December 21, 2024 • 24 mins
This week, Pete and Ruud answer your questions about keeping your garden in the best shape it can be this season!
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Resident Builder podcast with Peter Wolfcamp
from News Talks B.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Your News Talks B and Red Climb past is with us.
Good morning, sir.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
A very good morning to you, to you and to
you you did you? Did you enjoy the solstice yesterday?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yes? Well, to be fair, I spent most of the
day just slightly grumpy with the weather forecast because the
forecast for Auckland was hail, you know, thunderstorms, potential hail, right,
So I was like that, that's quite ominous. I'm going
to change what I'm going to do.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah, not a drop.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I know other parts of the country copped a bit,
but anyway.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
That's why God invented the economists.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Back to my previous sort of attitude to it, which
is when it starts raining, then you can stop work.
But never ever stop work, because you're the forecast.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
There's always something you can do anyway.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, oh, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, it's been it's been. It's been great though. Here
and Grasses, we've been actually quite lucky so far, Minjie.
We've had a couple of days of rain, which was
seriously needed, Yeah, seriously needed.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And I saw similar reports to farmers either in Canterbury
and on the East Cape as well. Going Actually, this
has been so welcome because it has been incredibly dry.
And I guess too, you know, I mean, you know,
I do a lot of work with Bailey water tanks
and I'm a big fan of having water tanks. But
at this time of year, particularly for the gardens, you know,
(01:39):
you feel pretty good if you go. Actually, I've been
able to collect one thousand and two thousand and three
thousand liters of water and that's what I'm going to
use on my garden over the over the dry summer.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Mm hmm. That's still one.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Exactly what I'm doing, You got it? Yeah, right he
oh and can I say one of the highlights of
this year it has been the whole L box thing,
right and look here's today. I get this email this
morning morning Peak Absolutely love lex thing the show Dead.
Was a carpenter, always had a vegy spot, learned so
much stuff growing up and your shows answered lots of questions. Also,
(02:12):
could you please send me a copy of your ol design?
Very keen to give that a go from Nicky. Now
it's not my l design, but you've sent them to me.
I forwarded them on to a number of people and
hopefully around the country we're seeing these little ol boxers
pop up all over the place.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yep, that's right. So if if you're interested in this
sort of stuff and we talked about that, you know
you'll meet Nika looking forward to that. Yeah, I know.
I know that she was quite excited when I when
I called it. And so Wingspan in Rotorua for instance,
other people of course that look after falcons and yes,
but also owls, and they have on their website or
(02:51):
they I'm sure, I don't know if they've got it.
I don't know if they got it on the website.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Do I found that there is or there's a wingspan
design that's right for right for.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
That one. Yeah, And but but I've just been this
is what I'm doing now. I've been working with a
little owl, which is a Dutch owl introduced here of course,
a German owl and the European l and it's much
smaller and we bended about fourteen of them a couple
of days ago, which was absolutely amazing. But these guys
(03:25):
have got a slightly different size box if you like.
So with a bit of luck today I might go
with my grandson and maybe one of the Frenchies who's
just come over yep to go and ever look to
see if we can find it. But this is exactly
what this is about. People are starting to get an
interest in these sort of things. And when you tell them,
for instance, that at night, in the middle of the night,
(03:45):
and you're fast asleep and suddenly behind literally the window
of where we live on the porthills, you hear will
in the middle of the night. Julie goes like, oh,
there's the owl again. And it's just lovely to know
that you're surrounded by these clever little kretits.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
They're brilliant, and I guess, taking a step back, it
also must be you know, people that yourself have been
part of this, who have had that vision for a
long time, that it's actually bearing fruit. Right, all of
that hard work, all of that engagement, all of that activity,
all of that education for so long going actually we
(04:22):
think that if we can do something to restore habitats
and get rid of pests and that sort of thing,
that these birds and the wildlife and the native life
will restore itself. And now we're starting to see it.
Job's not over, but it's on the way.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
You're right. So here's another a typical off spin off
of what we're talking about. I think it's tomorrow. I'm
taking two people from the Canterbury University to go and
collect some palettes that owls literally spew out after they've eaten.
They've got two stomachs, you know, and the last stomach
compresses it and instead of pulling everything out, they're actually
(05:01):
a bloop and you get these paletts, and those palettes
are a fabulous way to actually soak and then literally
take all the bits in those pellets that are there,
put them apart and identify what insects they ate, what
rice they ate, what birds they ate, what other things?
What carabbit beetles beautiful big shiny beetles they stand out.
(05:25):
So all that stuff becomes part of not only learning,
but it becomes of actually finding out what these owls
eat in ol Tierra. And we've really never had a
really good go with that until now. It's great to
do that.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, fantastic radio. Can I actually, can I just tidy
up a text from the building thing because we've been
talking about products and ideas. If people are looking for
the ruler that I mentioned, the actual website is the
good dot Nz, so you'll find it there. Now another
text has coming. What's the best way to treat on on,
(06:00):
which is tree needtle. They're in christ Church.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
As well treat it. I would leave it because the
is a fabulous host plant for some of those butterflies
like monarchs, you see, they lay their eggs on it.
But if you have kids, for instance, and the kids
are not that good at avoiding, or you've got a
hell of a lot on your section somewhere, then the
(06:24):
best way is to use it literally in a wheat killer.
And you can use any of the wheat killers you like,
you know, from woody w weed killer to to glyphysate
or to whatever and that that that'll knock it all right.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Excellent, Right, let's get amongst the calls. Diana, very good
morning to you.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Good morning. I have a question about ox salas. I
have a lot of ox salus in my bagy guard,
and it just keeps coming up. I dig it out.
Is there still a product you can get called ron Star.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yes, there used to be, and I'm not sure if
it's still there, but you've got it. If you can
find that, that would be pretty good. There's also a
material called death to oxalis, which is I I've never
really so I can't tell you whether it works or not,
because what I do in my tunnel, especially in my
(07:15):
tunnel house, I dig it up very carefully and take
and make sure that I get these little seed pods,
those little pods that you get at the bottom, and
get rid of those and literally pull them out very gently.
I don't mind about the green leaves as long as
I get those little things at the bottom, which are
the I don't know what they call nodules, I don't know. Yeah,
(07:41):
But the point is that if you do it before
it becomes a big patch which.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Usually falls per place, I think it is a bit late.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It's at it, yeah, because you always drop one which
will become the bugger for next year.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
You know these hundreds and hundreds, and I just I thought,
I wondered if it was safe to put a poison
into the beachy garden before you know if it's going
to stay in the soil or not.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, no, but if you can dig it out it
would be that is probably your best bet. And I've
been quite successful with digging it out, to be quite honest.
There's another thing. If you do use things like lip
or said, you have to use a sticker, And a
sticker is something that adhere is to spray to those
lovely green leaves that you get at the top, because
(08:27):
those leaves are actually waterproof almost and a sticker would
stick the glyphs said or whatever you use on the
leaf and take the best site right down into the
lovely have a go success with that.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
We'll give it a guy, take care a couple of
quick ticks through it. Someone has recently discovered huge leopard
slugs in the eventy garden, along with a few smaller
common garden slugs. Now, are they beneficial or not?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Are they're not? Nay? That's number one. That's my first
thing that I would say, rapet Snare they I think
they're from Europe? In America? No, Europe. I think Number
two is they are They quite often eat protein. So
for instance, they go to your cat feeding station and
they will literally slubber up the milk out of the
(09:28):
out of the out of the milk. Oh, you know
you're gonna hear that from miles away. They will also
go for dog and cat food, especially the softer stuff,
you know, but they'll eat any of that sort of stuff.
In your garden. They may do a little bit of damage,
but not as much as the other sloges and snails.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Okay, so there's no need to sort of the clear war.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
No, No, not really, no, I don't think so. I
actually quite like them. They've got a fabulous pattern on
their back. They look beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Actually hate whatever spoonsy wheels rod someone else. Just speaking
of getting rid of things. Baby cockroaches coming out of
the heat pump at night, what.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Good eh, Yeah, that's really nice because if the heat
bump is giving you colder air, they try to get out,
and in the winter time, if it gets too warm,
they'll get out as well. I think if it's native cockroaches,
I would not honestly, I would not worry about it.
They would toss them back into the garden. And honestly,
it pays to have a look at some of the
(10:34):
entomological literature to find out what a native cockroach looks
like as opposed to the introduced ones. And once you
got that system going, you'll know that the native ones
are of no concern whatsoever. They are probably the best
ones to chuck back in your garden because all the
dead leaves they will recycle them all that sort of stuff.
That's what they do for a living.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Fabulous. Let's talk to Lynn. Good morning to you, Lynn,
Good morning, good morning.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
How are you doing.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
We're going well in I've got lovely strawberry he's growing
in my garden.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
Well, good on you.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
So have I sending out runners all the time. There's
hardly any flowers on them. They're just what to send
runners there? And I planted them in early April they
were new plant. I fertilized them early spring. You were
saying to do plenty of fruitinge And I fertilized them
(11:29):
once a month with some strawberry fertilizer. What can I
do next to make them get flowers?
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I have no idea what variety is it? Lynn?
Speaker 7 (11:39):
I don't know. Somebody gave me some plants.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Okay, all right? Oh god, and then you've already had
them almost for a year nine months? Mm hmm, yeah,
goodness me. All right, get a little bag of sulfate
of potash.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
Yeah, I did that. You suggested that for early.
Speaker 6 (12:00):
Spring, and I did that.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
And then after they had fertilized, So should I give
them some more potash?
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Yeah? You do it a little bit Yeah, handful to
the meter, which is a nice measurement. A handful to
the square meter is usually okay, water is well in,
and you might find that the plant finally wakes up
and says, oh, is that what I'm supposed to do? Reproduction?
Have a go in, see you later.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
All Still, and someone is so upset with their oxalis
plants they put down weed mat among the lettuce and tomato.
Planters even investigated uses for oxalis. Surely they can't he
is there a practical use for oxalas?
Speaker 3 (12:42):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Compost?
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Yeah, exactly, that's what I would say.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
But would I mean that seems successive, doesn't it? Putting
down weed mat among the lettuce.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
And tomatoes, that's a lot weed matt is getting a
bit of a bad rape. You noticed that, you see
the nicknings for certain papers. Yes, not good.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
I think the idea of laying you know, weed met
like a plaster type of one down or the fibrous type.
But there are weed suppression blankets which will like the
wool ones that I've seen around, which will decompose over time.
But it does act as a weed suppression in the meantime, yep.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
And in the old days. Do you remember Peter when
we actually had a newspaper, New Zealand Herald.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Yes, yeah, much newspaper has gone into the garden over
the years. I can assure you it's brilliant. Right, we're
going to take short break. We'll be back with Laura
in just a moment. Radio your news talks. You'd be
should climb Puss with us and Lorna. A very good morning.
Speaker 8 (13:48):
Good morning. I've got a problem with a lemonade tree.
It's been a good fruiter, but lately it's the fruit
are dropping off, or they're actually going off hanging on
(14:08):
the tree. They're getting that moldy stuff on them, and
I just wondered what would be doing that. I must
with a big wind we had some months ago, I
had to cut off a branch, but I did paint
it with garden paint or pruning paint. But the last
(14:29):
lot of lemonades that came off the tree, I noticed
there was a lot of little holes, and I'm thinking
the birds have actually been pecking them and the ants
have got into them. I opened one of them and
it had an ant or two in it. So I'm
(14:51):
not sure what I can do with a tree.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Now it seems laurna. It sounds like there's a lot
of different things going on. First of all, the falling
off of the fruit could be because of an imbalance
with your fertilizer, and it aforementioned sulfate of potash might
be the material to keep it hanging on the tree,
(15:13):
because I.
Speaker 8 (15:14):
Do put potash around it.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Okay, well that's that is probably that's my first my
first reaction. But the second thing is when you have
mold on your You said mold on your.
Speaker 8 (15:31):
Fruit, right, Well, it's you know, when when they're starting
to go off, they have this funny stuff that actually
goes blue eventually or just colored. It's sort of like
a you know, like when they go rotten, like having
(15:51):
that sort of stuff on lemonade hanging on the tree.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
It's not sooty mold from from that is on top
of the pools of things like you know, step sucking insects. No, no, no, okay,
all right, well I don't I coun't without seeing that mold.
I don't know about that mold you're talking about, So
I'm not sure what is it mold? And you say
(16:19):
it's a bluish color. That's a bit well.
Speaker 8 (16:24):
Not really. It's just like you know how when lemons
or lemonade go off, they sort of heather.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Are they rot? They start to rot?
Speaker 8 (16:35):
Yeah? Yeah, well have you not?
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Don't you need to pick them a bit earlier before
that happens.
Speaker 8 (16:40):
Then, well, they only do it. You're only supposed to
pick them up when they've come right and round about
September October. But my one actually fruits throughout the year.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Cheapest creepers. That's amazing, Okay.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
And I do I spray it with kneem oil?
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Ah because you have ants there or because you've got
something else going.
Speaker 8 (17:08):
No, somebody just said we'll try spraying it with nemur
or rather than just spraying it with the old soap
and soap SuDS and vinegar.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
I think it is with it?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah, yeah, you know. Okay, if you've got insect problems,
I would use some nem oil if I were you.
But if you don't have really insect problems, I wouldn't worry.
I'm a bit a bit I'll find it a bit
strange that that there are holes in it.
Speaker 8 (17:40):
Well, they're just a little round holes about the size
oh oh, the top of a pen thing that you
push down and there can be two or three in
one lemon, and I'm just lemon, and I just think
(18:02):
it's maybe it's the bird.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
It could be it could it could yeah, go on.
Speaker 8 (18:08):
They actually I've seen them actually picking them, trying to
get the juice out of the ones that have actually
been on the ground that I haven't as yet picked up.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Okay, is that is that? Silver eyes and things like that.
Speaker 8 (18:25):
Mainly spare blackbirds and yeah, oh okay.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
All right, Oh gosh of golly, Okay, I was thinking
about something else. Do you have guava moth where you
are and Parmesan north.
Speaker 8 (18:39):
Not that I'm aware of. I wouldn't know what to
look for.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
No, because the guava moth is spreading south, and have
the feeling that they might be. They also go for
certain citrus fruits, so it might that might be the
holes you see they these caterpillars. If it's that, for instance,
they would make holes in fruit and then when those
holes are there, the birds will come and say, oh
that's nice, and we'll have some more of that, you
know what I mean. And so I find it really
(19:05):
hard to diagnose this without knowing whether or not it's
guava mot if somebody could give us a text about
it would be good. Parmason North Guava mooth question.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Mike, alright, sorry, stay listening might be a solution. Coming.
Appreciate the call. And Ellen, oh this is controversial.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Good, good morning guys.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
If I'm not going to put you on the spot,
yes you are, and it's fine. Hello, it's fine, it's fine,
This spot is fine.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Go on.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Right, very good.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Listen.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
We spent a bit of time up there on McKenzie
Country and I've dealt with dark hedgehogs. They've got hedgehogs
up there now they are becoming a pest. And the
gardens round Cross Church and whatever behave you, there are hedgehogs.
Speaker 8 (19:52):
Now.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
I've just knocked one on the head because I think
they're a pist. Am I doing any good by knocking
a hedgehog on the head in Chrosst Church? Because I've
got a bit of flack out of it, because I
told one of my friends.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Yeah, well this is what we're going to get today
as well. I totally agree with you. I know that
they don't belong in New Zealand. They will kill an
enormous amount of really cool insects, including endangered species. They
will also quill all the babies and the eggs that
are from birds that nest on the ground, and in
the Mackenzie Country there are enormous amounts of those, as
(20:27):
you well know. I'm actually working in the McKenzie Country
on this sort of nonsense at the moment with some
of the school kids, and we are talking about these
things and they are not great creatures to have around.
So I totally agree with you do with very quickly,
smart big spade, smack gone.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
Thank you so much. You've made my day. I feel
a lot better now.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Merry Christmas to you too.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
All of this to you. Thank you for that. Ellen,
all the very best. And Roger, very good morning to you.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
Good morning. I got two questions for you. I'm just
listening to you using a sticker the Christian. Do I
need to use it? When I use clover blood oil?
Speaker 3 (21:12):
When you use clover? What oil?
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Cloth? Bood oil?
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Oh no, I don't know. Why what do you use
that for? At the moment?
Speaker 6 (21:22):
The cloth buddle swaying on my plants to keep the
APUs away and dogs and catskay to use it?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Not on the oil, I think no right now?
Speaker 6 (21:34):
The second Christian is I've got some lovely garlic. I
had some lovely garlic and not the weather. They're starting
to rot.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Yeah, that's that happens sometimes. I think the idea with
garlic is and I've gone quite good at this year.
It's the plant it a lot earlier than people say.
The nonsense off shortest day, longest day is nonsense. We
just had the longest day yesterday, and I think it
would be much better to plant and say in April,
when the soil is still warm, get the thing going
(22:05):
and put it in a place where the rust can't
get at it. And I've found that my tunnel house
is pretty good for that.
Speaker 6 (22:13):
Yes, well, this garlect was starting to get mature, is
starting to go, you know the tips. And last week
it was strong that steams are thick because of all
the rain the way they're just bending down and sounding
to rot. And I pulled some out and they were
starting to rot.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Yeah, yeah, that can happen if it's still wet. So
this the rain that we just had is not very good.
If you still got garlic in the in the ground,
don't over water it when it's say a couple of
months from ripening. Yes, I totally agree.
Speaker 8 (22:44):
To do it.
Speaker 6 (22:45):
Last year I got some londer garlic. This year it's
really disappointed, but I hope I still get some to
keep it because it's old garlic, and I say it
from twenty years ago. It's the real original stuff they
used to grow. And I think in Nelson, oh, really nice,
really strong stuff. Do you know these days?
Speaker 8 (23:05):
Is not good?
Speaker 3 (23:06):
No, you know what, Robin, I totally agree. Because I've
been growing garlic he in cantery for as long as
I've been here. It's going really well. Rusters come in
big problems and indeed some weak rootstock as I call it,
or you know what I mean, garlic to plant, you
know what I mean. And it's not that great, is it? No, No,
I must admit that's right. Yeah, I've got troubles too.
(23:29):
In the old days. If you're in christ As, you
go to the market in the in the city center,
you know where they sometimes, Yeah, they sometimes had wonderful
clothes there that you could buy for the next the
next season. But do it early as you can. April
is a good time, all right.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Thank you for yours to you rogers, take
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Care for more from the Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcamp,
listen live to news talks that'd be on Sunday mornings
from six, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Resident Builder podcast with Peter Wolfcamp
from News Talks B.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Your News Talks B and Red Climb past is with us.
Good morning, sir.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
A very good morning to you, to you and to
you you did you? Did you enjoy the solstice yesterday?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yes? Well, to be fair, I spent most of the
day just slightly grumpy with the weather forecast because the
forecast for Auckland was hail, you know, thunderstorms, potential hail, right,
So I was like that, that's quite ominous. I'm going
to change what I'm going to do.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah, not a drop.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I know other parts of the country copped a bit,
but anyway.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
That's why God invented the economists.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Back to my previous sort of attitude to it, which
is when it starts raining, then you can stop work.
But never ever stop work, because you're the forecast.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
There's always something you can do anyway.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yeah, oh, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, it's been it's been. It's been great though. Here
and Grasses, we've been actually quite lucky so far, Minjie.
We've had a couple of days of rain, which was
seriously needed, Yeah, seriously needed.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
And I saw similar reports to farmers either in Canterbury
and on the East Cape as well. Going Actually, this
has been so welcome because it has been incredibly dry.
And I guess too, you know, I mean, you know,
I do a lot of work with Bailey water tanks
and I'm a big fan of having water tanks. But
at this time of year, particularly for the gardens, you know,
(01:39):
you feel pretty good if you go. Actually, I've been
able to collect one thousand and two thousand and three
thousand liters of water and that's what I'm going to
use on my garden over the over the dry summer.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Mm hmm. That's still one.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Exactly what I'm doing, You got it? Yeah, right he
oh and can I say one of the highlights of
this year it has been the whole L box thing,
right and look here's today. I get this email this
morning morning Peak Absolutely love lex thing the show Dead.
Was a carpenter, always had a vegy spot, learned so
much stuff growing up and your shows answered lots of questions. Also,
(02:12):
could you please send me a copy of your ol design?
Very keen to give that a go from Nicky. Now
it's not my l design, but you've sent them to me.
I forwarded them on to a number of people and
hopefully around the country we're seeing these little ol boxers
pop up all over the place.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yep, that's right. So if if you're interested in this
sort of stuff and we talked about that, you know
you'll meet Nika looking forward to that. Yeah, I know.
I know that she was quite excited when I when
I called it. And so Wingspan in Rotorua for instance,
other people of course that look after falcons and yes,
but also owls, and they have on their website or
(02:51):
they I'm sure, I don't know if they've got it.
I don't know if they got it on the website.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Do I found that there is or there's a wingspan
design that's right for right for.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
That one. Yeah, And but but I've just been this
is what I'm doing now. I've been working with a
little owl, which is a Dutch owl introduced here of course,
a German owl and the European l and it's much
smaller and we bended about fourteen of them a couple
of days ago, which was absolutely amazing. But these guys
(03:25):
have got a slightly different size box if you like.
So with a bit of luck today I might go
with my grandson and maybe one of the Frenchies who's
just come over yep to go and ever look to
see if we can find it. But this is exactly
what this is about. People are starting to get an
interest in these sort of things. And when you tell them,
for instance, that at night, in the middle of the night,
(03:45):
and you're fast asleep and suddenly behind literally the window
of where we live on the porthills, you hear will
in the middle of the night. Julie goes like, oh,
there's the owl again. And it's just lovely to know
that you're surrounded by these clever little kretits.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
They're brilliant, and I guess, taking a step back, it
also must be you know, people that yourself have been
part of this, who have had that vision for a
long time, that it's actually bearing fruit. Right, all of
that hard work, all of that engagement, all of that activity,
all of that education for so long going actually we
(04:22):
think that if we can do something to restore habitats
and get rid of pests and that sort of thing,
that these birds and the wildlife and the native life
will restore itself. And now we're starting to see it.
Job's not over, but it's on the way.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
You're right. So here's another a typical off spin off
of what we're talking about. I think it's tomorrow. I'm
taking two people from the Canterbury University to go and
collect some palettes that owls literally spew out after they've eaten.
They've got two stomachs, you know, and the last stomach
compresses it and instead of pulling everything out, they're actually
(05:01):
a bloop and you get these paletts, and those palettes
are a fabulous way to actually soak and then literally
take all the bits in those pellets that are there,
put them apart and identify what insects they ate, what
rice they ate, what birds they ate, what other things?
What carabbit beetles beautiful big shiny beetles they stand out.
(05:25):
So all that stuff becomes part of not only learning,
but it becomes of actually finding out what these owls
eat in ol Tierra. And we've really never had a
really good go with that until now. It's great to
do that.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, fantastic radio. Can I actually, can I just tidy
up a text from the building thing because we've been
talking about products and ideas. If people are looking for
the ruler that I mentioned, the actual website is the
good dot Nz, so you'll find it there. Now another
text has coming. What's the best way to treat on on,
(06:00):
which is tree needtle. They're in christ Church.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
As well treat it. I would leave it because the
is a fabulous host plant for some of those butterflies
like monarchs, you see, they lay their eggs on it.
But if you have kids, for instance, and the kids
are not that good at avoiding, or you've got a
hell of a lot on your section somewhere, then the
(06:24):
best way is to use it literally in a wheat killer.
And you can use any of the wheat killers you like,
you know, from woody w weed killer to to glyphysate
or to whatever and that that that'll knock it all right.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Excellent, Right, let's get amongst the calls. Diana, very good
morning to you.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Good morning. I have a question about ox salas. I
have a lot of ox salus in my bagy guard,
and it just keeps coming up. I dig it out.
Is there still a product you can get called ron Star.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yes, there used to be, and I'm not sure if
it's still there, but you've got it. If you can
find that, that would be pretty good. There's also a
material called death to oxalis, which is I I've never
really so I can't tell you whether it works or not,
because what I do in my tunnel, especially in my
(07:15):
tunnel house, I dig it up very carefully and take
and make sure that I get these little seed pods,
those little pods that you get at the bottom, and
get rid of those and literally pull them out very gently.
I don't mind about the green leaves as long as
I get those little things at the bottom, which are
the I don't know what they call nodules, I don't know. Yeah,
(07:41):
But the point is that if you do it before
it becomes a big patch which.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Usually falls per place, I think it is a bit late.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It's at it, yeah, because you always drop one which
will become the bugger for next year.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
You know these hundreds and hundreds, and I just I thought,
I wondered if it was safe to put a poison
into the beachy garden before you know if it's going
to stay in the soil or not.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, no, but if you can dig it out it
would be that is probably your best bet. And I've
been quite successful with digging it out, to be quite honest.
There's another thing. If you do use things like lip
or said, you have to use a sticker, And a
sticker is something that adhere is to spray to those
lovely green leaves that you get at the top, because
(08:27):
those leaves are actually waterproof almost and a sticker would
stick the glyphs said or whatever you use on the
leaf and take the best site right down into the
lovely have a go success with that.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
We'll give it a guy, take care a couple of
quick ticks through it. Someone has recently discovered huge leopard
slugs in the eventy garden, along with a few smaller
common garden slugs. Now, are they beneficial or not?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Are they're not? Nay? That's number one. That's my first
thing that I would say, rapet Snare they I think
they're from Europe? In America? No, Europe. I think Number
two is they are They quite often eat protein. So
for instance, they go to your cat feeding station and
they will literally slubber up the milk out of the
(09:28):
out of the out of the milk. Oh, you know
you're gonna hear that from miles away. They will also
go for dog and cat food, especially the softer stuff,
you know, but they'll eat any of that sort of stuff.
In your garden. They may do a little bit of damage,
but not as much as the other sloges and snails.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Okay, so there's no need to sort of the clear war.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
No, No, not really, no, I don't think so. I
actually quite like them. They've got a fabulous pattern on
their back. They look beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Actually hate whatever spoonsy wheels rod someone else. Just speaking
of getting rid of things. Baby cockroaches coming out of
the heat pump at night, what.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Good eh, Yeah, that's really nice because if the heat
bump is giving you colder air, they try to get out,
and in the winter time, if it gets too warm,
they'll get out as well. I think if it's native cockroaches,
I would not honestly, I would not worry about it.
They would toss them back into the garden. And honestly,
it pays to have a look at some of the
(10:34):
entomological literature to find out what a native cockroach looks
like as opposed to the introduced ones. And once you
got that system going, you'll know that the native ones
are of no concern whatsoever. They are probably the best
ones to chuck back in your garden because all the
dead leaves they will recycle them all that sort of stuff.
That's what they do for a living.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Fabulous. Let's talk to Lynn. Good morning to you, Lynn,
Good morning, good morning.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
How are you doing.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
We're going well in I've got lovely strawberry he's growing
in my garden.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
Well, good on you.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
So have I sending out runners all the time. There's
hardly any flowers on them. They're just what to send
runners there? And I planted them in early April they
were new plant. I fertilized them early spring. You were
saying to do plenty of fruitinge And I fertilized them
(11:29):
once a month with some strawberry fertilizer. What can I
do next to make them get flowers?
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I have no idea what variety is it? Lynn?
Speaker 7 (11:39):
I don't know. Somebody gave me some plants.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Okay, all right? Oh god, and then you've already had
them almost for a year nine months? Mm hmm, yeah,
goodness me. All right, get a little bag of sulfate
of potash.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
Yeah, I did that. You suggested that for early.
Speaker 6 (12:00):
Spring, and I did that.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
And then after they had fertilized, So should I give
them some more potash?
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Yeah? You do it a little bit Yeah, handful to
the meter, which is a nice measurement. A handful to
the square meter is usually okay, water is well in,
and you might find that the plant finally wakes up
and says, oh, is that what I'm supposed to do? Reproduction?
Have a go in, see you later.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
All Still, and someone is so upset with their oxalis
plants they put down weed mat among the lettuce and tomato.
Planters even investigated uses for oxalis. Surely they can't he
is there a practical use for oxalas?
Speaker 3 (12:42):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Compost?
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Yeah, exactly, that's what I would say.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
But would I mean that seems successive, doesn't it? Putting
down weed mat among the lettuce.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
And tomatoes, that's a lot weed matt is getting a
bit of a bad rape. You noticed that, you see
the nicknings for certain papers. Yes, not good.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
I think the idea of laying you know, weed met
like a plaster type of one down or the fibrous type.
But there are weed suppression blankets which will like the
wool ones that I've seen around, which will decompose over time.
But it does act as a weed suppression in the meantime, yep.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
And in the old days. Do you remember Peter when
we actually had a newspaper, New Zealand Herald.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Yes, yeah, much newspaper has gone into the garden over
the years. I can assure you it's brilliant. Right, we're
going to take short break. We'll be back with Laura
in just a moment. Radio your news talks. You'd be
should climb Puss with us and Lorna. A very good morning.
Speaker 8 (13:48):
Good morning. I've got a problem with a lemonade tree.
It's been a good fruiter, but lately it's the fruit
are dropping off, or they're actually going off hanging on
(14:08):
the tree. They're getting that moldy stuff on them, and
I just wondered what would be doing that. I must
with a big wind we had some months ago, I
had to cut off a branch, but I did paint
it with garden paint or pruning paint. But the last
(14:29):
lot of lemonades that came off the tree, I noticed
there was a lot of little holes, and I'm thinking
the birds have actually been pecking them and the ants
have got into them. I opened one of them and
it had an ant or two in it. So I'm
(14:51):
not sure what I can do with a tree.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Now it seems laurna. It sounds like there's a lot
of different things going on. First of all, the falling
off of the fruit could be because of an imbalance
with your fertilizer, and it aforementioned sulfate of potash might
be the material to keep it hanging on the tree,
(15:13):
because I.
Speaker 8 (15:14):
Do put potash around it.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Okay, well that's that is probably that's my first my
first reaction. But the second thing is when you have
mold on your You said mold on your.
Speaker 8 (15:31):
Fruit, right, Well, it's you know, when when they're starting
to go off, they have this funny stuff that actually
goes blue eventually or just colored. It's sort of like
a you know, like when they go rotten, like having
(15:51):
that sort of stuff on lemonade hanging on the tree.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
It's not sooty mold from from that is on top
of the pools of things like you know, step sucking insects. No, no, no, okay,
all right, well I don't I coun't without seeing that mold.
I don't know about that mold you're talking about, So
I'm not sure what is it mold? And you say
(16:19):
it's a bluish color. That's a bit well.
Speaker 8 (16:24):
Not really. It's just like you know how when lemons
or lemonade go off, they sort of heather.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Are they rot? They start to rot?
Speaker 8 (16:35):
Yeah? Yeah, well have you not?
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Don't you need to pick them a bit earlier before
that happens.
Speaker 8 (16:40):
Then, well, they only do it. You're only supposed to
pick them up when they've come right and round about
September October. But my one actually fruits throughout the year.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Cheapest creepers. That's amazing, Okay.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
And I do I spray it with kneem oil?
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Ah because you have ants there or because you've got
something else going.
Speaker 8 (17:08):
No, somebody just said we'll try spraying it with nemur
or rather than just spraying it with the old soap
and soap SuDS and vinegar.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
I think it is with it?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah, yeah, you know. Okay, if you've got insect problems,
I would use some nem oil if I were you.
But if you don't have really insect problems, I wouldn't worry.
I'm a bit a bit I'll find it a bit
strange that that there are holes in it.
Speaker 8 (17:40):
Well, they're just a little round holes about the size
oh oh, the top of a pen thing that you
push down and there can be two or three in
one lemon, and I'm just lemon, and I just think
(18:02):
it's maybe it's the bird.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
It could be it could it could yeah, go on.
Speaker 8 (18:08):
They actually I've seen them actually picking them, trying to
get the juice out of the ones that have actually
been on the ground that I haven't as yet picked up.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Okay, is that is that? Silver eyes and things like that.
Speaker 8 (18:25):
Mainly spare blackbirds and yeah, oh okay.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
All right, Oh gosh of golly, Okay, I was thinking
about something else. Do you have guava moth where you
are and Parmesan north.
Speaker 8 (18:39):
Not that I'm aware of. I wouldn't know what to
look for.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
No, because the guava moth is spreading south, and have
the feeling that they might be. They also go for
certain citrus fruits, so it might that might be the
holes you see they these caterpillars. If it's that, for instance,
they would make holes in fruit and then when those
holes are there, the birds will come and say, oh
that's nice, and we'll have some more of that, you
know what I mean. And so I find it really
(19:05):
hard to diagnose this without knowing whether or not it's
guava mot if somebody could give us a text about
it would be good. Parmason North Guava mooth question.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Mike, alright, sorry, stay listening might be a solution. Coming.
Appreciate the call. And Ellen, oh this is controversial.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Good, good morning guys.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
If I'm not going to put you on the spot,
yes you are, and it's fine. Hello, it's fine, it's fine,
This spot is fine.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Go on.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Right, very good.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Listen.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
We spent a bit of time up there on McKenzie
Country and I've dealt with dark hedgehogs. They've got hedgehogs
up there now they are becoming a pest. And the
gardens round Cross Church and whatever behave you, there are hedgehogs.
Speaker 8 (19:52):
Now.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
I've just knocked one on the head because I think
they're a pist. Am I doing any good by knocking
a hedgehog on the head in Chrosst Church? Because I've
got a bit of flack out of it, because I
told one of my friends.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Yeah, well this is what we're going to get today
as well. I totally agree with you. I know that
they don't belong in New Zealand. They will kill an
enormous amount of really cool insects, including endangered species. They
will also quill all the babies and the eggs that
are from birds that nest on the ground, and in
the Mackenzie Country there are enormous amounts of those, as
(20:27):
you well know. I'm actually working in the McKenzie Country
on this sort of nonsense at the moment with some
of the school kids, and we are talking about these
things and they are not great creatures to have around.
So I totally agree with you do with very quickly,
smart big spade, smack gone.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
Thank you so much. You've made my day. I feel
a lot better now.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Merry Christmas to you too.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
All of this to you. Thank you for that. Ellen,
all the very best. And Roger, very good morning to you.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
Good morning. I got two questions for you. I'm just
listening to you using a sticker the Christian. Do I
need to use it? When I use clover blood oil?
Speaker 3 (21:12):
When you use clover? What oil?
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Cloth? Bood oil?
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Oh no, I don't know. Why what do you use
that for? At the moment?
Speaker 6 (21:22):
The cloth buddle swaying on my plants to keep the
APUs away and dogs and catskay to use it?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Not on the oil, I think no right now?
Speaker 6 (21:34):
The second Christian is I've got some lovely garlic. I
had some lovely garlic and not the weather. They're starting
to rot.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Yeah, that's that happens sometimes. I think the idea with
garlic is and I've gone quite good at this year.
It's the plant it a lot earlier than people say.
The nonsense off shortest day, longest day is nonsense. We
just had the longest day yesterday, and I think it
would be much better to plant and say in April,
when the soil is still warm, get the thing going
(22:05):
and put it in a place where the rust can't
get at it. And I've found that my tunnel house
is pretty good for that.
Speaker 6 (22:13):
Yes, well, this garlect was starting to get mature, is
starting to go, you know the tips. And last week
it was strong that steams are thick because of all
the rain the way they're just bending down and sounding
to rot. And I pulled some out and they were
starting to rot.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Yeah, yeah, that can happen if it's still wet. So
this the rain that we just had is not very good.
If you still got garlic in the in the ground,
don't over water it when it's say a couple of
months from ripening. Yes, I totally agree.
Speaker 8 (22:44):
To do it.
Speaker 6 (22:45):
Last year I got some londer garlic. This year it's
really disappointed, but I hope I still get some to
keep it because it's old garlic, and I say it
from twenty years ago. It's the real original stuff they
used to grow. And I think in Nelson, oh, really nice,
really strong stuff. Do you know these days?
Speaker 8 (23:05):
Is not good?
Speaker 3 (23:06):
No, you know what, Robin, I totally agree. Because I've
been growing garlic he in cantery for as long as
I've been here. It's going really well. Rusters come in
big problems and indeed some weak rootstock as I call it,
or you know what I mean, garlic to plant, you
know what I mean. And it's not that great, is it? No, No,
I must admit that's right. Yeah, I've got troubles too.
(23:29):
In the old days. If you're in christ As, you
go to the market in the in the city center,
you know where they sometimes, Yeah, they sometimes had wonderful
clothes there that you could buy for the next the
next season. But do it early as you can. April
is a good time, all right.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Thank you for yours to you rogers, take
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Care for more from the Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcamp,
listen live to news talks that'd be on Sunday mornings
from six, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
This is Gavin Newsom
I’m Gavin Newsom. And, it’s time to have a conversation. It’s time to have honest discussions with people that agree AND disagree with us. It's time to answer the hard questions and be open to criticism, and debate without demeaning or dehumanizing one other. I will be doing just that on my new podcast – inviting people on who I deeply disagree with to talk about the most pressing issues of the day and inviting listeners from around the country to join the conversation. THIS is Gavin Newsom.