Gardening Tips

Hi Annette thanks for your question.  Majestic palms are quite heavy feeders so liquid formulations would struggle to get traction, in other words they are not going to do much. I would recommend using a granulated fertiliser or alternatively a controlled release plant food.  

As palms are grown for foliage rather than flower I would recommend you use a lawn fertiliser or a good quality general purpose plant food in either of the forms I have mentioned.  A third option is blood and bone.  

I expect you will see some dramatic changes to these palms once they are on a growth diet. 

Hi Barbara macadamia is famous for being an alternate bearer, meaning that it regularly produces a big crop one year followed by a light crop the second. Often the lighter year yields less than half the good year.  There are not too many things you can do to alter this habit. Macadamia is a member of the protea family and in common with many of the banksia, grevillea and hakea in this group, resents high levels of phosphate. My suggestion is to keep up the feeding but to use a fertiliser like Baileys controlled release Australian Native Plant Food.

Hi Romolo If you experienced frosts these could have led to the burning you describe.  Another possibility is that you may have over fertilised at a time that the tree was not in growth.  Mango is a true tropical and root growth doesn't usually start until we get sustained warm weather which in Perth usually means October.  I would suggest giving the tree lots of water and a root tonic such as Seasol to help it recover.  I wouldn't fertilise again until you see new growth coming through.  Then the idea is to give the tree a small feed every month through to April.

Steve the best approach is to mow your lawn and then apply fertiliser.  This way you don't loose a portion of the fertiliser in the clippings, which of course is a waste. Baileys 3.1.1. Plus lawn food comes as a micro granule which means it quickly makes its way through the grass to sit at ground level where the blades of a mower can't get to it. 

Hi Dennis the golden shower is a tropical tree that does pretty much the whole years growing in a few weeks, immediately after flowering in early summer.  The time is right to fertilise and I would recommend Baileys Energy Garden.  Try to pick a cooler day where the forecast is for a run of two or three cool days.  Feeding during the heatwave we have just experienced is not good for the tree.  
Good luck; you are blessed with one of the most spectacular flowering plants in the world.

Hi Mrs Gibbs most palms come from warm to hot climates and for this reason it's best to plant any season other than winter as they are slow to get going.  In Perth our winters are fairly mild so you can still get away with winter planting if you don't have an alternative.  The limiting factor with Warnbro is the closeness to the beach and the limey soils and bore water.  So queen or Cocos palms for example will grow well for a few years and then start to yellow off or even turn brown as the alkaline conditions hit them.  You have asked for suggestions of self cleanings palms. I would recommend kentia, Bangalow, Alexandra, foxtail, majestic, golden cane and flame thrower (Chambeyronia) palms. Some of these will need shade and protection when young. I would suggest going a bit overboard with soil conditioners to get your palm moving rapidly.  So a bag of Baileys Soil Improver Plus per plant is a good starting point. 

Majestic palm Ravenalla rivularis

Essentially if the tree is missing out on nutrients it can lower the quality and sweetness of the fruit. Ensuring that potassium levels are adequate can influence flavour and sweetness. You can sprinkle sulphate of potash around the base of the tree once a month from December to June. I think the main thing you can do is to leave the fruit on the tree to mature. Citrus don't get any sweeter off the the tree. Valencia oranges will hang on for many months and the sugar content increases even if the skin starts to turn green again.

It is possible that you have a sour type of orange such as Seville or a orange skinned lime. In both of these cases there is nothing that can be done. Genetics has dictated that the fruit will always be lip puckeringly tart. 

Dahlias are best planted in spring after the danger of frost is over. Zinnia is a heat loving plant and can be grown from seed, planted in October or seedlings planted in November.

This is a common problem particularly if you live within 4 to 5 kilometres of the coast in sandy soil.  It is likely that your soil is limey.  You can confirm this by testing the soil with a pH test kit available from garden centres.  I like to recommend applying sulphate of iron at the rate of 30 grams per square metre and then watering in. Be careful around paving as this material can stain.  Reapply every month, as it will take some time to get things working.  You can still apply Baileys Rose and Citrus fertilisers every couple of months during the warmer months. 

A citrus tree of this age should be actively prevented from producing fruit as you need to concentrate all the trees energy into growth.  If the leaves are closing up this is usually in response to environmental factors such as cold or drying winds. If on the other hand the leaves have distorted edges this can be a response to wind abrasion, where the young foliage is rubbed against thorns or branches.  You normally find these leaf problems disappear as the tree gets into rapid summer growth. Citrus leaf miner can also cause leaf distortion but you can usually distinguish their work by a silvery squiggle in the surface of the affected leaf.  A small amount of foliage loss is natural as the tree sheds old leaves that are being replaced by new ones. However if a noticeable proportion of leaves are dropping it is not a good sign. Drying out of the soil will show up in the form of leaf shedding as will too much fertiliser at one time.  Watering needs to be watched carefully for containerised plants as the potting mix can dry out much faster than if the same plant was growing in garden. Rather than feed potted citrus trees twice a year, it is safer and better for the plant to apply a slow release fertiliser in spring that will continuously promote growth through 6 to 9 months.

The beautiful Cassia fistula tree is a most spectacular sight when it is in flower. However just before it blooms it can look dishevelled as leaves brown and then drop. Don't worry  this is quite natural and the golden shower, along with many other tropicals, can be regarded as deciduous.  Custard apple, bauhinia (butterfly trees) and jacaranda usually drop their leaves before flowering. So Paddy with a little bit of luck this problem may be a sign that your young tree is about to reward you with its first flower show.

This one is different from the commonly called African daisy although it does come from that continent and is a daisy.  Its common name is Aurora Daisy and this is a more prostrate plant.

Yes the Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) will grow well here; it is commonly sold as a groundcover. There are a number of forms including a purple foliage type. This eastern states native will probably require occasional summer watering here in sandy soils, however, it is far more drought tolerant than most lawn grasses.

This plant makes an awesome lawn but a terrible enemy in garden beds.  Pulling it out is the equivalent of mowing the grass just gets into top gear and grows away like a mad thing.  Zero, Roundup and Glypho all have the same base ingredient and all can be very successful.  It is important to apply when the plant is in active growth.  This might mean waiting a few weeks till spring arrives and the warm weather gets the weed on the move.  Apply on a dry day, as the spray needs to dry out on the foliage of the weed in order to work.  It can take up to a fortnight for the weeds to turn yellow and begin to die.  I would always recommend following up with a second spray if any green foliage can be seen after the two weeks.  

Couch can also be killed off by smothering.  You can use plastic sheeting just laid over the grass and held in position by bricks for example.  Another method is strip mulching. Here totally sopping wet newspaper about 6 to 10 pages thick is laid over the weeds and carefully overlapped so there is no possibility of light getting through.  Then mulch is laid on top to keep the paper in position and preventing it from drying out and blowing away.  

Snails and slugs are on the move now that we have some rain.  Also caterpillars are stalking the sweet smelling vegetables.  One of the most effective non spray methods is to put gloves on and visit your garden at night.  A torch will reveal what’s moving under the cover of darkness.  Hand pick and freeze in a plastic bag.

Watch out for snails and slugs in cooler months.

If the courtyard is shaded I would recommend a weeping Japanese maple. This is an exquisite foliage feature plant particularly through autumn when it colours spectacularly. However if the area is open to full sun for most of the day I would suggest a weeping mulberry it's a real toughie. 

This rose is typical of a number of old world varieties which only flower once per year during late spring. If you prune it back hard in winter you cut off flowering buds. It is best to do your cutting immediately after the flowering finishes.  

The secret, if I can call it that, is to keep the seed constantly moist. It helps if you can obtain the seed with the green husk or fruit still attached. You can plant the seed, husk included, into seed raising mix or directly into soil where you would like the tree to grow. Macadamia nuts on the tree.

Straight after you've had your daily steroid shot.  Only joking.  Strelitzia are pretty tough old birds and can be moved any season.  Be warned however, they posses a very large carrot-like root system and you are in for a big effort.  

Yes you can use these leaves in your compost system and they will break down to make a nutritious brew for your garden.  These will break down even faster if you can chop them up using a rotary lawn mower.

I too am worried for your septic tank.  It is not good practice to plant any tree this close as all will see the free supply of water and fertiliser as a heaven sent opportunity to grow and invade and grow and grow. I would suggest cutting it down and even grinding the stump as this is a difficult tree to kill off.

This can be as a result of a spontaneous mutation giving rise to a branch that flowers in a way that is different to the parent.  Nurseries capitalize on this ability as a way to get new cultivars.  Some varieties are prone to this problem with Mrs George Davis having produced a deeper pink (Sabrina) and a cream double flowering form.  You can propagate cuttings of this odd branch and continue the trait in the new plant.  Of course the flowers of hibiscus mutabilis sometimes called "rose of Sharon" naturally change it's flower colours through white to pink. 

Correcting a soils pH value should be determined by a soil test. It is important to get an understanding of your soil so you can choose the right plants for your soil type and also ensure your plants can grow in optimum soil conditions. A soils pH value will directly affect nutrient availability. Most plant varieties will thrive best in a pH of between 6 and 7 however certain plants will prefer either acidic or alkaline soils. The three major nutrients required for plant growth nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are mostly available between these ranges. If you have low pH (below 7) your soil is considered to be acidic.  The most common and cost effective material used to correct low pH is ground limestone. Generally the finer the limestone the more effective. You can use either calcitic or dolomite lime. Calcitic lime only adds calcium to the soil whilstdolomite adds both calcium and magnesium. In situations where magnesium is deficient in the soil dolomite is the preferred option. Raising pH is a slow process so gradual adjustments is best.

All fertilisers sold in Perth need to comply with low limits in terms of their phosphate levels.  My suggestion is to go one step further and choose a phosphate free lawn food. Baileys Brilliance is such a fertiliser and it has been formulated to work brilliantly in Perth’s sandy soils.

Two main causes of poor flower formation are shade and old age (of the plants of course). If the plant is getting woody and unproductive you can try the hard pruning, "kill or cure" technique.  The best way to overcome the need for this drastic step is to lightly trim the plant after flowering, every year.  Light trimming I hasten to add, means clipping about 1 quarter of the growth from the bush.

The soils in your area are already very alkaline (limey). The use of chook poo will tend to further raise alkalinity. It is possible that the bore water could also contribute to the effect.  As soils become more alkaline they tend to lock up supplies of a minor plant nutrient, iron.  The effect of iron deficiencies in palms is seen as yellow foliage.   Another minor element, manganese can be similarly affected. This deficiency is reflected in the new leaves being brown and withered. Frizzy top is the name given to this problem.  I would recommend  a combination of monthly applications of sulphate of iron and a trace element mixture. 

It is important that you follow the directions on the packs. In addition I would suggest that you move away from chook poo and instead mulch with a quality mulching compost.  Lastly it would be worth checking the bore water pH which can be done at your local pool shop.  If it is above 8 on the scale that goes to a maximum of 14 you may need to modify the way you water you palms by applying scheme water only.

Soil pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Soil pH is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. If your soil has a pH value of less than 7 then you have acidic soil. On the other hand if your soil has a pH value of greater than 7 then you have alkaline soil. A pH value of 7 is neutral, meaning you have neither acidic nor alkaline soil.

Knowing the pH value of your soil before planting is very important as it has a direct influence on the health of the plant. Each plant has its own recommended soil pH value range. The reason for this is that soil pH affects the availability of nutrients within the soil and plants have different nutrient needs. For example the nutrient nitrogen, a very important plant nutrient, is readily available in soil when the pH value is above 5.5. Similarly the nutrient phosphorous is available when the pH value is between 6 and 7. If a plant is placed into the wrong kind of soil it will be lacking in nutrients that it needs which will promote disease. In general the best pH value range for soil is approximately 6 or 7 as this is the range in which most nutrients can be readily available.

I suggest that the plant needs feeding with a low phosphate fertiliser such as Bailey's controlled release  "Australian Native Plant Food". It is likely that your soils are fairly alkaline also and a thick surface layer of 'Moisture Mulch' would be beneficial.

Few plants are comfortable when they are unable to put their roots down. These tree dwelling ferns like a moist but well drained situation, with shade. They are easily overfed, a sign of this is a brown edge to the fronds.  The small tan flecks on the camellia leaves are a scale insect. Some varieties are more susceptible than others. I would recommend treating with “Confidor” pills to control this pest.

I suspect that the soil in the pot may have dried out at some time and then as is often the case with potting mix it has become water repellent.  I would recommend an application of Baileys Grosorb wetting agent to improve the wettability of your mix.

The real question is it practical for you.  It is possible to choose plants that would work well in a Perth garden that could be shaped into hedges and shaped various designs.  There is quite a deal of time initially and then as the plants mature the workload tends to reduce.  I have attached a picture of the topiary garden at the Hunter Valley garden in NSW to inspire you.

First up it’s more important to look at the potting mix as this should contain enough fertiliser to get your young lemon off to a good start.  Baileys Premium Potting Mix is among the best in the West.  Approach feeding with a fair bit of care as it is easy to overdo it at the early stage.  I would wait for a month after planting before applying half a cupful of Pots and Flowers Plant Food a controlled release type.  I would follow up every three months.  

Potted water chestnuts can be placed in a bucket or a trough. As long as the soil is 2 to 3 cm below the permanent water level the plant will grow and produce those lovely, crisp, crunchy treats for autumn harvesting.

I suppose that you would call the sacred bamboo a benign sucker producer, as it does not become invasive like some of its namesakes. It is better described as a clump forming plant. I have seen ten-year-old plants that have not spread beyond a metre. 

Hydrophobic soils are a result of organic compounds forming a wax like coating over the soil particles. It is a common condition in Australia, where water does not infiltrate the soil after rainfall or irrigation. This condition occurs naturally in sandy soils with low organic matter but can also be found in clay soils where these organic compounds cling to the finer clay particles. Hydrophobic conditions are also common in soils which are regularly tilled and as gardens and lawns become more established. Similarly garden pots, planters and hanging baskets are affected. When soil becomes water repellent it can cause issues such as run - off, erosion, loss of nutrients and reduced plant growth.

In turf it is common to notice dry or dead patches particularly in warmer conditions. Other notable symptoms are water pooling on the surface during watering or, when watering gardens on hills or slopes, water running off the surface.
Using a wetting agent such as Baileys Grosorb will overcome these conditions. Grosorb is designed to assist water absorption, retention and movement through the soil. 

Use Baileys Grosorb to overcome hydrophobic conditions.

Firstly avoid repotting unless the plant has totally crowded out the pot with the thick back bulbs.  Light is the critical ingredient in flowering.  This means that particularly in the following Autumn you try to give the plant as much indirect light as possible.  Feeding can have a big effect too so aim to use a good growth formula straight after flowering then avoid feeding from mid summer.  I like to go with slow release fertilisers and you would find that Baileys Pots and Flower Plant Food which comes in small tubs would be terrific.

The correct answer is no as they hail from South Africa. However these glorious flowering shrubs are so closely related to many Australian plants including Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea and even the Macadamia nut.  One feature they share is a revolutionary root system that allows them to grow in phosphate poor soils. This makes them susceptible to too much phosphate and many of the deaths we see in the family is as a result of applying ordinary fertilisers with what for the Protea family is a toxic overdose.  Use a low Phosphate fertiliser such as Baileys Slow release Native Plant Food for all this family.

Artichoke is a member of the thistle family and the flower is a knockout brilliant blue beauty.  However if you leave the bud to mature and open as a flower you have missed the edible bud stage. the unopened flower buds are harvested in the winter and early spring and prepared in a number of ways to produce a truly epicurean vegetable  and I love them.  Go to the web for a wide range of recipes.  Grow young plants from seedlings or side shoots harvested from older plants in early summer.  This perennial grows slowly through summer into a 1.5 metre high stunning fountain of silver foliage.  Flower buds which can be green or burgundy purple in colour form in the cooler months.  When they are looking fat its time to harvest.

This ornamental cabbage is actually very edible and makes a great splash of colour in any salad mix particularly coleslaw. Guess what its very good for you too like all members of the family.

These deciduous shrubs are best tackled in mid winter.  By looking at individual stems its pretty easy to see which ones flowered last season as they usually have old and disintegrating blooms sitting at the top of the stem.  These stems need to be pruned hard which means almost to the ground.  Make your cut above a pair of buds.  Stems that didn't flower last year need to be left fairly long so aim to cut back just a couple of buds from the top.  While you will finish up with a bit of a hedgehog with different lengths of stem this maximizes your potential for flowering in early summer.

There is a range of aquatic plants that grow with their roots in water or in boggy locations that are capable of taking out both pollution and excess nutrients from home garden ponds.  If you have a recirculating submersible pump and can direct the flow of water into a small spill pond or saucer before it overflows into the main pond then you are on the way.  Plant something like Lebanese cress, water cress, water morning glory or club rush into the spill and as the water passes through the plants take nutrients out through their roots.  These roots grow rapidly and this means they are able to extract more as they age.  This approach works well with gold fish and Coi Carp.  Lebanese Cress

This fruit is a cross between a grapefruit and a mandarine and the flavor is somewhere in between some varieties being fairly acid while other sweet.  The skin is loose and spectacularly coloured the brightest of orange.  And these fruits are so juicy you have to exercise great care or you'll finish up with orange sticky fluid all over your clothes as they almost explode when you eat them.  These are a great home garden fruit but experiment with different varieties to find the fruit you like best before choosing them at the garden centre.

Yes the tiny tip growth of a camellia is harvested to be processed into tea.  Its possible to grow your own in Perth if you can get hold of the plants usually from camellia specialist nurseries.  The pink flowering variety shown is a special form I found in a nursery a couple of years back.  It makes an ornamental addition to the winter garden as it flowers for a number of the cooler months.  

I would suggest filling the beds with a good quality vegetable mix from your local soil yard.  You will need 1.4 cubic metres to fill to the top.  This equates to two trailer loads.  I would sprinkle about a quarter of a cupful of Energy Garden on top and water in before planting seed or seedlings.  You have chosen the best time to get a vegetable garden started as winter rains will keep the plants growing almost on autopilot.

Baileys produce a winter specific lawn food called 4.1.1 and this is the ideal choice.  It was developed to help turf stay green in the cool months when the tendency is for it to go yellow or even brown as growth slows in response to low temperatures.  Apply 30 grams about a third of a cupful per square metre and water in immediately.

From your neighbour's comments it sounds like your bore water is limey meaning it has a high pH.  Have a look at my notes on the secrets of gardening this month where I talk about the problems of limey soil.  The solutions are the same; adding powdered sulphur to the soil at regular times such as monthly.  Another option is to grow the acid loving azaleas, gardenias and camellias in pots where they can be watered with scheme water instead.  To make this more convenient you can now get some nifty battery operated tap mounted timers that automate the watering for you.

High salt levels in your water can also affect these plants and many others as well.  Common symptoms are scorched leaf edges.  The first line of attack with salty water is to direct the flow of water off foliage and down to the  soil.  It would be worth checking your water at your local pool shop to give you the pH and the level of dissolved salts.  The ideal pH result is between 6 and 7.5 and the ideal level of salt is under 4000 parts per million. 

Specific sprays for both weeds are available through garden centres and early winter is the best time to apply before the plants mature.

Early Winter is the best time to rid your lawn of Bindii.

Newspaper is not a really suitable option here as it can interfere with drainage. I reckon the best filler at next to no cost is sand from your garden.  Fill up beds to within 30cm of the top.  Next get a good veggie mix from your local soil yard to top up the beds.  Mix in some blood and bone and your ready to plant. 

The ideal time for Perth gardeners is July as temperatures are at the lowest for the year and you should see signs that the leaves are beginning to turn yellow and drop.

Wait till July to prune your roses.

Yes cool season vegetables are growing at full bore so these need to be kept moving.  Baileys Energy Garden is an organic based all-purpose fertiliser which can be applied right through the patch.

Use Energy Garden on your cooler season vegetables.

Winter doesn’t have to be dull there are lots of vibrant flower seedlings to plant out now for a great show of blooms through winter and early spring. Some of my favourites include Cineraria, Viola, Pansy, Stocks, Lobelia and Calendula.

Calendula can add colour to your winter garden.

Pretty much every member of the cabbage family including broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage as well as all the other oriental brassicas- Kai lan, Pak Choy and Semposai for example.  All of the onion tribe including garlic and leeks.  All root vegetables including carrots, Swede, turnip, radish and potatoes though these are actually tubers.  I am planting celery as well as sweet fennel at my place.  

It’s also a terrific time to plant out perennial edibles such as strawberry, asparagus crowns and rhubarb sets.

Start planting leeks for winter.

Cyclamen are alpine plants and like cool conditions so bung them out onto a cold patio overnight.  Most indoor plants come from tropical regions and don’t like dry air, which is often found in our homes as a result of using radiator heating.

You may need to replace this lost moisture by syringing foliage or placing dishes of water among your houseplants.