"Petesin" wh@tthe**** wrote in message
...
I have only just this year decided to try growing some plants. Didn't
really know what I was doing and now I think I need some help!

The garden beds are new (never had gardens there before) I dug up the
existing soil added horse manure and more soil from a big hole I dug
behind the shed to raise it up a little. Got the soil tested and I was
told to add sulphur (found that interesting as around here we have a big
red and white stack that pumps sulphur into the air all day long). I added
the sulphur and the resulting tests seemed to show it did the trick.

I went and bought myself some plants from the local nursery that seemed to
match the shade/sun exposure for my gardens and planted them along with
some "5 in 1". He said it was good stuff and would help them along nicely.

I put in a basic watering system that gives them plenty of water (very
little watering restrictions here) and let them go. The results were very
poor. I lost one and the others didn't grow much at all. Some of the
leaves were turning yellow but I was willing to give them the benifit of
the doubt as it was coming into autumn and I thought their growing season
was taking a break. During winter I dug in some blood and bone and
watered them with 'trace elements' and they started to pick up a bit. Now
spring has sprung and the geisha's have started to come good after a light
pruning but the leaves on the gardenias and 'sweet love' out the back are
starting to turn yellow again and the leaves on the other plants seem to
be browning off too.

2 weeks ago while fertilising the lawn with grow force 303 I decided to
throw some around the base of the plants too. Was this a mistake? It's
only since then that the plants have started to turn on me. Should I give
them another hit of blood and bone and the trace elements that seemed to
work last time? The bloke on ABC radio always talks about sulphate of
potash. Can that stuff help me out? I really have no idea and just want
some plants to grow.

I'm sorry this was so long but I just wanted to give you a good idea of
what I have done so far.
Also I live in NW QLD and it's starting to get very hot very quickly so I
want to use this spring and summer to really get my gardens going.

During my time in the Isa I found the guy in West st to be fairly knowing.
Unless he sold out or something. The good thing is that you can grow pumkins
12 months of the year. Mine started again after the winter solstice. Good
luck and Moondarra water is good if a little too chlorinated.
Jim