Ok, so this is pretty much a conventional 'Help Me!' thread, but I was hoping for some gardening advice about getting plants (specifically natives) to grow in pretty inhospitable spots.
A couple of years ago, I planted some Syzygium australe "Cheetah' plants along the border of my yard with the neighbours, hoping to have a nice, bird attracting hedge that would also chew up some lawn space. Anyway, despite following the instructions and bunging them in a decently large hole, they have basically gone nowhere, as the spot is a bit of a grass desert with compacted soil.
In an attempt to encourage moisture, I've put some sugarcane mulch around the bases of the lilly pillies and put the bricks and logs there to decrease runoff and retain a bit of moisture through the day. I've put some extra native fertiliser on them as well, but I think the problem is soil compaction rather than lack of moisture, as I try and water them frequently. Is there anything I can do o try and help them, or am I doomed to have to sit back and watch them grow slowly?
One thought I did have was digging them out and hacking a bigger hole for them, but I'm not so keen on that as it would be a heap of work, and I don't know if they would survive it, given that they're stressed already (because of the bad spot) and natives don't like to have their root systems disturbed.
Any suggestions would be very welcome!
Here's a photo of the spot incase it helps:
Hi Lachlan. Syzgium australe isn't local to my area so I've had to do some research to find its suitable growing conditions.
As it's a rainforest tree from the east coast of Australia the most suitable conditions outside its natural range are those which replicate as closely as possible those of the rainforest. It requires a humus rich soil & plenty of moisture. However, if your soil is compacted then my guess is that it's quite low in humus. Soils rich in humus are friable & not compacted.
So, I'm afraid that planting this species without rather radically modifying your soil will mean it's very likely to struggle. Without this modification it might survive placidly for many years without much growth, particularly if you keep it well watered as it would be in a rainforest. But it's unlikely to provide you with a hedge.
A lot depends on the depth of your soil's compaction. If you haven't already, you could try digging a deep hole to see if the soil eventually becomes looser. (That's hard work but that's the price of growing a plant that's out of it's natural location.) If the soil is less compacted at a depth you're prepared to tolerate for digging then you might be in business. You could try removing the plants, ensuring that the soil is quite moist & being careful to retain the roots, particularly the tap root (I'm probably teaching you to suck eggs here) & as much of the soil as possible. Fill the holes with a well-mixed combination of sand or clay soil and humus. Replant the Syzgium australe & water in thoroughly. And try to keep as much of the lawn away from the shrubs as possible. Lawns will use the water which you want for your shrubs. Finally, keep your fingers tightly crossed.
You might want to try doing this with one plant. If it survives after a couple of weeks repeat the process on the other plants. If it doesn't then you're probably on the track of either replacing the existing plants with the same species but with the soil treatment outlined above or choosing a different species for your hedge. I'd be considering something that's indigenous to your area but in any case you'll need to do something about that compacted soil if you want a hedge in a hurry.
Spam Holly notified
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks Dale, I should have spotted and reported it, this being my old thread.
Sorry!
No need to apologise Lachlan! It doesn't matter who spots them, as long as we get rid of them
Hi there,
Not sure if this is the appropriate place to ask this question but, how on earth do you create a bird safe & healthy environment when your lawn is mostly full of weeds (eg. brachen fern) and sand
.
Although the birds seem happy enough, there is no natural food for them, and we're also inundated with large and small ants. I know I could probably research this, but I needed to ask Bird-Friendly people for Bird-Friendly advice
Any offered would be greatly appreciated!
Take Care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch
Brachen is actually quite good stuff to have in your garden for birds- it creates plenty of habitat for smaller birds. That could be part of your problem, the birds need more ground level habitat. Some mulching, a few water baths, logs and groundcover/grassy plants would definitely be appreciated by your birds. Also, if your yard is large enough, you might be able to attract a blue toung which could help with your ant problem.
As for turning the lawn into better habitat, the easiest way would probably be to dig bits of it up and plant some naive shrubs. Many native species prefer loose, well drained sandy soils to heavy clay, so there are lots of good options. A native gardening book or a decent nursery should be able to provide plenty of options!
Be careful though, it is generally good to stick to plants that are found in your local region. Whilst gardening with exotic, fancy Banksias from WA is fine on the east coast, birds will probably benefit more from local stuff. Don't be discouraged from planting things from other areas, but make sure you have plenty of local plants as well.
If you don't wan't to completely replace the lawn with garden beds, you could go towards some of the lawn substitutes available. But I'm not sure how well they would grow for you, the soil in your photo looks extremly dry.
Thanks for the advice Lachlan,
I never knew that about Brachen. The only thing it seems to house and protect here are the mosquitoes (we have them as well as sandflies in abundance). The soil is extremely dry, and whilst in our front yard we have a beautiful yellow wattle tree that attracts rosellas when it blooms and galahs and cockatoos after that (they eat the pods), it really is our only tree. We have two trees in the back yard they have been "owned" by a group of noisy minors for a while now. We used to have two kookaburras living there, but a pair of Currawongs chased them away, and now I think the minors have chased them away. Though, when I think about it, we also have a resident Willie Wagtail, who, if he is nearby, will chase a lot of the bigger birds. Funny thinking about that. I watched him chase a Crow away one day. After the crow left, he stood chirping and looking so proud of himself
really was a sight to behold.
We have a local nursery. It's only small, but I'm planning to pay them a visit this weekend and see what they have. I didn't really want to go overboard as we're only renting. But it's important to me, that if anything were to happen, my little ones will still have a place to visit and feel safe - even somewhere to add to their diets.
Interesting idea about the blue tongue. We also own one - his picture is below. I did not know that about them, but there is a log in the backyard that I do believe houses a couple of them.
I shall write again once I have visited the nursery!
Take Care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch
You might be able to help your soil, as Lachlan says by mulching, or if you get some garden beds started, try and dig some organic matter through the soils, will help give it some "substance" as well as help to retain moisture. Sandy soils are often too well drained, and therefore limit what will actually grow in it.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Apologies if you're overwhelmed with information, Trudy, but I have a somewhat different view of native gardening in dry, sandy soils from other posters here.
There's nothing wrong with dry sandy soil. In fact, the plants that grow naturally in it love it. The trick is to be aware of what grows naturally where you live. The plants that grow naturally where you live have adapted to that sandy soil over millions of years & in my view that needs to be respected. If you increase the soil humus artificially then you may well encourage some indigenous plant species & discourage others thereby upsetting the natural balance with a subsequent cascading of events that reduces the quality of your natural environment. So, I'd encourage you to put your time & energy into weed control so that the natural vegetation can naturally expand into the weed-free areas you create.
Woko, what you're suggesting seems fairly similar to what Dale and I have suggested. I'm not trying to be snarky, but I'm not an expert gardener, so if I have suggested anything amiss, please point it out.
Hi Lachlan. It might be my obsession with minimum disturbance. I wouldn't bother with the mulching for two reasons. Firstly, it artificially changes the natural nutrient levels in the soil & this may alter the natural soil biota which, in turn, may alter the flora composition. E.g., some mulches might negatively affect the microryhzal fungi on which certain plant species depend. Secondly, if you plant straight after the break in the season there's no need to mulch so time & energy can be put into weed control. In fact, mulching might prevent natural rainfall from getting to plant roots.
It's just my opinion but I think the best mulch is in the leaf & twig litter that falls naturally from surrounding vegetation over time. This allows for slow nutrient release into the soil, gradual improvement in moisture retention & encourages tap roots to go deep in search of natural moisture. In turn this enhances plant survival in dry times & discourages wasteful & costly supplementary watering.
I agree with you Woko- in a developed, mature garden mulch is redundant. However, I think it is invaluable in helping plants get established in naturally dry and exposed situations. Trudy seems to be wanting to improve a former section of lawn into more productive habitat, and previously lawn areas don't retain moisture very well, are occaisonally deplete and frequently compacted. In a situation like that, I think some mulch would certainly help the young plants until the reached a stage where the could generate their own.
That's a point worth considering, Lachlan. However, the type of mulch used might need to replicate natural mulch as far as possible. Also, treatment of compacted soil, time of planting & whether there are follow-up rains need to be taken into consideration. Converting lawn to a more natural environmen is always a challenge & your idea of simply planting natives in it (while not watering the lawn) has considerable merit. Eventual competition from the plants should account for the lawn, especially if the lawn can be prevented from seeding.
"Converting lawn to a more natural environment is always a challenge...."
That may well be so, Woko but I hope that message doesn't travel too far amongst the victa brigade.
I think there are a few million people in Australia who need all the encouragement (and shove) that can be given, in the interests of enhanced bird habitat, water savings, reduced chemical use, machinery noise and general suburban leafiness.
I am going to post some photos of my front and back lawns tomorrow so you will get a better idea of my "issues".
I didn't intend to start such a passionate debate, you will agree when you see the photos.
Take care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch
Here is what my yards look like. First is Front - then the back. You'll notice the bushy "complex" on the right of the photo behind the tree stumps for the back yard (2nd photo) - some Fairy Wrens have taken to it and housed there. They're often seen playing around the logs that are laying on the ground to the left of the photo. The back yard isn't a real issue, and we are unsure as to how grass is growing there, but it's certainly a problem in the front. Although I want to fix up both yards, I would never remove what the birds are already accustomed to using...
Take Care,
TrudyC
Regards
TrudyC
aka RedBrowedFinch