Gardening Thread

[Walter]

Help me out here guys. My gardening skills consist of tidying and cutting back so I'm pretty clueless as to what particular blight is currently devouring the plants in my garden or what to do to get rid of it. I'll give you a couple of pictures and any advice would be appreciated.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

I’ve got a way of getting rid of caterpillars. 

[Walter]

Just looks like caterpillars to me. Not a huge amount you can do about it now they're here, you'd need to cover them in mesh next spring to stop the adults laying eggs.

I took the photos just before spending a few hours clearing away the ivy, weeds and general mess behind the bushes and there I found Scotland's entire population of snails. Absolutely hoaching with them. As I've never seen a caterpillar on the bushes do you think the snails are the culprits?

[Walter]

I’ve got a way of getting rid of caterpillars. 

Please go on.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

3 minutes ago, Walter said:

10 minutes ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

I’ve got a way of getting rid of caterpillars. 

Please go on.

Bit fiddly but it works.

[Walter]

Bit fiddly but it works.

[emoji23]

[mathematics]

This only visitors I’m welcoming to the garden this year.

[mishtergrolsch]

2 hours ago, Walter said:

2 hours ago, MixuFruit said:

Just looks like caterpillars to me. Not a huge amount you can do about it now they're here, you'd need to cover them in mesh next spring to stop the adults laying eggs.

I took the photos just before spending a few hours clearing away the ivy, weeds and general mess behind the bushes and there I found Scotland's entire population of snails. Absolutely hoaching with them. As I've never seen a caterpillar on the bushes do you think the snails are the culprits?

I'd agree with Mixu and say its Caterpillar tbh. They're probably hiding under the leaves or even low down on stems hard to get to. I say Caterpillar as the damage is mostly from the edge of the leaf working inwards rather than big holes in the centre of the leaves which is more typical of slugs and snails. 

If you've found loads of snails etc it's probably a joint effort. Eliminate as much of their hiding spots as possible by clearing leaves and let air and light in where you can.  Aside from slug pellets, garlic granules, salt (which would just as much damage to the plants tbh) you're going to be busy picking them off and launching them I to neighbours gardens or wherever I'm afraid. 

Encourage as many birds into your garden as possible in that area too - they'll keep on top of most common pests like snails and Caterpillars for you better than anything else. 

[Walter]

I'd agree with Mixu and say its Caterpillar tbh. They're probably hiding under the leaves or even low down on stems hard to get to. I say Caterpillar as the damage is mostly from the edge of the leaf working inwards rather than big holes in the centre of the leaves which is more typical of slugs and snails. 
If you've found loads of snails etc it's probably a joint effort. Eliminate as much of their hiding spots as possible by clearing leaves and let air and light in where you can.  Aside from slug pellets, garlic granules, salt (which would just as much damage to the plants tbh) you're going to be busy picking them off and launching them I to neighbours gardens or wherever I'm afraid. 
Encourage as many birds into your garden as possible in that area too - they'll keep on top of most common pests like snails and Caterpillars for you better than anything else. 

Thanks, that's really helpful. I've cleared out their hiding places put down slug pellets (they've been lying in the hut for the best part of a decade so we'll see if they still have any potency) and I have plenty of bird feeders in the garden. I didn't think birds ate snails btw.
There's one more thing I'm hoping someone might be able to educate me on. There's a tree in the corner of my garden that I really love as it's a favourite for sparrows, starlings etc and as it was there when we moved in I've no idea what kind of tree it is. Can anyone enlighten me?

[aaa]

30 minutes ago, Walter said:

Thanks, that's really helpful. I've cleared out their hiding places put down slug pellets (they've been lying in the hut for the best part of a decade so we'll see if they still have any potency) and I have plenty of bird feeders in the garden. I didn't think birds ate snails btw.
There's one more thing I'm hoping someone might be able to educate me on. There's a tree in the corner of my garden that I really love as it's a favourite for sparrows, starlings etc and as it was there when we moved in I've no idea what kind of tree it is. Can anyone enlighten me?

I'm no expert but it looks like a willow to me.

[Walter]

Thanks guys. Much obliged.

[mishtergrolsch]

3 hours ago, Walter said:

Thanks, that's really helpful. I've cleared out their hiding places put down slug pellets (they've been lying in the hut for the best part of a decade so we'll see if they still have any potency) and I have plenty of bird feeders in the garden. I didn't think birds ate snails btw.
There's one more thing I'm hoping someone might be able to educate me on. There's a tree in the corner of my garden that I really love as it's a favourite for sparrows, starlings etc and as it was there when we moved in I've no idea what kind of tree it is. Can anyone enlighten me?

It's a weeping ornamental pear called Pyrus salicifolia 'pendula'. Looks like a willow but it's not.

Beautiful trees. That's a cracker.

Edited June 7, 2020 by mishtergrolsch
Poor botanical nomenclature. Tut tut.

[mishtergrolsch]

It's a tree I've had a lot of dealings with, I've planted and maintained loads over the years. Everyone looks at you oddly when you explain it's a pear and not a willow 

Conversations usually go 

"What's that tree?"

"Its a pear tree"

"Nah it's no. Whars the pears then?"

"Its ornamental, dosent bear fruit"

"Pretty pointless pear tree then, isnt it then?"

*sigh*

 

Pyrus = pear

Salicifolia = willow like leaves

"Pendula" means weeping or hanging.

[Dee Man]

Is pulling a long weed root all the way out without it snapping better than sex? It can't be far off. 

[Nkomo-A-Gogo]

Had scarlet lily beetles on my lillies and they devoured them down to the stumps. The larvae are awful things. They cover themselves in their own shite for protection.  Due to having loads of time I picked them off one at a time with tweezers and sent them to hell. I'll know to look out for them next year.

[alta-pete]

1 hour ago, Nkomo-A-Gogo said:

Had scarlet lily beetles on my lillies and they devoured them down to the stumps. The larvae are awful things. They cover themselves in their own shite for protection.  Due to having loads of time I picked them off one at a time with tweezers and sent them to hell. I'll know to look out for them next year.

Wee b*****ds. I just go chemical on them. Come back every year, f**k knows where from.

[mishtergrolsch]

8 minutes ago, alta-pete said:

Wee b*****ds. I just go chemical on them. Come back every year, f**k knows where from.

They overwinter in the ground or in compost in plant pots. They bury in and hibernate then lay about 500 eggs each in spring. Best thing to do is to sneak up quietly (if they feel the vibrations of footsteps they'll fall off the plant and play dead or hide) then pick them off and kill the fuckers and you'll have to do that every few days for the while summer tbh.

Or spray with a chemical with Pyrethrum in it on a regular basis.

[mishtergrolsch]

5 hours ago, MixuFruit said:

Anyone know any ways to get a compost heap to warm up? It's good and warm in the middle but I still have weeds germinating out the top of it. Also technique on turning it would be welcome, I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of getting the outsides into the inside and vice versa.

How and what are you adding to your heap? Is it just grass from the garden? Kitchen waste? 

How often do you turn the heap?

How many compost "bays" do you have? 

If you can, build it in layers, fresh grass then, say straw, dried nettle stems or even wood chip etc, just something more fiberous and dry on top then more grass. Helps keep the air flow and in turn helps keep your heap aerobic and smelling like actual compost and not a rotting pile of shite.

If you have space have two bays side by side. One for piling stuff into and the other for turning the first pile into after a fortnight or monthly or so or however often you can be arsed turning it. Make the bay out of pallets or something so the air can get into the sides and bottom too.

If you only have space for one then it's going to be a shovel it out and shovel it back in job. Pile the top half to one side and the bottom to another then top goes back in first and bottom goes on top. Make sure its damp but not soaking.

In both cases get yourself some old carpet and chuck that on top to keep the moisture in and the weeds down. 

You can always get some Garotta which helps the process but I'm not 100% if its organic if that's a big thing for you or not.

The key to it really is air and moisture for the bacteria to do their job. You'll struggle to get the pile up to the temperatures needed to kill all weed seeds in a small heap but the less weeds you put in the better.

I remember an old boy on an allotment years ago telling me he used to pish in a 2ltr Coke bottle then top it up with water and pour it on his compost once a week and that kept it damp and sped up the composting process. I have never done this and have no idea if it's true but if all else fails...

Edited June 11, 2020 by mishtergrolsch

[Alert Mongoose]

There’s Mare’s Tail in the middle of it. Run for the hills

[die hard doonhamer]

Redid my garden last year to be ultra low maintenance. Now starting to put a bit of colour in it with some planters and hanging baskets. Thinking a raised bed might be the next project, potentially for strawberries.