iCultivate has been born out of a love of gardening and a desire to learn more and share information about the principles that guide, organic gardening and sustainability.
Starting my learning about mushroom compost. If it is spent and NPK is taken up by mushrooms - how is it nutrient rich? I've also heard from others it can be more alkeline.
The thing is ……… it is not fully spent. The mushroom farmers have simply finished with it as it is no longer producing the quantity of mushrooms they require to be commercial. Also, in time, other types of fungus start to grow in it as well. So, for the purpose of using as a compost in vegetable gardens, there is still quite a lot of nutrients - the NPKs etc. Lastly, its pH can be slightly alkaline (only slightly) but the composting process itself tends to neutralise this. Hope this is helpful 😊
A good question - no it is not and for that reason I tend to not use it up against the house. Having said this, exactly the same thing applies to most other organic mulches as well, not just hardwood chips. For this reason, termite inspectors (we have annual inspections) look for no mulch giving access for termites to the house - so keep all plant based mulches away from the house. On a side note, even just have cardboard covering up to the house provides nice moisture levels in the soil that can then actually encourage termites in to that area and risk them accessing the building.
Great video. I did similar way but after about 2 years the top mulch gone but the cardboard was still intact and looked ugly so I took it all up and did new sugarcane mulch. So far so good not much weeds coming up. In our rural area very hard to find good mulch for reasonable price so I have to go with the sugarcane mulch.
Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoyed it. I am surprised that your cardboard had not decomposed down. We have other gardens where after a couple of years it has completely disappeared so we keep this going over the years. I wonder if the cardboard you used was the type that has a plastic or waxy surface - this might affect things. But it does sound like you achieved the goal of controlling weeds - the cardboard killed the weeds that were there and prevented seeds from germinating. Of course you have now removed the cardboard, so perhaps this is even better. Happy gardening :)
@@iCultivate1 not sure what kind of cardboard was but I did removed all the plastic tapes even the sticker dockets. Maybe I will try another time see if it is working with another type of board. Thank you for your message. If you ever wonder to Northern NSW near Lismore come and visit the my garden.
@@iCultivate1 I am just outside Lismore. We only have limited options finding reasonable priced gardening ingredients😊 My girlfriends is up in the Subshine Coast but I never had the chance to visit yet.
Don't forget hat, safety glasses, or face shield, and any Spanish bayonet I have trimmed required actual cutting of leaves in North America. Sometimes a Sawzall. Lol
RU-vid is such a wealth for learning, because a book can only go so far in teaching things. Video and audio are the closest thing we have to being thought something like you are there with the “teacher”. And on RU-vid you can find “lessons” about almost anything. Like for example this video about perennial leeks! Thanks!
Great video. Very clear. I would have liked the video even just for your wanting to conserve and keep using what's still plenty good and usable. Thank you 👍
It really depends on the climate where you live. In my location (sub tropical) you can virtually prune these at any time. But in cooler environments, I would recommend after they finish flowering. Hope this helps
Thank you from California! I am an Australian native myself, and love growing grevilleas. My favorite is peaches and cream, and tomorrow I’m going to get after 2 of them that are too big. I was worried about hard pruning them bc I don’t want to loose them, but clearly it’s ok! Wish my neighbors hadn’t cut down their silk oak grevillea trees - loves those orange blooms in the spring. Thanks for your video!
Thanks for the video. I have some questions. The first is: Is simultaneous cross-pollination more efficient between two different verieties of avocado trees in the same field? Or can it also be done efficiently between trees of the same verieties? Which one is better? . Second: If it were better for simultaneous cross-pollination between two different verieties of avocado trees, which veriety would you prefer as the veriety that blooms simultaneously as a male and the Haas veriety as a female? Third: If we have a field with 100 trees totally, what is the appropriate number of male trees that correspond to the appropriate number of female trees or rather what is the ratio between them? What is the optimal distribution map for the distribution of those 100 trees in the field? Thank you very much in advance.
Sorry about my late reply. You can successfully grow avocados without different varieties. But I like having a 50/50 ratio of A and B types. Please note that avocados do not come in male and female varieties - each tree is both. What makes A and B varieties different is the time of the day when the make and female flower structures are open. Hope this helps
Shepard and bacon are both good varieties, but it depends on things like your climate and how big you ultimately want the tree to be. Look in to both of those and see if they meet your needs 😊
My yard is full of yuccas, if you don’t consistently prune them, they can get out of control fast and the roots are massive. My only problem with this video is that this guy is not wearing gardening gloves… ALWAYS wear gloves when pruning Yukkas, they are sharp as hell and can cut you deep!
Thank you for contributing to the discussion - good advice for those who wish to wear gloves. I prefer not to as a personal preference though. But if a person is concerned; of course, wear gloves.
You keep saying. "trim it back before winter" but you never trim it back... I'm on year three and I'm not really getting any asparagus. YOur lesson doesn't say how to to trim it back...
Leading up to winter, it will die back. In other words, it will turn brown and appear dead. This is when you trim it back. Trim it back to ground level. I even know someone who uses a lawn mower to mow over the area - although I would not recommend this. So, when it dies off, trim the dead stems back to ground level. Assuming the crowns are healthy, as spring appears, you should have new asparagus spears emerge. I hope this makes it clearer for you.
Sorry about my late response. Asparagus prefers full sun, but can also do well in part shade (but mostly sun). The soil should also drain well, so keep the organic matter up to it. Hope this helps.
I am sorry, but this is not correct. Energy going down to the crown does not come from the fertiliser. It comes from the photosynthesis of the fern like branches (developed spears) that you let grow and do not harvest. This is also why it is important tonnot harvest for too long. Therefore, the crown should have accumulated enough energy from the ferns that matured the last season, but will also require additional nutrients from the fertiliser you add before the new spears grow in early spring. So Spring, before the new spears emerge is absolutely the best time to fertilise asparagus!
Thanks, my plants were well leveled. I had potted some marigold flowers in pots and it was time to transfer them to the ground. Hope they grow taller than they were in the pot
@@ESP12345 i didn't . I just water after i put them in the ground. Its better to make the hole a bit deeper so that the top roots of the plant are not sticking out of the top
A good suggestion for many plants. But please do keep in mind that some plants rely on the surface roots from which they absorb most of their nutrients.
Why not just tie a short piece of white sheet (3"x 1") on end of a stick at different levels? The wind can blow this fabric and mimic the fluttering of another white butterfly defending its property.
I have not seen that idea, but worth a try. I would like to hear from yourself or others if this has worked. For me, I have actually reverted to using net as a barrier in out new vegetable garden. Nasturtiums are also a great plan to attract the moths away elsewhere :) This short video is an example: ru-vid.comJahN8w7zgWQ
I like the video, but it might better be labeled How to remove the ‘shaft’ on a garden tool. To me a handle is the grip. Shaft is the wooden section between implements and ‘handles’.
Thanks for the feedback and of course you are correct, but I believe most people refer to the shaft as the handle, particularly for those spades, shovels and forks that have a long “handle”. But I do definitely see your point 😊
Hi Steve. Just found your channel! Amazing. We just bought a small acreage and are excited to learn and your channel a great resource. A question I have is where do you buy your seeds ? In particular perennial leeks. I appreciate you may have your own seeds but can you point me in a website direction ? Really appreciate it. Thanks nicole
I am so sorry I have taken so long to reply! I am really glad you like the channel, although things have been a bit quiet lately :( With regards to seeds, I try to save quite a few myself, but when I buy them, I usually do so online through the Diggers Club: www.diggers.com.au/products/organic-seed-collection. They have a great organic range to choose from. The Perennial Leeks! A favourite of mine. Unfortunately I have never seen seeds for these. I sourced the originals from Jerry Coleby-Williams when he had an open day at his property - Sorry cant give you an easier option. I hope you enjoy your small acreage!
