What I've done recently.

Discussion in 'Members' Systems' started by S.O.P, Nov 11, 2013.

  1. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Back in Brisbane. The Pigeon Pea that seems to love life. 4m tall, hacked back many times. 3 years old so this may be the last hurrah:

    [​IMG]

    Southern-side garden, starting to go into shade so winding up for the year. Bonsai Leucaena and Moringa interplant going well, not sure how the sunless Winter will affect them. Vetiver won't like it:

    [​IMG]
     
  2. altamira55

    altamira55 Junior Member

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    Hello SOP, thank you for posting the photos. Are the bonsai plants in containers, or planted in the ground? I'd like to grow a few plants such as Moringa, but to keep them small (5 feet tall or shorter) so that I can protect them on the rare occassions when it freezes. I've wondered if they would flower and produce fruit under such conditions.
     
  3. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    So lush and green! Awesome, thanks for posting those pics!
     
  4. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    No worries.

    As for the bonsai, they are in the ground. I have cut the Leucaena perhaps 6 times, allowing them to grow to 50cm or so, then back to 20-30cm by grabbing the whole plant in my hand, sliding up and cutting. They grow very fast, faster than the baby Moringa. Now the moringa are over the top, I'll maintain them at a higher level.

    This was me mucking around, no particular design. Just had extra tubes of inoculated Leucaena left over and wondered if I could miniaturise a hedgerow. Next up is miniaturised cows.
     
  5. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    In my readings online, there are 2 options for you. Grow as an annual, maybe even start early indoors or cut to ground level and cover with mulch. Removing the mulch when frost had passed.

    I suppose try the second option first? Give it a Google and see what you come up with.
     
  6. bazman

    bazman Junior Member

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    I noticed how close you planted your lomandra, I have some mature lomandra over a 150cm wide. Are you doing it as a lomandra swale type of design? S.O.P are in the same region and I to have been busy planting all my clumping grasses after the drought braking rain. Just come back from all the planting I have done around my entrance to see the council digging it all up to make some changes to the drains out front. Good waste of 8 hours of bloody hot work.... =( Least they gave back my plants.
     
  7. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Just a bank establishment method. Useful in creeks, plant as many Lomandra as you can and as close as you can get them. The roots will weave together much faster. They won't grow to 1.5 wide, they will adjust to the space given them. And hopefully an Acacia or two will establish in between.

    Council is full of idiots, am I right?
     
  8. bazman

    bazman Junior Member

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    lol... you said it... =)
     
  9. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Except for this one guy, who is devilishly handsome.
     
  10. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    A semi-rural street in Samford, Brisbane. That's Pintos Peanut. It's all over the place, even in the establishing natural areas to the left of the frame. Not a bad turf addition for looks either:

    [​IMG]
     
  11. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Well spotted. Most other people would think there's a weed problem right there…..
     
  12. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Not much happening lately. Weathering an ant invasion, concentrating on gathering planting material, the usual. Some random photos follow.

    Often I wonder about the online advice about addition of high nitrogen to woodchip. Most standard loads, if they include a decent amount of leaf, heat up very nicely. Photo doesn't do it justice since it's full daylight and all but I couldn't see into the back of the truck there was that much steam after being in there for 4 days:

    [​IMG]

    Starting to harvest the volunteer Loofah now. All a reasonably good uniform size. Such a hardy vine. Grown in composted wood mulch on concrete and nothing else (may have snuck a root over the edge of the concrete, I'll check on removal):

    [​IMG]

    Microbat came to visit under the house. First I've seen here, I just assumed they existed before this point:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  13. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Wow! You need a micro bat house now that you know that you have them. For a nice pile of guano.

    My friends think I'm weird when I get all excited by a hot steaming pile of wood chips. I feel less alone now….
     
  14. Grasshopper

    Grasshopper Senior Member

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    Ive got steaming pile envy
     
  15. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    I've got old photos of piles bigger than Uluru.
     
  16. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    That's much more exciting than the instructional videos Brian is trying to get me to watch!
     
  17. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    heh, reminds me of the time last year when i went out into the garage and it was steamy and you could tell the bags of yard waste and shredded wood was cooking in the bags. i'd piled them together so they shared heat and were very warm to the touch when i pulled them apart and opened them up. the next day i was able to get most of them buried so they could cook more slowly in the ground. still warm and steaming.
     
  18. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Those steamy piles of mulch are what real fantasies are made of! :p Not sure what species of bat that is but looks very similar to one we have here in quite good numbers. We put up a bat box but they have spurned it so far :/
     
  19. gbell

    gbell Junior Member

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    Don't you reckon that's a bad sign? Introducing invasive plants is how permies get a bad name. Or is "establishING" the key word?
     
  20. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Well, my feelings are it was a grazing property taken over by high-end homes. The regeneration area is very young, and the edge is sprayed by Council, rather than planted. The Pintos is heaviest in the sprayed areas.

    The planet is dying, I'm well past worrying about inconsequential exotics in a poorly planted and maintained takeover area. Nothing a bit of poison won't fix?
     

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