Article Published in the 'Khronicles' June 2008

Composting in the Garden.

All the recent discussions with regards the expansion of the recycling scheme into the Gouves Demos got me to thinking. Haven’t gardeners been recycling since the year dot? I refer, of course, to composting. That is the reduction of organic materials to produce useful compost for use as a soil conditioner or mulch (as opposed to a potting compost – although our home made compost could be used as an ingredient of a potting compost).

Many people shy away from composting, thinking that it is some mysterious procedure, shrouded in intrigue and superstition with old gardeners having their own secret formulae and recipes. Let us now dispel some of these myths.

The first thing to realise is that left to her own devises, Mother Nature composts every organic substance (including us) without any help from anyone. Composting is her means of converting spent materials into a food source for soils. All we are doing is concentrating the process into one area of the garden from where we can harvest the produce.

A heap in the corner of the garden will eventually compost. This, however, may take up to two years to happen so we need to speed the process up. We do this by providing the optimum conditions for composting to take place. Far from a mysterious recipe this consists of: air, moisture, carbon, nitrogen and heat.

These ingredients are controlled by the structure of the bin and the mixture that you add. Obviously commercially built bins are constructed with this in mind. A homemade bin has to be built with the aim of ensuring the entry of air into the heap and the retention of heat and moisture. Wooden bins are often built of boards with 2-3cm gaps between them.

My own bin is a cylinder of ‘weldmesh’ fencing, lined with cardboard. To help with moisture retention (and to prevent too much winter rain washing away nutrients), simply cover the bin with some old carpeting.
Site the bin on soil so that excess liquid produced in composting process can seep away and soil organisms (worms, bacteria, beetles etc.) can enter the heap to aid the process.

Two types of material are added to the bin. In an ideal world we would have enough ingredients to fill a bin in one go. In the real world, however, we produce our waste little but often so our bin gets filled in layers over a period of time. Care just needs to be taken not to add too much of one type of ingredient at a time.

Soft, green waste provides the nitrogen to our mixture. They also compost quickly, producing heat and have high moisture content. Examples of these materials are: soft hedge and lawn clippings, raked leaves, annual weeds and kitchen waste (peelings, tea bags, coffee grounds, egg shells etc). Their soft nature does, however, mean that they easily compact and form smelly anaerobic messes. A good reason for mixing them with:

Bulky ‘brown’ waste: provides the carbon for the mix. It also stops the softer waste from compacting and allows air pockets to form. Examples of these materials are: chopped or shredded woody clippings, herbivore animal bedding, straw, crumpled paper, cardboard etc. This coarser material should form between 25 and 50% of the mixture. The higher the rate, the slower the composting.

Heat is produced during composting and this encourages the process along. Indeed, in the centre of the bin the temperature may reach 70c. Hot enough to kill many weed seeds and diseases. The bin lid and sides should stop this heat escaping.

What not to add:
· Perennial weed roots – will not die and will be spread around your garden with added soil conditioner!
· Cooked foods, dairy products – will attract vermin.
· Dog or cat faeces – may contain disease bearing organisms.
· Glossy magazine paper
· Seeding weeds.
· Obviously diseased material.
It cannot be guaranteed that all of the heap will attain a high enough temperature to kill off all seeds and diseases. It is better to be safe than sorry.

If you have the time and the energy you may wish to turn your heap periodically. Although not essential it does speed the process up by exposing more of the heap to the high temperatures in the middle and by opening up any compacted pockets.

As I mentioned earlier, my bin is a simple structure to which I regularly add materials. It may, or may not, get turned. In the spring I will use the resultant, sweet smelling compost as a soil conditioner. Any material that has not composted will simply be used to start next years bin.

Article Published in the 'Khronicles' May 2008

Well, what weather we are having. As I write this column it is less than two weeks ago that the rain was pelting down and the garden was waterlogged. Now, the sun is blazing down outside and we have been suffering with the heat caused by the southerly winds. In the garden this means one thing – plants are already starting to wilt. The combination of wind and sun is just sucking the moisture out of the leaves, and anything with short roots or an un-established root system is starting to suffer.

In my garden it is the vegetables and things in pots that are at risk. If you remember, I sowed some snowball turnips and peas back in October. Well, they have both been cropping very well but are needing watering every evening to keep them going. As it is the turnips are starting to bolt (run to seed) and I don’t think I will get many more from them.

Plants in pots are always a problem in hot and windy weather. Unable to send out their roots to look for moisture they must rely on us. Please check on them at least every day and water if required.

At least I don’t have a problem with my small ornamental garden. It has been established now for over a year and the plant roots are deep enough to find water. It won’t be long though before I have to give it a weekly soak. Any of you who have recently planted plants, however, must be vigilant and keep them well watered. Also any plants that are more suited to more northerly climates will need water.

One group of plants that have not suffered in the heat are the succulents. These are a very variable group, which includes cacti and many other plants that have developed storage structures to hoard water. They are evolved to cope with dry or desert conditions. At the moment many are giving a beautiful floral display and I have noticed the Hottentot fig (Carpobrutus edulis), Trailing ice plant (Lampranthus species) and various Aloes in flower.

Article Published in the 'Khronicles' April 2008

But I Still Want a Palm Garden!

If, after reading the feature and my column last month, you would still like to grow palms then I can offer the following advice:
· If you want true palms then try to keep to the two types that are known to be resistent to the palm weevil. These are the Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta) - height upto 30metres and, the clump forming, European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) - height upto 4metres.
· Whichever palm that you choose, enquire from where you intend to buy it that a) they do not have the weevil where they are and b) their palms have undergone a regime of treatment to keep them pest free. At least this way you may be able to obtain 'clean' plants.
· Please do not buy plants from an infected area and move them into a pest free zone.
· Try to buy smallish plants that you can grow on. These will be easier for you to spray with insecticide.
· Because of the requirement to spray the plants with insecticides, please do not locate them in sensitive areas.
Not all plants that look like palms are palms.

Many of the plants that we regard as palms are not realy palms at all. Although the red palm weevil has been found on a wide range of plants it is, undoubtably, the true palms that it prefers.
Why not create that luxurious effect by useing:
· Sago palm (Cycas revoluta). Not a palm but a cycad. Although the weevil has been known to attack this plant (the larvae also go by the name of sago worm), it remains relatively small, to about 3metres, so is easy to spray.
· Sword palms. These include the Yuccas (Yucca aloifolia, Y. elephantipes etc.), and cabbage palms (Cordyline australis) which are commonly seen as garden subjects, and a couple of plants most often seen as house plants, the dragon tree (Dracaena sp.) and the pony tail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata). Obviously too many individual types to describe in this short column, but, suffice to say, a wide variety of form, size, leaf colour and even flower to chose from. Ask at your local garden shop what they recomend.
Other plants that you may wish to consider to achieve that exotic feel are the Indian shot plant (Canna indica), the bird of paradise plant (Strelizia reginae) and what about the bannana (Musa Sp.).

A word of warning - You may have read elsewhere that pheremone traps are a good control for palm weevils. Please do not be tempted to try them. They have a use in controling populations in infested palm plantations, but, if they are placed where there is little or no problem, they encourage the spread of the pests.

Article Published in the 'Khronicles' March 2008

The Red Palm Weevil
You may already have read the feature on this pest elsewhere in the paper, and some of you will have read my comments in the online edition of my December column. No apologies from me if I am getting repetitive, as this is an extremely nasty pest. Here is some advise for those of you who have palms in your own garden.

Chemicals
This is a very difficult pest to control and any control measures will have to include the use of pesticides.
Even these, however, do not guarantee success. It is very difficult to spot an infected tree before it is too infested with the bugs to save it.
It is far better to use insecticide application as part of a preventative regime. In Italy and Spain they have been successful in getting on top of the pest by using pesticides.
Because the larvae of the beetle are burrowing away inside the palm it is very difficult, even with a translocated insecticide*, to kill them all with one application. As very few applications will stay effective for more than four weeks, it is better to carry out repeat applications at one-month intervals. It is also a good idea to use different chemicals to ensure resistance does not build up in the weevil population.
I’m sorry, but if you want to grow palms, and fight the spread of this pest, organic/cultural methods are not enough.

Cultural Methods
The female weevil prefers to lay her eggs wherever the palm is damaged and/or where there is a lot of debris to help to hide her eggs. Cultural method should then aim at reducing these niches.
Palm tree heads soon collect a lot of debris so it is imperative that they are kept as clear as possible. (Whilst doing this job keep your eyes open for evidence of chewed fibres at the leaf bases or weeping, smelly sap – both indicators of the presence of the larvae).
Dead leaves should also be removed regularly. Do not, however, cut them too close to the stem. It is better to cut about 15cm away from the trunk. Spraying the open cuts with a translocated insecticide should kill any females that try to take advantage of this potential entryway into the trunk.
Whilst pruning check that the leaves do not have the tell tale bore holes running through them.

Disposal
Do not dump your prunings or dead trees in the garbage. You will only be aiding the spread of the pest. Why not call your local Dimos and see if they have organised a safe disposal method? Failing this, the recommended way to dispose of infected trees is to bury them covered with lime. Burning is another option but, because palm trunks are so damp, it is very difficult to thoroughly burn and, therefore, kill all the bugs. This picture does not show a palm being wrapped as a gift, but a badly infested tree being wrapped to reduce the risk of weevils escaping before it is removed.

So you still want to grow palms?
Next month I will give advise on what you can do if you still want to grow palm trees.

Reader’s Query
Sheila Hollins has contacted me and asked if I know of any English language books that deal with vegetable growing in this climate. In a word my answer is, unfortunately, no. Can anybody else out there help out? I am sure we all would appreciate such a book. Any queries or tips can be sent to:


*Translocated insecticide – an insecticide that is absorbed by the plant and is transported throughout its system, therefore being effective against pests that are not in contact with the originally sprayed area.

Article Published in the 'Khronicles' February 2008

Crop Rotation

What is it? Basically it is the name used to describe the system by which similar types of plants are not cropped on the same piece of land on consecutive years. If possible the timescale between similar crops should be as long as possible but in reality a gap of three years should be sufficient.

Why do it? All plants have different nutrient requirements; also many soil borne pests and diseases are specific to certain plants. It makes sense, therefore, to move crops around to stop the depletion of specific nutrients and to stop the build-up of soil borne pests and diseases. If we insist on repeat cropping then in order to maintain production levels we will have to increase fertiliser and pesticide applications – not very eco-friendly.

Also some crops can benefit the garden: Legumes (peas, beans etc) actually produce nitrogen in their roots, which enriches the soil, and potatoes are very good at suppressing weeds. Rotating these crops just spreads that goodness around.

Add to this the fact that deep rooting of crops such as carrots help ensure that the structure of the soil is improved to a good depth and you must agree, crop rotation is a good thing.

How? Many books and articles sing the praises of rotations of five or more years. In many cases, however, this is not practical. When you consider that a portion of your plot is likely to be planted with perennial plants (fruit bushes etc), we are not going to be left with very large sections. Also we all have our favourites and a sixth of your plot may not be enough for all of your desirables.

Do not worry. Your potatoes have never read a gardening book so they won’t mind. Aim for a three-year rotation plan. Back in England my Dad used to grow some of the best vegetables around on his allotment with this, very simple rotation plan:

His allotment was divided into three using rows of fruit bushes. The three sections were then cropped thus:
Area one – Potatoes. As with many gardeners this crop took up a third of his plot. He used to heavily manure prior to planting and he would plant into trenches and then “bank up ‘ the plants as they grew. The plot would be dug again as the potatoes were lifted.

Area two – Peas, beans, salads and flowers. The peas and beans returned nitrogen to the soil. Fertilisers were added around his flowers (mainly chrysanthemum blooms).

Area three – Brassicas (cabbage etc) and root crops. Apart from liming prior to planting his brassicas, this section relied on the leftovers from the previous crops to sustain them.

The next year the potatoes went into area three, the peas etc into area one and the cabbages etc into area two. A simple plan and one that is easily adapted to any garden.

A word of warning! Tomatoes and peppers are members of the potato family so would have to be treat as such, thereby putting more strain on the potato section.

Good news: Those bastions of the Mediterranean garden – the cucumber, courgette and melon – do not suffer from any specific problems and can be slotted into the plan wherever there is room.