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Gardening Advice

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  • Sillybilly
    Sillybilly Posts: 9,234
    edited May 2024
    Don’t use Jute lining on your planters if you have a bird friendly garden!!!!  Shredded inside two days!!  Little blighters  
  • Covered End
    Covered End Posts: 51,993
    Ideal to form a comfy nest.
  • My view this morning

    and now! 



    I live in a forestry area and sadly (in my view) a guy bought next door three months ago and had been felling trees in every direction. 

    The machinery is as awesome as it is brutal. I bought the house a few years ago, as it had a lovely aspect surrounded by pine and birch forest on four sides, but came home at lunchtime today to see the last of about 40, 30 metre pines on one side of the house, coming down. It's quiet saddening to see a tree that took over 100 years to grow, cut down, stripped and neatly stacked in 3 pieces all in under a minute. 

    I guess they are just crops. 

  • charltonkeston
    charltonkeston Posts: 7,359
    My view this morning

    and now! 



    I live in a forestry area and sadly (in my view) a guy bought next door three months ago and had been felling trees in every direction. 

    The machinery is as awesome as it is brutal. I bought the house a few years ago, as it had a lovely aspect surrounded by pine and birch forest on four sides, but came home at lunchtime today to see the last of about 40, 30 metre pines on one side of the house, coming down. It's quiet saddening to see a tree that took over 100 years to grow, cut down, stripped and neatly stacked in 3 pieces all in under a minute. 

    I guess they are just crops. 

    I wouldn't of thought it a good time of the year to fell so many trees from a wild life prospective. For the amount of money your neighbour is likely to get for his timber he might live to regret the damage he has inflicted on the environment.  
  • JiMMy 85
    JiMMy 85 Posts: 10,193
    Would anybody be bale to advise me on how to deal with a lawn? It's not very big, the grass is very long and I think it was probably laid within the last year or two. When we tried to mow it a few weeks ago it was an absolute mess so we stopped straight away. I don't know how to tackle this! 


  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,598
    I'd strim about a 3rd of the length off, leave it to recover for a few days then mow on the highest setting and work your way down to the shortest every week or so. I believe you're not supposed to cut too much length off grass in one hit.
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,598
    Don’t use Jute lining on your planters if you have a bird friendly garden!!!!  Shredded inside two days!!  Little blighters  
    Are you sure it wasn't that fat Guinee Pig in the background (it looks pretty guilty)
  • Sillybilly
    Sillybilly Posts: 9,234
    Don’t use Jute lining on your planters if you have a bird friendly garden!!!!  Shredded inside two days!!  Little blighters  
    Are you sure it wasn't that fat Guinee Pig in the background (it looks pretty guilty)
    That Guinea pig has actually fooled a few people who’ve asked if it ever escapes or whether we worry about the big birds getting it. Seriously. 
  • valleynick66
    valleynick66 Posts: 4,889
    edited May 2024
    I'd strim about a 3rd of the length off, leave it to recover for a few days then mow on the highest setting and work your way down to the shortest every week or so. I believe you're not supposed to cut too much length off grass in one hit.

    Sound advice. I’d only add grass is very resilient so as long as you don’t have your mower on the lowest setting you’d be unlikely to do much damage. 

    A few days to recover / let the shorter grass get some sun and it soon comes back. 

    I’m no expert but in my experience cutting grass regularly is the best thing to do more  generally and ongoing. 

    I’d also spike it with a garden fork assuming it’s relatively wet. 
  • JiMMy 85
    JiMMy 85 Posts: 10,193
    Thanks DaveMehmet and Nick. I will do exactly that.
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  • When we were living in France the local farmer offered to help cut down the grass in the garden, about 1/2 acre. He turned up couple of hours later with his flock of sheep, (don't worry we knew they were coming), and he and his dog ushered them into our garden.

    We spent the evening watching them chomping their way through the grass, weeds, etc. We went to bed feeling smug at our ingenuity and listening to a few of the braver ones come right up to the back door snuffling around.

    I get up in the morning and there's not a single one of the woolie feckers left in the garden. They'd found/created a gap in the fence and we found the entire flock down the road, eating their way through a neighbour's flowerbed.

    Fortunately they were second homers so neither saw our pathetic, pointless attempts to herd them back into our garden nor who was responsible for the 1000's of poo pellets left behind after the farmer turned up and his dog effortlessly trotted them back up the road and into their field.

    So I don't recommend borrowing a flock unless you have very good fences. 
  • ShootersHillGuru
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,619
    JiMMy 85 said:
    Would anybody be bale to advise me on how to deal with a lawn? It's not very big, the grass is very long and I think it was probably laid within the last year or two. When we tried to mow it a few weeks ago it was an absolute mess so we stopped straight away. I don't know how to tackle this! 


    Get it as short as you can cut it. In stages if necessary and then scarify it and aerate it. Thin layer of topsoil and lawn sand and overseed it.
  • charltonkeston
    charltonkeston Posts: 7,359
    My grass is something I’m particularly pleased with this year. It won’t stay this way when we get hot weather but for now I’m well happy. 
  • T_C_E
    T_C_E Posts: 16,418
    T_C_E said:
    Anyone recognise what might be wrong here, I was gifted this Camellia and the first flower to open is brown tinted, a second showing the same signs.
    Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

    While the flowers as expected died off very quickly I read up on this only to find CLifers were correct and using the gardening terminology “doesn't like its feet wet” and since Christmas had been standing in a tray full of water until I moved it. Now feeding and occasionally watering it’s on it’s way back 🤞
    Thanks to those that advised 💪

  • T_C_E
    T_C_E Posts: 16,418
    All the roses recommended have done well, over a hundred red roses at the front of the house. Paul’s Scarlet, Dublin bay and the inheritance with the house Rosa Ordrator (sp) doing well in their first year. 👍

  • lancashire lad
    lancashire lad Posts: 15,626
    One of my favourite roses, Emily Bronté, looks and smells lovely, to me a rose must have a scent

  • Carter
    Carter Posts: 14,242
    I love the look of roses in a garden however the thorns on the bastards really put me off. I’ve got one in a pot that does its own thing but even that it covered in spikes 

    On a plus note my Peonies have come out this weekend and they look majestic 
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,598
    Carter said:
    I love the look of roses in a garden however the thorns on the bastards really put me off. I’ve got one in a pot that does its own thing but even that it covered in spikes 

    On a plus note my Peonies have come out this weekend and they look majestic 

  • ME14addick
    ME14addick Posts: 9,761
    Does anyone know of a good peat free potting compost, that doesn't dry out too quickly. I've been using Miracle Grow but it dries out very quickly.
  • addix
    addix Posts: 1,183
    Does anyone know of a good peat free potting compost, that doesn't dry out too quickly. I've been using Miracle Grow but it dries out very quickly.

    Sylvagrow made by Melcourt is the best peat free compost I've found so far.  By far the most consistent in terms of quality (ie lack of plastic, glass and lumps of wood that you seem to get in other brands), but is on the pricier end of the scale - I paid £9 for 40ltr bags.  It's fine enough to use for seedlings if you're into that side of gardening too.
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  • jonseventyfive
    jonseventyfive Posts: 3,353
    Quality peat free with a bag of well rotted manure, mine from B&Q , mixed up bag for bag to give it a little more omph.
  • I thought this was quite interesting.

    I planted my tomatoes out in containers six weeks ago and gave them a good soaking.  Since then I haven't watered them once.  My brand new moisture meters suggest that the soil is still moist half way down and verging on wet at the bottom.  (The left meter is deeper down).

    I know we haven't seen much sunshine this year, but even so quite surprising. I think I may well have over-watered in the past.  The plants themselves seem reasonably healthy.




  • ME14addick
    ME14addick Posts: 9,761
    edited June 2024
    I bought a moisture meter like that recently and it is surprising how moist the compost is deeper down, when it appears dry on top.
  • Siv_in_Norfolk
    Siv_in_Norfolk Posts: 4,057
    I thought this was quite interesting.

    I planted my tomatoes out in containers six weeks ago and gave them a good soaking.  Since then I haven't watered them once.  My brand new moisture meters suggest that the soil is still moist half way down and verging on wet at the bottom.  (The left meter is deeper down).

    I know we haven't seen much sunshine this year, but even so quite surprising. I think I may well have over-watered in the past.  The plants themselves seem reasonably healthy.




    Don't they need a litre a day per plant? That's what I do. Too much?
  • T_C_E
    T_C_E Posts: 16,418
    Thanks to the advice and information gained from this thread our garden is transformed from the dogs playground/karzy to somewhere we both enjoy along with the dogs although it may have been different when five of them were chasing around kicking up stones, one thing that never been mentioned is the cash needed when your starting out. #Eyewatering 
    It’s still a dogs karzy, thanks Bowyer no class 😂s
  • jimmymelrose
    jimmymelrose Posts: 9,750
    JohnBoyUK said:
    Ants nests in lawn.  I've got at least three, if not more.  Whats the best way of killing them off?  I've been forking them in the past and putting ant powder in but they keep coming back .  Any ideas?
    I put a couple of kettles of boiling water on and down the nest, it kills the grass but if you are careful you can keep the affected area small and it soon grows back 
    Sounds very cruel and unnecessary to me. Just live and let live unless they are bothering you. I might kill ants if they make a nest by the terrace where we eat, or in my greenhouse where they start crawling over me. Otherwise we need to let insects live. All of them play a part in the ecosystem 
  • addix
    addix Posts: 1,183
    I bought a moisture meter like that recently and it is surprising how moist the compost is deeper down, when it appears dry on top.
    I think that is something we have to get used to with peat free compost.  It can form a crust on the surface and become hydrophobic, but be soaking wet an inch down. 
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,598
    @T_C_E with you on the prices now. We’ve just had ours done, patios, lawn, borders etc. Cost a fortune (and still need to buy new garden furniture) but they made a good job of it.


  • T_C_E
    T_C_E Posts: 16,418
    I did all the work myself @DaveMehmet (I’m no gardener/chippy and it shows) but £33/44 for a trellis panel and plants £12/25 for root or grown on rose plants. 
    I’ve had four jumbo bags of compost and one of top soil delivered at over a £100 a throw. 
    It stands me for about 2.5k and that’s without replacing the decking still to be done. 
    Still I love being out there, even in the greenhouse when it pi55ing down. 
    I’ve not a cue what I’m doing with plants but it’s fun learning and surprisingly I’ve not killed anything yet, varying success with seeds but apparently that’s the norm, not every seed will grow. 
    I’ve never gardened before and didn’t realise how good it could be mentally and even though most of it has been a struggle after recent surgery I just chill out for five minutes before going again. 
    I’m always online looking for cheaper sources for plants/seeds so if anyone has links to good ones please post them I could do with all the help I can get. 😂
  • fenlandaddick
    fenlandaddick Posts: 1,768
    edited June 2024
    If you want some native UK seeds or plants these lot are worth a look https://www.naturescape.co.uk/. Good value and good quality.
    For trees I've used these https://www.mailordertrees.co.uk/ you don't get to see before you buy. But the trees I've had from then have all flourished.