Water restrictions and gardens
 

There is one thing I have noticed about water restrictions in
Melbourne. When people's lawns die out they are replaced by weeds and
large bare patches. The overall effect is to make the garden look
exceedingly bad. People just give up tending it altogether since no
matter what you do it will look bad.

Many gardens in my suburb were showpieces - now they look like the kind
of gardens that yobbo's have. When I drive across Melbourne at the end
of summer I see a parched strangled looking city that is a shadow of
its former self. Clearly it is a city that has lost its pride. State
Governments used to call Victoria the garden state. You'll note that
this description has dissapeared from the lexicon. It would be a joke
to continue using it.

There appears to be a change afoot regarding gardens, especially lawns.
Peter Cundall recently said something to the effect that lawns are a
thing of the past and appearred to be endorsing the new parched look of
Australian cities. I suspect he hasnt had sex in a long time.

New drought hardy gardens are being pushed. These generally consist of
large areas of gravel and half strangled looking flax type plants that
you see in deserts. I am reminded of a scene in the movie "Sparticus"
where Kirk Douglas is working in some sort of open cut mine. All you
see is gravel gravel gravel. These type of gardens are appalling - when
you compare them to a traditional garden like Melbourne's botanical
gardens the effect is stark.

What worries me is what fate lies in store for my garden. I have
invested a lot of time in it and take pride in it. In addition, it is
the only way I have of expressing my creativity. It's my own little
patch of the world that I regard as a tranquil refuge from a world
that's spinning off its hinges.Now it would seem that I am destined to
have a yobbo style garden or else one of those appalling gravel themed
gardens.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"Nick" wrote in message
oups.com...
There is one thing I have noticed about water restrictions in
Melbourne. When people's lawns die out they are replaced by weeds and
large bare patches. The overall effect is to make the garden look
exceedingly bad. People just give up tending it altogether since no
matter what you do it will look bad.

Many gardens in my suburb were showpieces - now they look like the kind
of gardens that yobbo's have. When I drive across Melbourne at the end
of summer I see a parched strangled looking city that is a shadow of
its former self. Clearly it is a city that has lost its pride. State
Governments used to call Victoria the garden state. You'll note that
this description has dissapeared from the lexicon. It would be a joke
to continue using it.

There appears to be a change afoot regarding gardens, especially lawns.
Peter Cundall recently said something to the effect that lawns are a
thing of the past and appearred to be endorsing the new parched look of
Australian cities. I suspect he hasnt had sex in a long time.

New drought hardy gardens are being pushed. These generally consist of
large areas of gravel and half strangled looking flax type plants that
you see in deserts. I am reminded of a scene in the movie "Sparticus"
where Kirk Douglas is working in some sort of open cut mine. All you
see is gravel gravel gravel. These type of gardens are appalling - when
you compare them to a traditional garden like Melbourne's botanical
gardens the effect is stark.

What worries me is what fate lies in store for my garden. I have
invested a lot of time in it and take pride in it. In addition, it is
the only way I have of expressing my creativity. It's my own little
patch of the world that I regard as a tranquil refuge from a world
that's spinning off its hinges.Now it would seem that I am destined to
have a yobbo style garden or else one of those appalling gravel themed
gardens.

Do you have the money and a spot to put in a tank? If so do it and prepare
for next year's summer. It will rain again, and as BP said be prepared.

Jim
Waiting for rain in southern inland Qld.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"Nick" wrote in message

There appears to be a change afoot regarding gardens, especially
lawns.
Peter Cundall recently said something to the effect that lawns are a
thing of the past and appearred to be endorsing the new parched look
of
Australian cities. I suspect he hasnt had sex in a long time.

That is an extremely silly thing to say. You just spent ages telling
us that your suburb looks ghastly, gardens now look they are owned by
yobbos, the State is no longer called the garden State, but then say
that a garden expert who SHOULD notice how hard it is to maintain
lawns in our new drier climate hasn't had sex in a long
time!!!!!!!!!!! If you think that Cundall hasn't had sex lately then
by your own post about dying lawns and yobbos, you indicate that you
must be a virgin.

You may not like not having a lawn but its the new reality unless you
are prepared to do some serious work.

New drought hardy gardens are being pushed.

And sensibly so.

These generally consist of
large areas of gravel and half strangled looking flax type plants
that
you see in deserts.

You haven't looked close enough or hard enough. Look up Michael McCoy
for a start. His gardens do feature gravel but then so do most of the
best gardens in Britain. It's a great medium for keeping the place
looking neat and simply wonderful as a growing medium on the edges of
paths for self seeders.

And if you know anything about gardening then you will recognise the
name of Beth Chatto who is one of Britian's greatest gardeners and
gardens in a very dry location. Get her book on gravel gardening out
of the library and then come back and tell us how ugly gravel is, if
you dare. Her dry gravel garden is qunitessentially lush English
gardening at its best.

It's al labout plant choice and design for beauty not about ow much
water you can waste.

What worries me is what fate lies in store for my garden. I have
invested a lot of time in it and take pride in it. In addition, it
is
the only way I have of expressing my creativity. It's my own little
patch of the world that I regard as a tranquil refuge from a world
that's spinning off its hinges.Now it would seem that I am destined
to
have a yobbo style garden or else one of those appalling gravel
themed
gardens.

Then get off your butt and do some research. You can still have a
very beautiful and traditional garden but you need to make wise plant
choices and have a very small patch of lawn which may not be a grass
lawn.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

snipped good reply
Then get off your butt and do some research. You can still have a
very beautiful and traditional garden but you need to make wise plant
choices and have a very small patch of lawn which may not be a grass
lawn.


Absolutely. I've managed to have great gardens in SE qld, which hasn't had
decent rain for, oh, about 10 years. Still, we are all used to it, and have
tanks and recycle all water instead of having automated sprinkler systems
galore as all your apparently garden guru neighbours most likely had. I had
roses, herbs, vegies, the works, all on water bucketed out from washing
machine and bath; as we were buying water at $80 every two weeks, every drop
was precious. I wasn't the only one, everyone else in the community does
too. Now I live in the tropics, I still use my watering can; a hose just
doesn't feel right. Time you people who've had water while the rest of
australia hasn't adjust your gardening methods, buy some tanks, and get on
with life. Moaning about how sad your dead lawn is and expecting the
government to build bigger dams won't cause rain, and it will evaporate from
the dams when it does. If you have a tank, you'll be laughing over your
green lush garden while those around you complain. Oh, and learn to mulch.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Nick wrote:

Many gardens in my suburb were showpieces - now they look like the kind
of gardens that yobbo's have. When I drive across Melbourne at the end
of summer I see a parched strangled looking city that is a shadow of
its former self. Clearly it is a city that has lost its pride.

Nope, you are an idiot with his head up his arse.

There appears to be a change afoot regarding gardens, especially lawns.
Peter Cundall recently said something to the effect that lawns are a
thing of the past and appearred to be endorsing the new parched look of
Australian cities. I suspect he hasnt had sex in a long time.

Lawns are a totally fscking useless idea and there is a mile long list
as to what is wrong with them

New drought hardy gardens are being pushed. These generally consist of
large areas of gravel and half strangled looking flax type plants that
you see in deserts.

Stop watching commercial TVs and start to think for yourself. Gardens
that look like a design from a TV show just show what low inteeligence
you have.


What worries me is what fate lies in store for my garden.

Since you are such an obvious selfish dickwad, may I suggest you install
a greywater diverter to water your lawn.


They were right, future wars will be fought over water {:-).
Everyone in the street stopped wasting water on their luscious lawns,
except one selfish prick who continue to pour it one. I wonder why it
died? He does have bare ground.

Lol, I love my culturally diverse front verge; paspalum, bindi, barell
medic, white clover, red clover, something bird cage keepers keep
knocking off, dandelion, oats(?) and kikuyu.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"meeee" wrote in message
...
snipped good reply
Then get off your butt and do some research. You can still have a
very beautiful and traditional garden but you need to make wise plant
choices and have a very small patch of lawn which may not be a grass
lawn.


Absolutely. I've managed to have great gardens in SE qld, which hasn't had
decent rain for, oh, about 10 years. Still, we are all used to it, and
have
tanks and recycle all water instead of having automated sprinkler systems
galore as all your apparently garden guru neighbours most likely had. I
had
roses, herbs, vegies, the works, all on water bucketed out from washing
machine and bath; as we were buying water at $80 every two weeks, every
drop
was precious. I wasn't the only one, everyone else in the community does
too. Now I live in the tropics, I still use my watering can; a hose just
doesn't feel right. Time you people who've had water while the rest of
australia hasn't adjust your gardening methods, buy some tanks, and get on
with life. Moaning about how sad your dead lawn is and expecting the
government to build bigger dams won't cause rain, and it will evaporate
from
the dams when it does. If you have a tank, you'll be laughing over your
green lush garden while those around you complain. Oh, and learn to mulch.

and if you don't already do it cut your lawn high and mulch the grass back
in to it.

rob

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"George.com" wrote in message
...

"meeee" wrote in message
...
snipped good reply
Then get off your butt and do some research. You can still have a
very beautiful and traditional garden but you need to make wise plant
choices and have a very small patch of lawn which may not be a grass
lawn.


Absolutely. I've managed to have great gardens in SE qld, which hasn't
had
decent rain for, oh, about 10 years. Still, we are all used to it, and
have
tanks and recycle all water instead of having automated sprinkler systems
galore as all your apparently garden guru neighbours most likely had. I
had
roses, herbs, vegies, the works, all on water bucketed out from washing
machine and bath; as we were buying water at $80 every two weeks, every
drop
was precious. I wasn't the only one, everyone else in the community does
too. Now I live in the tropics, I still use my watering can; a hose just
doesn't feel right. Time you people who've had water while the rest of
australia hasn't adjust your gardening methods, buy some tanks, and get
on
with life. Moaning about how sad your dead lawn is and expecting the
government to build bigger dams won't cause rain, and it will evaporate
from
the dams when it does. If you have a tank, you'll be laughing over your
green lush garden while those around you complain. Oh, and learn to
mulch.

and if you don't already do it cut your lawn high and mulch the grass back
in to it.

rob


Yep, great tip there....or do what DH does and don't cut it at all :)

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"meeee" wrote in message
...

the dams when it does. If you have a tank, you'll be laughing over your
green lush garden while those around you complain. Oh, and learn to
mulch.

and if you don't already do it cut your lawn high and mulch the grass
back
in to it.

rob


Yep, great tip there....or do what DH does and don't cut it at all :)

oh please, you people, lawns are just SO passé anyway - pete cundall's
right. g

anyway, i'm just wondering if someone who trolls a gardening n.g. is called
a gnome. :-S
kylie

Water restrictions and gardens
 

g'day nick,

mmm did post a reply seems to have gotten lost?

anyhow if gardeners have thought it through for this predominately dry
country of ours, they would be nurturing indemic native species very
suited to the gardeners growing conditions. no good trying to grow a
water loving plant in a garden that doesn't get lots of rain, as it is
the same with the aspect of the yard and where gardens are ie.,.
things that need a northern or eastern aspect may not do terribly well
on a western aspect.

the asian infuence may suit some if they want that ordered look but to
me they always seem hotter and drier gardens in our climate.

and every gardener should be making use of the recycled water, and
have a rainwater tank of sunbstantial capacity installed.

but i do applaud those who have let their lawns/garden go to rack and
ruin so to speak, so called weeds are better than nothing just shows
what could be achieved in gardens if a lesson was taken from the
weeds.

and at the end of the day the use of mushroom compost in gardens and
then covered with heaps of usefull mulch eg.,. hay, sugar cane
mulches, the gardens won't dry out as much, and use far less water.
and if garens are planted along the contours and stgructures are set
to trap run off water and put it underground that will bring up the
moisture capacity of the whole yard.

On 17 Oct 2006 05:04:14 -0700, "Nick" wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.gardenlen.com

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"gardenlen" wrote in message
...
g'day nick,

mmm did post a reply seems to have gotten lost?

anyhow if gardeners have thought it through for this predominately dry
country of ours, they would be nurturing indemic native species very
suited to the gardeners growing conditions. no good trying to grow a
water loving plant in a garden that doesn't get lots of rain, as it is
the same with the aspect of the yard and where gardens are ie.,.
things that need a northern or eastern aspect may not do terribly well
on a western aspect.

but i do applaud those who have let their lawns/garden go to rack and
ruin so to speak, so called weeds are better than nothing just shows
what could be achieved in gardens if a lesson was taken from the
weeds.

and at the end of the day the use of mushroom compost in gardens and
then covered with heaps of usefull mulch eg.,. hay, sugar cane
mulches, the gardens won't dry out as much, and use far less water.
and if garens are planted along the contours and stgructures are set
to trap run off water and put it underground that will bring up the
moisture capacity of the whole yard.

unfortunately on many lawns Len they are dead level, such is the appeal of
manicured grass. If you want rain we'll gladly give you some, it has been
cool and wet this month after a glorious warm and sunny september.

How your garden, is the mushroom compost still going ok? Given its low mix
of NPK my suspicion is that it will be depleted in a growing season with
around 1/2 the nutrients used up. What are your experiences with it long
term? I have used some as a base in a raised bed which has just been planted
with lettuces.

Rob

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Here in WA water shortages have been with us since the late 1960's, and look
like continuing for a goodly while yet.

If it comes down to a choice of potable water coming from my drinking tap,
or a green lawn I sure as hell know which choice I'd make.

My 2 cents worth is that Nick adapt to the new water way of the world or go
the way of the other dinosaurs.

Flooz in a hot dry WA!


"Nick" wrote in message
oups.com...
There is one thing I have noticed about water restrictions in
Melbourne. When people's lawns die out they are replaced by weeds and
large bare patches. The overall effect is to make the garden look
exceedingly bad. People just give up tending it altogether since no
matter what you do it will look bad.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

g'day rob,

you can send the rain anytime you like mate, we will welcome it with
open arms.

we pretty much use mushy compost exclusively it is affordable and easy
to get, have you seen our latest project on our site?

i ahve read a lot of comment that is sort of against mushy but for us
those things never happen, we are growing summe crops in our beds
(just started last autumn) after a full crop of brassicas still with
some cabbages to come and silverbeet still abound from the plants
first planted in the autumn.

we use hay mulches and add our kitchen scraps under the mulch so this
all feeds the agrden along with when a crop is finished the remains
gets pulled and broken up roughly (no shredder this time) and laid
back on that spot and covered with mulch, now next autumn i reckon
we'll be adding more mushy on top of what is there and mulching that
and on we go.

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 23:51:18 +1300, "George.com"
wrote:


"gardenlen" wrote in message
.. .
snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.gardenlen.com

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"gardenlen" wrote in message
...
g'day rob,

you can send the rain anytime you like mate, we will welcome it with
open arms.

we pretty much use mushy compost exclusively it is affordable and easy
to get, have you seen our latest project on our site?

i ahve read a lot of comment that is sort of against mushy but for us
those things never happen,

salt content? I have read certain comment but that surely would depend on
from what the compost is made.

rob

Water restrictions and gardens
 

g'day george,

pretty much all mushroom compost straight from the farm i would expect
to be the same/similar product, so what may be in one i would expect
to find in another.

i have read that some say there are ph problems, but so far in all the
years we have used it all things have grown well, the pictures on our
page must show that? and the end result product as well.

salt is probably in everything even the natural landscape, and salt is
bandied around as someway to influence chat eg.,. there is a recipe on
our site to make liquid detergent for clothes etc.,. i contains 1 cup
of washing soda (salt), i've had people target that cup of salt (mind
you when the regular off the shelf items don't even list salt), and
say that this is not good to recycle in the garden.

we ahve used our grey water for over a decade even with off the shelf
items, and no problems as all our plants are always healthy.

and at the end of the day it leaves me pondering how one cup of salt
in 20 litres of product distributed through 6,400 litres of end
product grey water, spread over a whole garden. and our worm
populations have always been very good you don't get good results
without them.

how many gardenrs use fertilisers that contain sulphate? lots and lots
i would say, a scientific person once pointed out to me that when you
mix water with sulphate you get sulphuric acid, and those products
that contain that for the main probably have anyhwere between 5% & 20%
max of the other active ingredients.

so i guess i said all that to say observations and results just don't
support the negative camps theories.



On Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:03:14 +1300, "George.com"
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.gardenlen.com

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Every ounce of our used water goes back into our ground as we have a
Septech treatment plant. Treated waste (black & grey water) is
dispersed via dripper lines - it's clean and clear enough to even
provide a veggie garden with but it is not recommended but really you
could. Nearly every property in our area has these and it's always
green wherever one is installed.

Some builders of new homes are now incorporating treatment plants and I
certainly don't know whether you can have one on your average suburban
block but on a bigger block I think every new house should seriously
consider treating their own waste and it's worth considering putting
them into older existing dwellings/properties. If most people did this
it would be an enormous help re our water problems. Our water needs to
be valued like liquid gold.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

0tterbot wrote:


anyway, i'm just wondering if someone who trolls a gardening n.g. is called
a gnome. :-S
kylie

Haa, yes!

Water restrictions and gardens
 

gardenlen wrote:

you can send the rain anytime you like mate, we will welcome it with
open arms.


With open buckets, Len, buckets.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Linda H wrote:

Nearly every property in our area has these and it's always
green wherever one is installed.


I just wanted to add that the reason (of course) we care about treating
our waste and recycling water is certainly NOT because of wanting green
lawns. That's just an added bonus - lawns are so not important.

Not only is Peter Cundall right but it appears most of us are and if
according to Nick that means we all need to get a bit more sex... well,
maybe. He could always move to a country where water doesn't need to be
cherished and leave us water-wise to our apparent sexless dry romps.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"gardenlen" wrote in message

salt is probably in everything even the natural landscape, and salt
is
bandied around as someway to influence chat eg.,. there is a recipe
on
our site to make liquid detergent for clothes etc.,. i contains 1
cup
of washing soda (salt), i've had people target that cup of salt
(mind
you when the regular off the shelf items don't even list salt), and
say that this is not good to recycle in the garden.

Huh? I know sod all about Chemistry but even I know Washing Soda is
sodium carbonate whereas salt is sodium chloride.

Are all sodiums bad for soil or just in significant quantities or
what?

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Linda H wrote:

Every ounce of our used water goes back into our ground as we have a
Septech treatment plant. Treated waste (black & grey water) is
dispersed via dripper lines - it's clean and clear enough to even
provide a veggie garden with but it is not recommended but really you
could. Nearly every property in our area has these and it's always
green wherever one is installed.

You can make the output from the septic tank cleaner by running it
through a reed pond.the plants suck up a lot of the stuff and can be
harvested (1/2 at a time?) and composted. This will make it safer for veges.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

gardenlen wrote:

salt is probably in everything even the natural landscape, and salt is
bandied around as someway to influence chat eg.,. there is a recipe on
our site to make liquid detergent for clothes etc.,. i contains 1 cup
of washing soda (salt), i've had people target that cup of salt (mind
you when the regular off the shelf items don't even list salt), and
say that this is not good to recycle in the garden.

Organic matter in the soil will suck up the salts. We have had awful
trouble getting a vege garden to grow here, until a neighbour informed
us that the previous owners had an above ground chlorine pool that they
dismantled each winter and thus dumped all that chlorine into the ground.

Our solution was basically just trucking (almost) in bags of compost
(chicken, cown and mushroom[1]) and layering the garden plots. Mostly
dug in. Eventually it comes good.


[1] How do peeps in Sydney get sheep manure. I keep hearing the greek
gardeners on TVS talking about it. The only source I have (shovel my
own) is 900 kilometres away.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Ms Leebee wrote:

In my last 2x houses, the blend was mainly kikuyu ( which I hate for it's
tendency to run inot garden beds, but man, is it hardy and green ! ),

Basically kikuyu is hanging on in Sydney with minimal watering.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"Ms Leebee" wrote in message
...
meeee wrote:

Time you people who've had water while the rest of
australia hasn't adjust your gardening methods, buy some tanks, and
get on with life. Moaning about how sad your dead lawn is and
expecting the government to build bigger dams won't cause rain, and
it will evaporate from the dams when it does. If you have a tank,
you'll be laughing over your green lush garden while those around you
complain. Oh, and learn to mulch.

Not all Victorians, meeee ;)
I've been disgusted with the 'hosing down the driveway' brigade for years
:)

I think it should be compulsory for every Australian home to own a tank
( looking forward to my own next March :)


:) I meant no slur against Victorians, as most of them are as waterwise as
any aussies....just the OP and all his water wasting friends (I don't think
i insulted Victorians...sorry if I did, didn't mean too!!)

I've got a neighbour who hoses down her driveway...constantly, very
annoying. Needless to say she has year round green lawn which she is
probably very proud of, but I don't think living in the tropics is any
excuse for water wasting....and when we buy a house, I want a tank!! I agree
on the compulsory bit!!

Water restrictions and gardens
 

On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:39:50 +1000, Terryc
wrote:

[1] How do peeps in Sydney get sheep manure. I keep hearing the greek
gardeners on TVS talking about it. The only source I have (shovel my
own) is 900 kilometres away.

This Sydney peep is unwilling to pay the exhorbitant prices garden
centres charge for sheep poo (having grown up on a sheep property, I
find it offensive to have to pay for the blasted stuff!).
I got around the problem of getting organic matter into our very
depauperate sandstone "soil" by getting onto freecycle and asking for
people with herbivorous pets and a waste disposal problem. I now have
a very satisfactory arrangement with a rabbit breeder whereby she bags
up about a trailer-load of bunny poo mixed with straw and wood
shavings each week and I cart it away and pop it onto my compost heap
and veggie patch (*). Bunny poo is, as far as I can tell, quite low
in nitrogen, so I mix in a pail of dynamic lifter per trailer load and
my garden responds beautifully. It composts down very quickly and
satisfactorily and costs me no more than a few pence in petrol to go
and pick it up.

(*) rabbit poo, like sheep and goat poo, is "cold" - unlikely to burn
plants, so is safe to pop straight onto the veggie patch.

Tish

Water restrictions and gardens
 

yes tish,

ok sheep manure is probably going to be hard to source from a major
city region, i reckon up in rural it would have been difficult as we
didn't live in sheep country.

but you source what you can eg.,. find someone with their own pet
horses (preffered above racing stables - lots of chemicals there), and
get the stable sweepings but see if they will keep the sweeping when
they wrom the animals seperate as you initially don't want that just
the good celan stuff, also you may be able to get to a dairy farm, so
that fine manure from the yards is good stuff.

we use green mulches eg.,. hay and sugar cane mulches plus add all our
kitchen scraps along with grey water and night water to our gardens,
and they aren't needing us to put manures in, i would if i could
source some easily enough but that's the limiting factor hey, not
going outa me way for it. anyhow check our garden oics reckon the
plant couldn't be healthier.


On Sat, 21 Oct 2006 12:44:01 +1000, Tish
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.gardenlen.com

Water restrictions and gardens
 

While I agree we have a drought, I also note that the corporations that
run things in Australia are acting like tin Hitlers when it comes to
enforcing and look like charging like wounded bulls for a resource that
belongs to every one.
Mismanagement of water resources, failure to act quickly when something
has sprung a leak, (when its been notified for weeks, some times months
like in the suburb of Belmore, that something is leaking) and then
charging people for water they dont receive, because they have water
allocations, but as there is a drought cannot have any this year but
still have to pay.
Water used by home consumers is only 8 to 9 % but we are being asked to
do more than any business to conserve water.

I would suggest that water used by business has to have certain things
in place to conserve water like the Car washes have. Every business
should if they use over a certain amount.
A study should be conducted for each business over a certain size in
water comsumption.

A Desalination plant should be set up near Geelong and other places
where salt is harvested to speed up salt harvesting instead of pumping
grossly saline water and wasting this precious salt enhanced water and
the nucluer power station should be set up near the sites that do so.
With the proper systems in place, it would create a worthwhile system
which for the moment slows down pollution and look for ways of spent
fuel disposal in the great australian deserts. We have vast tracts of
land and can go down miles in those places to bury this waste after
safely encasing this stuff.. There are alternatives to d(r)ying out as a
race, but I feel some thickheads could do so screaming at the top of
their lungs to save the ecology.
Anyway, thats a bigger picture than most would present here.
Am I to be run out of town for these ideas. What to others think?

I am

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"Ms Leebee" wrote in message
...
meeee wrote:
"Ms Leebee" wrote in message
...
meeee wrote:

Time you people who've had water while the rest of
australia hasn't adjust your gardening methods, buy some tanks, and
get on with life. Moaning about how sad your dead lawn is and
expecting the government to build bigger dams won't cause rain, and
it will evaporate from the dams when it does. If you have a tank,
you'll be laughing over your green lush garden while those around
you complain. Oh, and learn to mulch.

Not all Victorians, meeee ;)
I've been disgusted with the 'hosing down the driveway' brigade for
years :)

I think it should be compulsory for every Australian home to own a
tank ( looking forward to my own next March :)


:) I meant no slur against Victorians, as most of them are as
waterwise as any aussies....just the OP and all his water wasting
friends (I don't think i insulted Victorians...sorry if I did, didn't
mean too!!)

No you didn't .. I just wanted to dissassociate myself .. :)



From all the eeevil Victorians...:) Glad I didn't put both feet into my
mouth again!!

I've got a neighbour who hoses down her driveway...constantly, very
annoying. Needless to say she has year round green lawn which she is
probably very proud of, but I don't think living in the tropics is any
excuse for water wasting....and when we buy a house, I want a tank!!
I agree on the compulsory bit!!

My personal favourite is those that have not set ( or forgotten ) a
watering system, and their sodden grass is running into the gutter ... at
high noon ...

Must admit though, it's been a while, although this kind of thing was
rampant only 10yrs ago ( or maybe because I was working for a water
company at the time and more observant ? )



--



In my area, people have become more water wise; the Cairns council has us on
permanent sprinkler restrictions, even though the dam level is fine,
because, as they wisely say, it may not always be fine. So i think the
councils are maturing on water wise-ness, and people are following their
example

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"Tish" wrote in message

(*) rabbit poo, like sheep and goat poo, is "cold" - unlikely to
burn
plants, so is safe to pop straight onto the veggie patch.

The only poo I don't use fresh is chook. I like my cow plops and
horse plops to be very fresh and have never had any problems using
them anywhere.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Farm1 wrote:
"Tish" wrote in message


(*) rabbit poo, like sheep and goat poo, is "cold" - unlikely to

burn

plants, so is safe to pop straight onto the veggie patch.


The only poo I don't use fresh is chook. I like my cow plops and
horse plops to be very fresh and have never had any problems using
them anywhere.


Case in point.
These idiots wouldnt know where to start saving except at the edge of
the general public...It wouldnt be businesses that are wasting water and
they have to blame us?
One moment the Labour party in Victoria says more dams wont solve the
problem, the next we have a Labour polititcian saying (tonight) "istn it
lucky we have the huge Thompson Dam." Huh?

Anthony O'Brien from Energy Australia says that is time taken up doing
activities such as shaving, playing with toys, singing, daydreaming and
brushing teeth.

"That's an activity that perhaps people can look at whether they need to
do that in the shower or whether they can just do it over the sink," he
said.

Er Sorry mate, havent sung in the shower for years. I cant you guys are
making all the wrong noises...Its too deperessing!!!

Vote well vote often but not for the ones in power....Vote for the ones
who sing in the shower....

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Jonno wrote:
lucky we have the huge Thompson Dam." Huh?

Anthony O'Brien from Energy Australia says that is time taken up doing
activities such as shaving, playing with toys, singing, daydreaming and
brushing teeth.

"That's an activity that perhaps people can look at whether they need to
do that in the shower or whether they can just do it over the sink," he
said.
What a thick dipstick.
So, what is the difference between the water running continuously in the
hand basin whilst you shave and/or clean your teeth and it running
continuously in the shower for the extra time it takes to shave and/or
clean your teeth,.


Coming up to a long hot summer and I've just had Integral Energy out to
butcher my street side shade trees, including one poor struggling
Melaleuca amarillis[1] that would need a tone of dynamite to have a
icecube in hell's chance of touching the powerline.


[1] Yes, I know they can grow into a medium tree, in wet area, but we
are on a sandstone ridge and it has intense root competion with half the
dripzone covered by road and guttering and has done little other than
survive for 20 years.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Terryc wrote:
Jonno wrote:
lucky we have the huge Thompson Dam." Huh?


Anthony O'Brien from Energy Australia says that is time taken up doing
activities such as shaving, playing with toys, singing, daydreaming
and brushing teeth.

"That's an activity that perhaps people can look at whether they need
to do that in the shower or whether they can just do it over the
sink," he said.

What a thick dipstick.
So, what is the difference between the water running continuously in the
hand basin whilst you shave and/or clean your teeth and it running
continuously in the shower for the extra time it takes to shave and/or
clean your teeth,.


Coming up to a long hot summer and I've just had Integral Energy out to
butcher my street side shade trees, including one poor struggling
Melaleuca amarillis[1] that would need a tone of dynamite to have a
icecube in hell's chance of touching the powerline.


[1] Yes, I know they can grow into a medium tree, in wet area, but we
are on a sandstone ridge and it has intense root competion with half the
dripzone covered by road and guttering and has done little other than
survive for 20 years.
Yeah you need a university education to make statements like that. It
seems like a lot of fake certificates were issued so the Government can
make them look important. Or is that impotent?
They are also capable of making other crazy laws so people get ripped of
and use their position to throw farmers of the land and buy up
properties really cheaply when a drought hits.
Then charge you for rain water when they claim the runoff would be
theirs if they hadnt built dams.
Your Government and Corporations.
Walking hand in hand
to screw the land...

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Farm1 wrote:
Huh? I know sod all about Chemistry but even I know Washing Soda is
sodium carbonate whereas salt is sodium chloride.

Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3) is a salt. Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is table
salt, but there are many other salts.

Are all sodiums bad for soil or just in significant quantities or
what?

I would imagine that Sodium Carbonate would be just as harmful
as Sodium Chloride.

I attended a greywater workshop a couple of years ago with
Ross Mars, and he said that many washing detergents have
increased levels of salts to compensate for reduced phosphate
levels. He showed us a table showing phosphate and other salts
for dozens of brands. Interestingly, the liquid detergents all had
low salt levels, so the rule of thumb is to use liquid detergents
in preference to powders.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

wrote in message
Farm1 wrote:
Huh? I know sod all about Chemistry but even I know Washing Soda
is
sodium carbonate whereas salt is sodium chloride.

Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3) is a salt. Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is table
salt, but there are many other salts.

Are all sodiums bad for soil or just in significant quantities or
what?

I would imagine that Sodium Carbonate would be just as harmful
as Sodium Chloride.

Thanks for the response. Do you know what type of salts are involved
in dryland salinity?

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Jonno wrote:

They are also capable of making other crazy laws so people get ripped of
and use their position to throw farmers of the land and buy up
properties really cheaply when a drought hits.

Then charge you for rain water when they claim the runoff would be
theirs if they hadnt built dams.
Your Government and Corporations.
Walking hand in hand
to screw the land...

We watch Landline and we had a good laugh about little Johnny and
"drought proofing"

If something like Cubbie station which sucks an enormous amount of water
out of local rivers is having trouble now, how in heck is the ordinary
farmer supposed to "drought proof" his farm.[1]

The wentworth group guys might be spot on; the 1950-1990s were the wet
years and now it is back to normal rainfall.

[1] the only way seems to be to explode an underground nuke to great a
big underground cavern, line with bottom half with water proofing and
fill with water (from where?), but you still have to pump the blighter
back to the surface.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Terryc wrote:
What a thick dipstick.
So, what is the difference between the water running continuously in the
hand basin whilst you shave and/or clean your teeth and it running
continuously in the shower for the extra time it takes to shave and/or
clean your teeth,.

The idea is that you don't run the water continuously while shaving
or brushing your teeth. You brush/shave first, then rinse. It does
add up to quite a lot. I probably waste a litre or two a day brushing
my teeth in the shower.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"Jen" wrote in message
The idea is that you don't run the water continuously while
shaving
or brushing your teeth. You brush/shave first, then rinse. It does
add up to quite a lot. I probably waste a litre or two a day
brushing
my teeth in the shower.

Do people actually brush their teeth in the shower?? That certainly
would
waste a lot of water. It's a totally ridiculous thing to do.

I do and my showers are still briefer than those of my extended family
who are all on town water. I keep wondering what the hell they are do
in the shower to take so long, and especially since they tell me they
don't do their teeth while they are showering.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

"Terryc" wrote in message

If something like Cubbie station which sucks an enormous amount of
water
out of local rivers is having trouble now, how in heck is the
ordinary
farmer supposed to "drought proof" his farm.[1]

Did you watch "Two men in a Tinnie" and then see the latest news item
on Cubbie? I was amazed at how much water Cubbie had when the Tinnie
show was on but bone dry in the latest news item. I can't believe
that Cubbie trys to store water in what is in effect massive
evaporation ponds and then trys to justify such irresponsible action
in such flat country. Simply beggars belief.

Water restrictions and gardens
 

wrote in message
ups.com...
Terryc wrote:
What a thick dipstick.
So, what is the difference between the water running continuously in the
hand basin whilst you shave and/or clean your teeth and it running
continuously in the shower for the extra time it takes to shave and/or
clean your teeth,.

The idea is that you don't run the water continuously while shaving
or brushing your teeth. You brush/shave first, then rinse. It does
add up to quite a lot. I probably waste a litre or two a day brushing
my teeth in the shower.


Do people actually brush their teeth in the shower?? That certainly would
waste a lot of water. It's a totally ridiculous thing to do.

Jen

Water restrictions and gardens
 

Farm1 wrote:

Did you watch "Two men in a Tinnie" and then see the latest news item
on Cubbie? I was amazed at how much water Cubbie had when the Tinnie
show was on but bone dry in the latest news item. I can't believe
that Cubbie trys to store water in what is in effect massive
evaporation ponds and then trys to justify such irresponsible action
in such flat country. Simply beggars belief.

It beggars belief that the pollies allowed it.
Goes to show what the power of a political donation can do.

I was all set to talk the wife into moving to Qld (her home state) but
Beattie is turning out as bad as Joh ever was.

Water restrictions and gardens