The reason for this New Section

Hi Nathan
Thanks for this new section Fran had a good idea and you certainly acted upon it quickly.
Tina

 

Great idea!

I'll be watching this bit with great interest as the months fill up.
Maybe eventually add some piccies of my own. :D

 

Hi. We have had our garden for a while, but year in and year out as we have tried to do something with it, family matters have taken over. As a result we have a hard ground garden, with small remnats of attempts at lawn, one tree, a propensity for weeds and nettles, and encroaching ivy from next door. We cut the ivy back - repeatedly. We plan to hire a rotivator and to completely break up the ground. But the hosepipe ban sounds like the death knell for a new lawn. We do not have lot of money to spend, but I want to have a garden to enjoy. Due to arthritis, the amount of physical work is limited. Can anyone advise please? I love country type gardens and plants, want space to sit in, and to grow at least my own herbs

 

Moden be careful if you are planning to use a rotivator especially if you have perennial weeds like nettles breaking up the ground and roots will give you an explosion of weeds every bit of root left in will grow, you're probably better off clearing all the pernicious weeds with a systemic weed killer first

 

can anyone tell me if pansies which grow on year after year will remain suitable to use again and again? They look so good and also my violas do very well and remain for years. One of the gardening books I have been reading says that the plants should be destroyed at the end of each season and replaced with new bedding plants.

 

re weed clearance, i have had some success with perniscious weeds using a cocktail of w/killer ..... but i remove the plants and shake all soil off and remove any weed roots, then i hit the border with sodium chlorate at half rate, followed by a mix of glycophosphate at double strength plus standard strength SBK,a dose of weedol, and a splash of armillotox to aid wetting, with this lot, the weeds can then die and be burnt with a flame wand! it also help with marestail and other waxy weeds if you can slash/bruise them first ..... i am really talking infestation here ...... and if in i had to do this at the beginning of the year i would sacrifice the border and plant up with potatoes ........ or any green maure, i don't fancy eating any of the produce tho!

 

Hi Nathan,

May I suggest a section for organic gardening?
I am sure some people are very experienced in this area too. I am guessing some people feel as strongly as I do about growing organically and avoiding chemical use?

 

Please note that I was not meaning to criticise those that do use chemicals, just I personally prefer not to.

 

not sure how all this works add reply preview post new topic post reply just do not know which button to press all I want to do is ask a question which is DO PLANTS GROW TOWARDS THE LIGHT this is a serious question as new eyes see different things can any one answer this for me please.
jack tar

 

Hi Jack, I can't really answer your question but I can help you with posting one. Go to forum home and pick a topic that your question fits into in this case general gardening discussion would probably fit. At the bottom of the page click on new topic, type in your question and click post. This will make it easier to find and for others who do know the answer to reply. Hope this helps and welcome to the site

 

MOST do, and even if you plant a bulb upside down the plant will grow up to the light. Phototropism!

Most plants do this, and have postive phototropism, but some of negative p - and grow away from it.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototropism

 

I know I'm being a bit picky dendy and you can tell me to shut up if you like, but how does the shoot know where the light is when its underground?
I see in your link they talk of GRAVITROPISM, I'm sure that was geotropism when I was at school, the roots were geotropic and the shoot was anti-geotropic or some such thing.
Once it breaks the surface phototropism comes in.
Long time ago that. So it could be garbled rubbish. :D

 

Dunno! :D You'll have to google for it!

I do a good line in garble too..... I think I understand when I hear about things, or read about them, then when I go to explain it, it turns into rubbish..... I'm no scientist! Sorry, but it's a fact.

I do try, but I'm not built that way, and it's hard work to learn things like this. I'm not a lot of use about machinery either - so long as it works, that's fine, but any problems, then I'm stuck!

But if you want me to translate something from German or French, dig or weed a garden and prune things, even design one for you and build it, or knit or crochet anything - no probs!!

Isn't it good to know your limits! :D