Marble Gardens & Fish Ponds

[Nungali]

I use sugar cane mulch (heaps comes from the cane farms further north) and my own bamboo mulch for pathways and non veggie growing areas, I have bamboo mulch on some of that too.

 

Mulch provides snail habitat though

 

I have set up a system (sort of) for heavy rain drainage and diversion ... thats important. Even so, after long heavy rain I have to salvage some top soil from the bottom traps (shadecloth on the ground and curving upwards down hill to trap solid run-off).

 

At times, there are creeks through here, including by the front door, its all been lined with flat river stones, so the path becomes a babbling brook (there were not enough large flat river stones here so I had to go elsewhere and park and then walk 1/2 km upstream and carry back 1 or 2 at a time. Normal river rocks I use for little retaining walls, garden beds, side of driveway, etc. I have a policy to bring at least one rock back when I go swimming - over 20 years, it adds up.

[Nungali]

Do it one patch at a time maybe.

 

My neighbours all have mechanical tillers but I don't have enough land to justify so I use one of these

 

 

you wack into the ground and soil goes everywhere ... great fun ...

 

 

I like this little fellah; 'G.I. military style pick / mattock'.

 

 

I can sit in Seiza and go slow and methodical ... much easier on my back ... plus I like sitting in the dirt. In some places I can sit on the edge of the terracing (old bridge timbers) and work the upside bed next to me.

 

Another thing of interest ( to me anyway) is that the cow horn bones I dug in are finally starting to disintegrate and go chalky more and mix with the soil ... I'll do a Ph test soon and see what happened . If it is too alkaline I can just add heaps of manure.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Nungali

[Marblehead]

Yes, that is the pick style I have mostly used.

 

And yes, using one can get old very quickly.

 

My soil is very acidic because of all the pine trees that used to grow in this area.

[Nungali]

Mine is so because of

 

1) natural state.

 

2) the old volcano

 

3) all the calcium that got sucked out through the grass and turned into moo juice. (I have also been using soluble lime - works better than the powder type - mix it with water and water it in.

[Marblehead]

My Purslane are finally coming back strong and have a few flowers. I have two areas with the domesticated variety in them. I don't care for the wild variety. And these are edible but I don't eat them.

[GrandmasterP]

Wild Purslane is called 'Pigweed' over here.

I do know that chickens love chickweed so maybe pigs like eating Purslane.

[Marblehead]

That sounds logical but I'm not sure about the rationale.

[Nungali]

Dont try to feed your dog dogbane

[Marblehead]

Dont try to feed your dog dogbane

Hehehe. No, that wouldn't be so good.

 

That's one of those plants where you just look at the flowers and that's all.

[Apech]

Dont try to feed your dog dogbane

 

 

Hey Nungali thanks for posting your martial arts training video on youtube

 

[Marblehead]

Looked like the snake lost that one.

[Apech]

Looked like the snake lost that one.

 

 

Yep its 1 - 0 to Nungali

[Marblehead]

Yep its 1 - 0 to Nungali

The lizards around my place are rather small so anything bigger than an ant would likely give them a good fight.

[Nungali]

Oh yeah ... us aussie goannas have a very cultured tradition in martial arts.

 

here is a clip from the local 'dojo'.

 

 

 

 

[Marblehead]

Hehehe. You Aussies can't beat our American Rednecks. Rednecks would have had the straps tied to their penis.

[GrandmasterP]

Hehehe. You Aussies can't beat our American Rednecks. Rednecks would have had the straps tied to their penis.

 

Well it can get mighty lonesome up in them thar hills of a long winter.

[Nungali]

Hehehe. You Aussies can't beat our American Rednecks. Rednecks would have had the straps tied to their penis.

 

Oh yeah ... we do that here to, but I thought putting up a vid here from 'Iron Rod Chi Gung' might not be appreciated.

 

Us Aussies is tough ... we practice for ' Iron Crotch' technique while bungee jumping

Edited April 8, 2014 by Nungali

[Marblehead]

I'm going to go watch my flowers grow. I think we have taken the above discussion as far as we should. Hehehe.

[GrandmasterP]

Well we were all saying how nice it was to see the butterflies again.

Down side...

Two big fat caterpillars have munched an azalea head today.

They were taking a post- prandial siesta stretched out along the stem and so well camouflaged that they took some spotting.

Mrs GMP found and consigned them with our customary farewell blessing as she squished them..

" Become a Buddha."

 

We work on the general principle here that garden pests are reincarnated formerly human pests, back here to learn a lesson .

Hence liberating them opens up brighter possibilities to them for their next time around.

Edited April 9, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Marblehead]

Yes, that is a down side of butterflies. The caterpillars must eat and grow to become butterflies.

 

Back a few years ago I had a Brim (fish) in my pond and I would occasionally grab a caterpillar and feed it to him. He was the only one I had and he died of old age.

 

In the back the only thing they can munch on are the ferns and they grow so quickly that the little they eat doesn't matter.

 

In the front it's about the same way. Once the plants that they would eat start growing they grow so fast that the little they eat doesn't matter.

 

Back when I had Canis they would terrorize those plants. But the Canis are a hardy plant here and they always continued to grow.

[Marblehead]

I just looked out the window to the gardens while getting myself another cup of coffee and saw one catbird and two pigeons chowing down. The sparrows, finches and wrens must have partied last night and haven't woke up yet.

[Marblehead]

Well, my first two Daylilies of the season opened overnight. They are the medium yellow ones with the lightly frilled outer edges of the pedals. So pretty. I have missed them while they were out of season.

[GrandmasterP]

Just done the mowing, down to every five days now.

The Japanese Maple in the front garden is in full flower.

Clever little tree.

The leaves are just coming on so very small.

It puts out pendulous bunches of tiny red flowers under the small leaves.

The flowers get the sun because the leaves are still small and the bees are all over the flowers.

Truly amazing is nature.

That tree is different every week.

Soon it will be in full leaf they go from almost silver, through a vivid lime green to dark green then at the back end it turns bright red, then finally copper coloured.

Then the leaves fall off ready to start over again next spring.

My neighbour across the field is programmed to the sound of our mower.

As soon as I put our mower away, guaranteed, hers starts up.

Every time.

Edited April 30, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Marblehead]

I got some rain last night so it won't be long I'll have to get my mower out too.

 

Daylilies are doing good. Only the yellow ones have come into bloom so far. Snapdragons are doing great. A few of the older ones are spent and I will have to remove them soon.

 

Moss Roses are doing well but half of them are growing in places they 'aren't supposed' to be so they will be transplanted soon.

 

One of my Creeping Trumpets is being true to its name this year. I have about a dozen plants sprouting up in areas where I don't really want them. I'll likely have to dig the feeder root(s) up to keep them only where I want them.

 

Fish ponds and fish are doing fine.

[Nungali]

http://img0.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/c/5/3970/3970473_sprite198.swf

Edited May 7, 2014 by Nungali