Hoping for some advice and info.
Part 1 is easy enough (except on the pocket :-).
Have just purchased 40 hectares of ex farming land, right on the Coorong just South of Meningie,
with a long term view of revegetating for native birds. At the moment the land is rolling hills and much grass but lacking in trees and shrubs.
Part 2 is harder, where to start ?
The property has a large shed which will do for accom for the next few years so I thought get some native shrubs going around it and have contacted Trees for Life (who I have grown for before) about local seedlings for next year.
What I would really like is contact with people experienced in developing a long term specific plan to give me something to work to not just do things in bits and pieces.
Soooo, any information would be very welcome as I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment :-)
Woko especially with his,shall we say ,"consistent" :-) message, but many others as well on this site, played a very important part in my decision to go this way so thanks to you all.
Cheers
P.S Have White-fronted Chat, Brown Songlarks (lots) and a resident Nankeen Kestrel there already.
Jealous!
A big congrats Rick, i spent my teenage life on 40 hectares and lived in a tent for the first two years so a shed sounds like luxury :)
You should have enough room for me to roll out the swag if i get down that way :)
But all that work you have in front of you is going to interfear with your birding though, but in time you won't have to go anywhere to see the birds. Well done.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Well done, that is just fantastic. Actually that is so good I am lost for words. Just super well done.
All I can say is for the sad sacks like myself I'd be up for a weeks holiday to go planting if I could get it past the wife. Happy to live in a tent, bath in the creek, and eat on the ground; no different to bushwalking. Maybe packpackers can help you get several thousand plants in the ground in a short period of time when the time comes. Congradulations!!!!
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
My advice would be to propagate lots of plants yourself. Build a tunnelhouse and learn how to make your own potting mix. A property is a long term project, if you propagate a few hundred trees and shrubs every year you will start to make some impact in 5 or 10 years. You will find lots of things will fail but don't be discouraged, just keep planting. Don't be afraid to use fertiliser, herbicide and compost, put in some watering systems. The more effort you put in the greater the return, never expect to just put things in and come back years later to mature plants. Educate yourself as much as you can, there is a lot to learn.
Wow you are supposed to ask these questions before you part with your money. I hope you know what you are in for because I couldn't think of anything worse.
40 hectares is a big dollop of land to fence and look after. I have 2.5 acres and have lived here for the last ten years, I am over it and am considering selling. Fed up of mowing and the rain fall is so hit and miss now.
Don't do it!
Samford Valley Qld.
Thanks all.
Plant supply is not so much of a problem as Trees for Life are a very good resource but propogation is
a good option as well. Have wondered whether samphires and the like would transplant with any success.
Every one will be more than welcome when the work starts :-)
John, this really is a long term proposition. Our prospects of owning a home late in life are receding and
am happy to rent while having the opportunity to have our own piece of land and an ongoing project but
yes it all could turn to c**p. Chance you take.
Am really interested in having a plan to follow but then maybe it should be an organic thing and develop ad hoc
No, what am I saying!, that's hippy talk.:-)
I am much more comfortable with a plan of attack.
Will take some photos next time I'm down.
Will certinally be interesting. CSIRO publications may be a good start but then if they operate like councils do you will need 3 life times to get half of it done. Maybe take some successful regen or bush care people out to lunch.
Is there Land for Wildlife down there? Here in Qld they are a Gov funded group who advise land owners who are keen to encourage native flora and fauna on their land.
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The first step has been taken. Brilliant!
There are a number of psychological factors that need to be considered:
I expect lots of people will say what a brave thing you're doing. In some respects they're right. But if you have the passion I predict it will seem the natural thing to do rather than the brave thing to do.
After more than 28 years revegetating &, now, using minimum disturbance bush care techniques Ms Woko & I see no end in sight because it's a journey without an end. Our project keeps developing with new plants being discovered, new areas regenerating. And it extends beyond our property because I'm now giving native grass seeds to neighbours who are doing what we've been doing. So don't expect that one day you & your partner will sit down one day & say what now?
Think about an exit time. When it's time for us to move on Ms Woko & I hope our property will attract a buyer who is keen to continue the work. I'm sure there'll be lots of grief about leaving what we've done so prepare for that feeling. But there'll also be lots of satisfaction with what we've done & hope that the new owners will have at least as much affinity for the project as we've had.
You'll make mistakes but whatever you do don't give yourself a hard time. It's all good learning which can be passed to others. Besides, self admonishment is wasted energy which could be put into your project.
That said, there will come a time when you'll be able to cut back & allow regeneration to take over in some areas. Relish the time that natural regeneration will give you to do other things.
There's a chance that at some stage a fire will go through your property. That's part of the game & needs to be seen as such. Fire on your property will more than likely see the germination of seeds which have been lying in wait for just such an event. Embrace the event. Observe & enjoy the recovery.
Whatever you do, avoid impatience. It took a few hours to bulldoze the land you've bought. It takes years to restore it but that restoration will never be exactly like it was before. So don't expect perfection in that regard.
Take a look at the bush near your property. Observe its structure: the low, middle & upperstorey, the more open spaces, the plant associations, which species grow on lower areas, which on higher spots. Try & replicate what grows naturally near you.
Contacting Trees for Life is an excellent move. They have volunteer growers (you've been one, I see) of indigenous species who can save you a lot of effort. You may be aware of Trees for Life planting groups who can come to your property & put in the hard planting yards. They also have, for a charge, a direct seeding service which you might want to think about using.
Yes, get some plant shelter & shade for your shed to make things as comfortable as possible. Trees on the west side are important in that respect. Other than that begin where the weeds are fewest & don't try to get it all done at once. Slow is good, burn out is bad.
Plant after the first good rain in autumn or winter. That way you won't need to water unless you have a really dry following summer.
Weed control before planting is generally regarded as a good idea. I did none, just plonked the plants in the ground. Survival rates were excellent.
Unlike GregL, I don't believe in watering, fertilizing or mulching. That was time, energy & money I allocated to planting. Species indigenous to your area have evolved to suit the conditions. They're bred to survive.
Do you have rabbits &/or kangaroos? If so you'll need to use plant guards. Discuss with Trees for Life.
If you have natural scrub bordering your property you may want to spray weeds adjacent to the scrub to enhance regeneration of that scrub into the weed-free areas. But before spraying check the planned spray area for any regenerating native plants, especially grasses. You may want to track down a local plant expert, perhaps through the local Landcare group, who can identify any species for you because you don't want to kill off the good guys. And/or you can post plant photos here for identification.
Planting is one way of getting plants in the ground. Natural regeneration is another although this will come later, excepting any immediate work you do to encourage regeneration near your boundary with any natural scrub. A third way is to collect & broadcast seed. Broadcasting doesn't have high rates of germination but I found it enjoyable & now the plants which did germinate from my broadcasting now have offspring regenerating near them. Broadcasting is best done where there is low weed competition.
When you get to the stage of doing your minimum disturbance bush care there are some principles to follow. These are discussed in Joan Bradley's Bringing Back the Bush. If you can get hold of a copy I think you'll find it really valuable.
A lot of bending will be done so keep yourself fit, especially your back. If you need to, discuss with a physiotherapist an exercise regime which will maximise the strength of your back & core muscles. And ensure you have a really firm mattress.
More specifically, I don't know if samphires will transplant. I note that your property is right next to the Coorong so you may well have the right salt water conditions for them. However, the Coorong is a national park & you'd need permission from the Department of Water & Natural Resources or whatever it's called this week. Also, any seed you collect for broadcasting will need a permit.
I'm confident there are things I haven't covered, Rick, so if you have any questions fire away. I'm sure staff at Trees for Life will be helpful, too. I think what you're doing is bloody marvellous.
Woko, do you entertain the idea of doing any landscaping? Or happy with the lay of the land? Pending rainfall, soil type, waterholes in the area, does it cross ones mind to make a lake, or a billabong of sorts.
I think I'd have to though probably not the right thing. Farmers dam for livestock, so why not wildlife. Where I picked up some logs recently the chap cleared a 150m2 hole mostly for emergency water supply incase of a fire. But just wonder if conditions are right, or even if a liner was used, if a sensible hole could be made so not to trap every drop from going down stream, if its a done thing in regen circles. Like you say a bulkdozer can do a lot of damage in a day, but can also dig a big hole. For $1000 it could add an immeasurable benift to nature.
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
congrats Rick, looking forward to updates from time to time, I need a bit more comfort than Shorty but can bring it with me
Peter
Woko might disagree with giving plants any assistance to grow but you should appreciate that most Australian soils are seriously degraded from their original condition and have lost a lot of fertility due to poor farming practises. It will help a lot to get animals to return to your land if you restore some of that fertility rather than just waiting for the soil to restore itself, which is a very slow process. The trophic level of your land is much lower than it would be naturally, which means it is very poor in food resources for animals. If you get more fertility you get more plants which encourages insects and allows things higher up the food chain to thrive. It will help you because your land will be worth more when you sell it. Soil fertility is very important and refusing to use soil improvement may make you feel more worthy but it won't help the environment.
Many people try what you are doing, some make a go of it but many fail because of unreasonable expectations. Sitting around making plans probably isn't the best use of your time, better to just get out and do things, experience is a good teacher.
Thanks to everyone contributing here, this is exactly the type of information I am after.
Just a couple of points. I realise that this is a long term undertaking with no "end" as such but if
I leave the place better off for birds and wildlife I will consider it a success. Time frame
to me is to probably see some changes in the next five years in smaller shrubs and ground covers with larger trees
having some impact in 15 to 20.
Doesn't matter to me as long as there is some gradual and continuing progress.
Cheers
Right on the Coorong just south of Meningie, huh? Noooooo. I've been through that area when I was younger. Had to go through that area to visit an auntie who lived at Carpenter Rocks near Mount Gambier. All I remember about the Coorong was the tidal pools, crabs, the odd sea birds, sand, sand fleas, stinking hot heat, salt water spray that smelt horrible, getting wind/sun burnt badly, the strong smell of seaweed, and the smell of rotten eggs. It's my unfavourite place in all of South Australia - and I lived in S.A. for most of my life until I moved up here.
Woko has given lots of good advice, as per normal. Yay, Woko! Jason put a great suggestion forward about creating something natural with water. His idea could be extended further and you could create a lagoon or backwater or something for the sea birds of the Coorong.
But time, effort and money are the real issue here. I can't compare 40 hectares to 1 hectare. I'm lousy with land sizes/measurements.
Feeling overwhelmed, huh, about where to start? Firstly you need some time out - and let the land speak to you. After you get there, just spend some time just sitting down on the ground somewhere deep on the property, and let all the sounds, smells, and visual observations absorb your senses. Let images come to your mind. Sounds stupid I know but it works. Put a question "out there" in your mind when sitting quietly of how to go ahead and restore your land. Observe everything, from the smallest insect to the largest plant. Look at the hills and ponder their purpose. Something will be revealed, you just have to trust what you see in your mind.
Where I'd start is the hills and work my way backward to the shed - for revegetating purposes - to reduce erosion over time but that's just me. You see, I'd begin revegetating close to where the birdlife is, in plain sight of them. Birds are curious little buggers and can't help investigating new plants being put into the ground - to see if it's going to be something edible down the track when in seed/flower/fruit.
But like with anything in nature there has to be a balance of predators and prey. That means a good balance of raptors, seagulls, other birds, ducks, small birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, etc. If one is more abundant than the other an outbreak will occur of a predator or a prey. That's what you need to avoid.
However, going on the vastness of the land in South Australia, being mostly devoid of plant life in general, you need to also keep in mind your property will probably be an oasis, albeit a temporary one for the birds. Long-term = you may sell the property down the track and the new owners may demolish everything you plant. Its a possibility. Common sense and human nature tells me to revegetate not to sustain birds indefinitely but temporarily, without interrrupting their normal food sourcing methods, in case it all vanishes overnight after you sell the property years down the track.
I think you're overwhelmed because you're mentally unprepared for this entire revegetation project. Honestly, that's normal. Its a big project. When confronted with such a task and land with no trees or shrubs on it, it gets stressful just thinking about it all. Don't stress. It will work itself all out over time. Just believe that and you'll be fine.
Part 2>>>>>You need a plan of attack, so here's some questions to help out...
What type of ecosystem do you want on your property?
What bird species do you want to attract to your property?
Do you want to use your land as an extension of the Coorong itself, where the Coorong birdlife will go after even more food (an extended food range)?
Do you want Coorong birds breeding on your property?
How much plant life do you exactly want on your property?
Do you have a design layout of your property in mind already? Meaning - do you already know what you want to do with it in regards to revegetating it and how it will look in your mind?
What wildlife is already on your property apart from the Nankeen Kestrel, White-fronted Chat, and Brown Songlarks? I'm referring to not just birds here.
What species (non-plant) are residents on your property and what plants are they eating from or animals on your property are they eating?
What species are temporary visitors?
I could go on forever but you get the idea, hopefully.
P.S. I'm jealous too.
I'm at Tenterfield, NSW. (Formerly known as "Hyperbirds".)
Sounds like you've made up your mind so the best of luck to you. It's always good to have a project on the go and a strong feeling of active interest in something that you enjoy. Any photographs of your property?
Samford Valley Qld.
GregL makes a good point about the degradation of Australian soils by poor agriculture. This particularly applies to sandy soils where nutrients are depleted & subject to wind erosion after one or two crops. There's an argument for fertilizing & composting in such conditions so that original soil fertility is restored. However, it's important to consider the type of soil & the rate at which it can recover its fertility. The fertilizer used is important, too. Most Australian plants don't like phosphorous so avoid fertilizers containing this element.
Jason, I have no plans to landscape our property. Geological processes have already done that for me. Previous owners did some around the house & I've modified their work a little. That's it.
Previous owners dug out six small dams which rarely fill & when they do retain their water for a week or two at the longest. A huge flood breached the walls of two dams in 1993 & I haven't bothered to have them repaired. Weathering will eventually see them disappear, I imagine, but that will be long after I've returned to the good Earth. This will see an increased ephemeral water flow out on to the plains & into Lake Alexandrina where it belongs. It might also see the return of rock pools along our valley. These have disappeared nearly everywhere due to dams. Mind you, climate change might have a say in this process!
Rick, two related matters I forgot to mention:
You might want to establish photo points & take, say, annual photos of your project just for the record. And you might want to keep recordsk of numbers of birds in each species you observe to give an indication of the environmental health of your project.
Hey Rick another 10c worth, perhaps develope a habit of stalking machinery auction sites. Trailers, post hole diggers, welders, star pickets, wire, errosion matting, water tanks, irrigation pumps, pipes ad so on it's all in there. Planty of businesses going under unfortunately. Then find yourself a good cheap courier company. I use E-go.com.au ocassionally. I think they back load which is why the rates are so cheap.
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
Hey Rick - sensational stuff - well done. Some great advice there from the forum too. I would definitely make a rough plan though - I design gardens and without a design people don't cope with planting a modest suburban block let alone a property of your size. It need only be very rough, may take you no more than an hour to sketch out with a pencil and paper and may only consist of some rough outlines of areas of vegetation types that you are after e.g. grassland, coastal heath, woodland, forest, an area of open water maybe?!? The world is your oyster on a property of that size. It doesn't matter if it's simple or if it evolves a bit as you learn more about what you want but you'll have a plan to work to and that's worth its weight in gold and will give you confidence and something to work to. Base the areas of your plan on the surrounding ecosystems and the birds / wildlife you want to attract to your piece of heaven. What a fantastic project you have ahead of you. Please keep us posted... GOOD LUCK!!
All plants need phosphorus to live; as does all life.
many native plants actually tolerate high phosphorus and can be fed with general garden fertilisers, many aust. plants thrive overseas on regular fertiliser regimes.
it's largely only Proteaceae which are 'sensitive' (and not because it's inherently intolerant of it; it's an essential element they and all plants need, their proteoid roots fix prosphorus by increasing surface area and release P-mobilising carboxylates to extract the element in naturally-deficient soils, so they have all they require)
'Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy'. - Paracelsus.
There are quite a few myths about Australian native plants - for example, they don't like water, they don't like fertiliser, they don't like phosphorous. These couldn't be further from the truth in my experience and I have found that Graevillea actually love water and as long as you are careful with the dosage actually won't perform to their full potential without adequate levels of fertiliser. The worst thing for me (particularly with young plants) has been when we actually get a frost and I'm pretty sure Zosterops is not suggesting that we should start throwing handfuls of superphosphate onto our native plants in the garden.
Samford Valley Qld.
actually 'they don't need pruning' is probably the worst recurring theme for many natives in terms of ornamental horticulture.
and yes 'they don't need water' is also troubling especially when the plant in question is a subtropical rainforest species and/or a fern (are they aware there are native aquatic plants??)
a lot of the popular hybrid Grevillea cultivars are derived from subtropical species and love heaps of water (i try avoiding them personally as they tend to attract large aggressive honeyeaters like Noisy Miners and Red Wattlebirds).
and also 'flowering gum' being used to refer to some showy WA species like Corymbia ficifolia only (when in reality all eucalypts flower)
It seems there's some somewhat conflicting information there, Rick. Perhaps a discussion with Trees for Life about water, phosphorous & fertilizer generally might be helpful. My own experience with water is that I only needed to use it in the first year or two of growth if there were particularly extended dry periods. Even then, it was too far to carry valuable rain water to plants well away from my house. Both the plants, or most of them, & I survived. It was all about planting at season's break here in the temperate zone.
I recall when I grew my own plants through Trees for Life they provided Osmocote as a native plant fertilizer to mix with the planting soil but I think they stopped this approach. I've successfully not used fertilizer but the soil isn't sandy where I live.
I had a quick search and found this, it is for NSW but if you contact them they may lead you to something similar in SA. Free trees and get paid for not putting stock in, sounds good.
http://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/project/whole-of-paddock-rehabilitation
Also maybe PM Holly to see if she can head you in the right direction.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Guys, having lived 1/2 my life in South Australia, I'm still aware of the conditions it takes to grow plants there. S.A. plants are tough and generally grow in unfertile soil. It rains very little there and trees are usually, in more remote areas, usually few and far between. It doesn't matter where you grow trees, whether at Woko's place or Rick N's new place.......the principle and the conditions are still the same. Water is a rare commodity down there.
I'm saying this because if you've lived your life in the northern states all your life where water is more abundant and the rainfall is higher, you'll not be familiar with the hardships of the South Australian climate. Summer is the worst season in S.A. for it's hot northerly winds and they get some of the hottest temperatures down there, out of all of Australia. Up to 60 degrees Celcius in fact - inland mostly. Up here, we are lucky to experience milder weather. Its bearable even at it's worst here.
Please remember that what works up here in the northern and eastern states will not work with plants in South Australia, as the living conditions and the plants' needs to adapt "to their environment" is EXTREMELY DIFFERENT, and that is an understatement. Fertilizer may be okay but composting/mulching will just weaken the plants over the long term and may even kill them. Mallee trees (Eucalypts) from various areas around S.A. are slow growing and long lived, compared to other Eucalypt species. Plants have to adapt to basically no fertile soil if they are to survive. How plants survive, even the smallest of them, just baffles me but they do.
Think of South Australia as a desert and where Rick N.'s new property is, is basically right on the ocean, so will experience strong ocean winds, high levels of salt in the soil, very strong winds actually, and probably very little rainfall. That, on top of what I just mentioned (minus the hot northerly winds to the most part), is basically the climate and plant growing conditions of what Rick N. is up against. Oh, and no humidity.
So, in this case, Woko's "growing plants" advice is more appropriate here as he's living in S.A. and the bulk of us are not. No offense to everyone else giving their input to this thread as none is intended.
All I'm saying is, if you planted the same tree (say two siblings of the same species) one here in NSW and one in SA somewhere, using the same growing conditions and organic matter, the one in SA would be dead within the first 12 months as it wouldn't be able to adapt to it's environment. Think of it like growing cacti - if you give S.A. plants too much water they'll die. That's just the reality of it all down there in South Australia.
P.S. I'm familiar with "Trees For Life" in S.A. I grew trees from seed for a farmer back when I was living in Adelaide. "Trees For Life" are the best organisation to go through down in S.A. when it comes to what Rick N. is after, and then just top up with more indigenious plants of the area for more plant diversity.
Rick N. I'm not sure how transplanting samphires, etc will go, but if you do decide to do this, dig up the smallest ones you can find to give them a chance to adapt better, and get all the soil around their root system. The smaller they are the better!
I'm at Tenterfield, NSW. (Formerly known as "Hyperbirds".)
A most interesting programme, Shorty. Areas revegetated with trees & shrubs will provide valuable habitat for a variety of woodland birds which may then populate other areas as their numbers increase.
Reintroducing stock to the revegetated areas will make it extremely difficult for terrestrial plants to become established &, in fact, will encourage weeds via soil disturbance. However, I appreciate the scheme is aimed not only at improving habitat but also at increasing farm production.
I'm not sure about 60 degrees, Shirley, but yes, it gets hot here in summer just as it does in most, if not all, parts of inland Australia. South Australia doesn't have the tropical or temperate rain forests of the eastern states. It has dry schlerophyll forests in the higher rainfall areas. There are certainly huge expanses of country where there are few trees & shrubs. I strongly suspect this is partly due to stock overgrazing & the not-so-clever introduction of camels & goats. But a lot of it varies in time. I recall a visit to the Pitjantjatjara lands just after extended heavy rain. What was normally sandy soil with widely scattered trees & shrubs had changed to lush, head high native grassland with huge swathes of flowers. Simply breathtakingly awesome. And how lucky was I to see it!
So much of SA is like this or would be without human intervention. Where Rick has his land has lots of low-growing mallee vegetation adapted, as Shirley implies, to dry, sandy, relatively salty conditions. Most humans see this type of landscape as waste land ripe for mining or some other devastation. For those who have eyes & minds to see it has its own wonderful beauty & rich biodiversity.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
extract fromn Dorothea MacKellar 1908 " I love a Sunburnt Country" poem.
Once rode my pushie from Adelaind to Melbourne, well Tailem Bend to Dandenong really. D Mackellar's view seems pretty spot on to me. Nice litle part of the world the Coorong.
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
Yes it is good Woko,
While it may not be perfect it is a good start.
These are the record temps for Australia, nothing near 60C
Even the hottest place in the World (Death Valley, USA) is only 56.7C back in 1913
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
isn't that in the shade?
as opposed to a crack in a rock in full sun on a 45 degrees day that a plant may have to endure?
Yes it is, that is how we measure temperature. Not sure i understand your point?
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
I suppose the point is that real temperatures can be much (much!) higher than official temperatures!
They can also vary significantly (even in the shade) over very short distances. Since we don't have weather stations everywhere, the official maximum temperatures are only an average at best.
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
To add to the records of high temperatures, rawshorty, it was once 54 degrees Celcius at Mannum one day. Can't remember the exact year or day but was some time between September 1990 and October 1994. I was out in that temperature whilst wearing a denim jacket. I knew it was bloody hot when I had to keep stopping under the shade of trees every tree I could find. It was officially reported as being 54 degrees on the news/weather, 'cause the nursery guy told me the actual temperature.
So, if the temperature is recorded "in the shade" then in the sun the temperature is much, much higher. It can easily reach 60 degrees C. but we don't know for sure because thermometers only go to 50 degrees Celcius. I place my thermometer on the ground, leaning against something, in full sun to get the actual ground surface temperature. In summer, here, it gets so hot I can't even touch my metal back door knob, and the concrete is too hot to walk on. I actually have bandades on my back door knob that allows me to touch the door knob just so I can open it in summer. Many times in summer my thermometer maxes out to 50 degrees here. Not often but it happens every year now. Now imagine being a plant in the ground where the surface temperatures of the soil is above 50 degrees Celcius. You'd need to be as tough as hell to survive those conditions or you'd die within a few days.
I'm at Tenterfield, NSW. (Formerly known as "Hyperbirds".)
The very best of luck to you Rick. Don't be daunted and take things slowly. Some good advice given to you on this forum and no doubt much more is available from other people and organisations. By all means take plenty of before-and-after shots. We look forward to seeing photos of progress.
I can second Jason's comments about Land For Wildlife (or any equivalent program that the local council may offer).
My folks are doing a similar thing on a slightly larger property on the Sunshine Coast (though largely forested already) and the council Land for Wildlife officers have been absolutely superb in their support.
If I was approaching this (and I have been thinking about doing it myself sometime on a smaller scale), I would think about:
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Thanks again to everyone for their helpful comments. Will be heading down this weekend so will take some photos
for reference and post here.
Shirley, sad to hear about your childhood memories of the Coorong being not so good.
Our experience of the Corrong is completely different with an amazing range of wildlife,habitat and birdlife.
Designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention the diversity of natural wildlife
made it a no brainer for us when it came to doing something like this.
Not for everyone of course, but we love it, with the Nullarbor being on par but just that little bit too far away
for this type of enterprise.:-)
Not many trees or shrubs on the Nullarbor, Rick. Hence Null-arbor. Probably a wise move to restore your land near Meningie.
Rick, how are those pics comming along. Did you make it down on the weekend.
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
Work interfering Jason☺ Will have some photos up in the next couple of days.
Thanks for your interest.
A few photos of the land, any identification of the plants would be helpful.
Looking towards the shed
Low area in the middle is samphire saltpan.
Plant one
Plant two
Plant three,vicous thorns.
Looking North to the shed
Looking South to the Coorong
Looks good Rick. Do you have electricty, water and phone to the shed?
Samford Valley Qld.
much closer pics are needed for any reliable plant identification, particularly of flowers.
plant 3 looks like Solanum linnaeanum, apple of sodom (bitter apples grew in sodom)
a noxious weed and like many Solanaceae highly toxic, though extracts of the plant have shown strong anti-cancer properties.
Yes, Rick, can you get close ups of flowers & foliage?
My best estimate on plant one is Rough Halgania Halgania cyanea, especially if the foliage has a fairly course sandpaper feel to it. If it is H. cyanea then it's local to your area or very close to it so I'd be encouraging it. It grows in & near dry woodlands.
Great to see your photos of your land. You might want to contact Trees for Life for the name of a local plant person who can help you with plant identification & also the names of suitable species for the part of your land which might be near the Coorong. How best to regenerate the indigenous plants near the Coorong might be also part of that person's tool bag.
Holy smokes Rick, is that vegitation on the sky line remnant of what was once there? Or is the grass plain natural? I do love that driveway to the shed. Nothing like a big sky and a beautiful sunset to make all well with the world.
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
http://www.sgapqld.org.au/information-and-publications/book-reviews2/154-common-native-plants-of-the-coorong-region
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks
I didn't know about that book by Neville Bonney, jason. Well spotted! Neville is well known in SA, at least, as a plant & conservation expert.
Rick, I should have mentioned that many of the plants of the Coorong are used by the Ngarrindjeri people for a variety of purposes, including medicinal, of course. You may never need to visit a doctor again!
Hi Rick,
Congratulations! What an awesome thing you are doing for the wildlife. Especially the birds.
When planting, think in layers, grass indigenous to the area, which might mean hacking out the grass that is there if it is not native grass, we only have five acres but it is covered in african lovegrass so we are just attacking that section by section, about 10metres by 10 metres, and replanting bit by bit, and harvesting seed from the grass we grow.
herbaceus plants might be harder to source but we have a lot of the indigineous ones coming through where we have removed the african lovegrass, and we are planting what one we can find as we go along.
ground covers, we also had some of these come up naturally once their was room for them to grow and we sourced our others from local native plant nurseries and greening australia.
small shrubs, in our area there are lots of native small shrubs that are indigenous to the area so I sourced a variety of six different ones and started with that each variety I bought six or more of each variety and planted them in clumps.
large shrubs lots of variety belong in the area and again I chose six varieties and bought lots of each variety.
small trees I bought in lots of 20 or 40 and planted them in groups of four or five among the other plants.
large trees we have two varieties of large trees in our yard an angophora and the scribbly gums and now have quite a lot of seedlings naturally growing. I found a list of trees indigenous to the area and purchased several of each and have planted them around in groups of two or three.
So, in effect I have created small islands of native vegetation and each island contains 2 or 3 tall trees, 2 oe 3 small trees, a few large shrubs a few small shrubs, some ground covers, hebraceous plants, and grasses. as well as patches of native grasses on their own.
Our land is fairly depleted in nutrients as a former owner of the land sold off the topsoil long ago and subsequent owners allowed the african lovegrass to just take over. To attempt to provide a natural source of nutrients I selected several indigenous legume plants such as wattle, harden bergia, and another whose name escapes me at the moment.
We were lucky enough to have a lot of large gum trees and several angophora left in the yard when we purchased and so have planted first around them to and then planted some islands further out. We buy and make mulch and use native mulch, when our gum tree drop branches we use mulch what can be mulched and the parts too large to mulch are used as garden borders to provide habitat for lizards, snakes, and small mammals.
With the gum trees where we have preserved the mulch around them we have many small seedlings coming up naturally and we are letting them grow whereever they come up.
it is of course a labour of love and takes more than a life time, and while we have islands of native vegetation that we would like to join up we may not get that far, but it is worth trying and in the meantime we are seeing more and more birds coming in as the plants grow.
Best Wishes for your wonderful project.
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/
Hi Rick,
In conversation with my husband about your purchase and plans he suggested that if you do dig a dam it would be sensible to ensure that the dam has one or two islands for safety of the birds so I thought I would pass the suggestion along.
Enjoy your purchase.
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/