas were complaining that the slugs and snails were feasting three times a day and more on them.
My nightmare then changed and I was wandering through the biggest nursery and garden shop I had ever seen, I had a trolley that was a monstrous size and I was hungrily grabbing at every bag of compost (buy 2 get 1 free), miracle plant foods that promised to double the size of plants within a week, moisture retaining gels which kept plants watered for a week at a time, watering systems which were electronically controlled to water at required times and places, pesticides, fungicides, gardening tools, coloured pots, self watering pots of all shapes and sizes and great mounds of each were piled into the trolley with no regard to the cost at the checkout.
Standing at the checkout in a queue of equally overloaded trolleys I saw the ultimate container - ready planted up! It was filled with summer bedding plants in full flower and I had to have it, no not one but 4 at £65 each! The plants all told me how happy they were that I was going to be taking them home and I felt so proud that I had chosen such a nice bunch and they could see that I was going to provide for their every need, it was all in the trolley!
I was pulled back to reality by the pulsing of the alarm clock next to the bed and I just lay there thinking, still remembering the details I had so vividly dreamt. What have I been doing in my garden? I have created a load of junkies with all the containers I have accumulated and I have overlooked the one great miraculous substance which is available at almost no cost, does not need intensive care, merely a little kindness and nurturing self improvement. THE SOIL on which my garden stands. It does not require a cocktail of chemical additives to allow plants to reach their full potential and with the right care it can sustain plants through spells of water shortage and its only addiction is that once you have become intimately involved with it, you will not be able to resist contact again and again and newly turned over with the rain still fresh in it, it smells like nothing else - divine.
I get up with the resolution that from today I will not create another plant junkie, the pots will have to go and out will come the spade, hoe, fork and rake. I will now sow my own seeds, nurture them and plant them into the soil where they belong! Watch out soil here I come, lets get dirty together!
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