In article , Bob Hobden
writes
ou can buy sheets of plastic insect proof netting (or was it shade
cloth?), green in colour, and I've used a piece of that cut to shape to
fit the bottom of the pot in the past to stop ants using the pots as a
nest. Worked for me.


J cloths are good for that too.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , says...
Adam Funk writes:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...d-wives-tales-
gardens
or
http://gu.com/p/2yyd7

This was the one that shocked me:

Crocks in pots improve drainage
...
False: a drainage layer in the bottom of pots reduces the volume of
soil available to plant roots. Don't add gravel or crocks, but ensure
pots have drainage holes.

I always feel silly when on all the TV shows they say to add grit to
compost whenever you re-plant anything for drainage, but garden centres
don't sell bags of grit in their compost section, so what are you meant
to do?? Big bags of grit from the aggregate section in B&Q? How coarse
should the stones be?

Wish they'd answer these questions for the noobs like me

kate xx

They do sell grit in garden centres, along with sharp sand and bigger
stones, its not the cheapist way to buy grit but for smallish quantities
its probably not worth sourcing cheap bulk grit (hoticultral suppliers)
Its generally in smaller bags typically around 25KG, try asking "where
have you hidden the grit"?!
If you want to acheive the same effect without the weight use perlite
instead of grit.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 2011-01-13, Paul Luton wrote:

On 11/01/2011 20:39, Adam Funk wrote:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...-tales-gardens
or
http://gu.com/p/2yyd7

This was the one that shocked me:


I was shocked by the theoretical treatment of the urine question.
Basically that you don't need to add nitrogen. Good case for a
controlled experiment methinks.

Then in a question on coffee grounds they say "add to the compost heap
as they are high in nitrogen"

Interesting point.

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes
If you want to acheive the same effect without the weight use perlite
instead of grit.


I like vermiculite, not had much success with Perlite. I sprinkle it on
top of seeds as well it's never too heavy for very small seeds.
Good for getting drainage when doing cuttings.

Best stuff i ever sued when first potting up cuttings was a block which
first had to be soaked and swelled to about 8 times it's size but when
used in the pots and with a tiny bit of slow release added gave me
absolutely stupendous root growth on all the cuttings. Not so food for
second potting on but for the first it seems to encourage really good
root growth and you don't want to burn bay roots with strong fertiliser
anyway.
Think i got the coir brick as a freeby from Wiggly Wiggler's when first
bought a wormery. Not seen them much since.

Must look for it again. i had forgotten my success

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Amersham Gardening Association
http://www.amersham-gardening.net

On Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:55:47 +0000, Janet Tweedy
wrote:

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes
If you want to acheive the same effect without the weight use perlite
instead of grit.


I like vermiculite, not had much success with Perlite. I sprinkle it on
top of seeds as well it's never too heavy for very small seeds.
Good for getting drainage when doing cuttings.

Best stuff i ever sued when first potting up cuttings was a block which
first had to be soaked and swelled to about 8 times it's size but when
used in the pots and with a tiny bit of slow release added gave me
absolutely stupendous root growth on all the cuttings. Not so food for
second potting on but for the first it seems to encourage really good
root growth and you don't want to burn bay roots with strong fertiliser
anyway.
Think i got the coir brick as a freeby from Wiggly Wiggler's when first
bought a wormery. Not seen them much since.

Must look for it again. i had forgotten my success

Janet

I've been using coir exclusively for 3 years to grow on seedlings and
plug plants and get much better results than the days when I used
"ordinary" composts. For sowing seed I mix coir with John Innes No. 1
on a roughly 50-50 basis.

My feeding regime is now very much "QVC" - I use Richard Jackson's
Flower Power range as, again, I find I get much better results with it
than with Phostrogen, Miracle Grow and the like. I don't feed any more
than I would were I using ordinary compost.

When planting up my baskets and wall planters I use a mix of about 25%
compost and 75% coir with some added "Rain Gel" (combined water
retaining granules and controlled release feed) for good measure. I
don't use coir in tubs though.

I get the large "bricks" that make about 70 litres when you water them
(I use the wheelbarrow for this) - I bought a "job lot" last year from
a local garden store which worked out only about 25p a brick more than
equivalent bags of compost. I notice that Ferndale Lodge are selling
this size for about £19 for three.

"The Garden" January edition has an article on peat free compost,
including coir.

Incidentally, where I need to line a basket, I use the similar blocks
of dried, compressed moss. Much more fun to do than just stick in a
pre-made liner, looks a lot better and often lasts for a couple of
years befoire going on the compost heap. And a lot cheaper than bags
of moss in the garden centre.

Jake

In article , Jake
writes
I get the large "bricks" that make about 70 litres when you water them
(I use the wheelbarrow for this) - I bought a "job lot" last year from
a local garden store which worked out only about 25p a brick more than
equivalent bags of compost. I notice that Ferndale Lodge are selling
this size for about £19 for three.


Any names or makes I could Google Jake? I thought it was brilliant and
so easy to store and to carry about until you wanted to expand it.

Roots seem to love it and it didn't become overdry or overwet.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:02:21 +0000, Janet Tweedy
wrote:

In article , Jake
writes
I get the large "bricks" that make about 70 litres when you water them
(I use the wheelbarrow for this) - I bought a "job lot" last year from
a local garden store which worked out only about 25p a brick more than
equivalent bags of compost. I notice that Ferndale Lodge are selling
this size for about £19 for three.


Any names or makes I could Google Jake? I thought it was brilliant and
so easy to store and to carry about until you wanted to expand it.

Roots seem to love it and it didn't become overdry or overwet.

Hi Janet. I don't use Google but in Bing I've just searched on "coir
bricks" and got a lengthy listing. Try that. Jake

On Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:39:07 +0000, kay
wrote:


'Paul Luton[_2_ Wrote:
[...]

Then in a question on coffee grounds they say "add to the compost heap
as they are high in nitrogen"


giggle I didn't spot that one!!

But are they actually high in nitrogen? This is a genuine request for
information, not a challenge. I thought it was leaves that held most
of the nitrogen in a plant, not the seeds.

--
Mike.