July 19, 2025 • 21 mins
On The Garden Hour with Pete Wolfkamp and Ruud Kleinpaste Full Show Podcast for 22nd June 2025, Ruud discusses why your fruit may be dropping before ripe, what to do about a flowering banana tree, and are stick insects a pest or a friend?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Resident Builder podcast with Peter Wolfcamp
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well about the moths. Here we go wasps reeking, have
it high, Pete. I'm from Moths and Butterflies of New
Zealand Trust, not for profit conservation organization concerned with helping
moths and butterfly. I got your details from Michael and
the editorial. There's a survey that they're.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Doing, survey, the wasp survey.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, I think I think so, there we go.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Okay, that is there are so we've got quite a few.
This is the Moths and Butterfly. This used to be
the Monic Butterfly Trust.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Ah okay, so Moths and Butterfly of New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
You got it, Yeah, you got it. So what they
want to do is they want to do a survey
on how many wasps, on which species are ware et cetera,
et cetera. And and that's so it's very simple. We've
got the German wasp, We've got the common wasp, and
then we have three species of paper wasps as well.
And guess what MPI just alerted us last week or
(01:10):
a week ago before that that there is another wasp
that has been found in I think in Auckland, only
two observations so far. Mp I would really like to
know where they are and if there's any others, yes,
quite unlikely in the winter time, but there you go.
It's just an idea. And so go and have a
(01:30):
look on the Empire MPI website and you'll find out
exactly what that thing looks like. And I'll do a
little more extensive thing on jack Tame in a couple
of weeks time.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Anyway, brilliant. Right, Well, we've got a bunch of calls,
a bunch of need to talk. Let's let's rip into it.
Rick A very good morning to you. Hello, Rick, Hello, Hello,
go for it.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, it's rude, it's rude, but two U's in one
d a Rudd, there's an invasive fish, just saying no,
there's not. Okay, get on with it.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Rick again, I have a question about praying mantises. Yeah, yeah, okay,
so the invasive species. Is there a way that we
can get rid of them or like traps or anything.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
No, I don't think there is. And besides, you can
try all you like. I think this is a thing
that he's here to stay. If you like, I must
say there are some people are doing some research at
the moment on the native wasp as opposed to the
African wasp, but South African wases. They call it the
springbok mant it. Anyway, this thing is so well established around,
(02:46):
especially in the north of New Zealand, that I don't
see us doing any eradication of that thing forever. The
second thing is and I must say that I've got
a bit of a soft spot for that thing because
it's the best mentors to have in captivity, work with
kids at schools and teach them how to feed them
(03:07):
by hand and things like that. It's actually quite cool.
And I don't think they compete that much with our
native wasp. I have the feeling they have slightly different
areas where they live and where they prefer to live,
like in gardens which are modified, if you like, areas
with in terms of plants and trees, whereas the native
(03:28):
one tends to be more in native situations. So that's
my idea, So leave them, Rick, I would say, yep,
does that make sense?
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Yeah, I think I was talking about the praying mantis.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
No.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
The only place that I found them on our farmers
actually on in the barbary hedges. Yeah, I was just running.
But I have noticed the invasive ones actually attacked them
and eat them.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Have you. I have never seen that yet. That is
interesting because that was another thing I was going to say,
but I thought I wasn't going to take the mickey
out of everybody. I've never seen that, so I'm not
not too sure it. But if goold well happened because
it's an aggressive field.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Though property over ten years ago. There's some native ones
around the house, and I just happened to come across
that there was a silver one with silver Wells was
actually eating one of the native ones, and that sort
of put me on the quest sort of try and
get rid of them.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can see what you mean. I
think if you have a lot of plants and trees
that are of the native variety and nice and dense,
you'll find that the African mantis will not like it
as much as, for instance, a garden setting. You know
what I mean.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I understand that.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Good observation, though, thank you didn't know I did. Well,
I knew about it. I heard about it, but I've
never seen it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Yeah, it was just very odd because I don't know, like, yeah,
a lot of the schools and that they don't or
kids in school don't no the difference between the invasive
one and the native one. Correct the little bluish yet
on the arms.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Of their front the front legs. That's right, lovely A.
It's very nice to see. Hey, have you have you
ever have you ever had some of those either natives
or African ones egg cases that hatched? I used.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
One lay and eat case. I've never seen the native one, okay,
not that I'm aware of, but I have seen the
African one layer casing.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Okay. What I always like is when they hatch from
the eggs. These these babies, they run in all the rections,
They run like hell, and I've always wondered why that is.
And the reason is usually the first meal they have
is their brother or sister. Yeah, just saying.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
The quick and the hungry. Good thanks that the very best.
Take care and Gary, what's going on at your place?
Speaker 5 (06:13):
Good morning, gentlemen. I have a property at Mangi Fi
Heads north of Auckland, and I have a situation with
the birds. And these are the ones that are slightly
bigger than the sparrows, but are scratching my precious lawn
right down to the soil. I'm wondering if you tell
me why they'd be doing it for the first time
ever and secretly, how I overcome it.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
If you have an answer, I might have an answer
because it's starlings, is it that they're doing it?
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Yes, it probably would be.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yes, the dark ones, the black ones were the lovely
actually lovely, lovely, not some of the men things like that. Lovely.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Ye, yes, they are.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
The people are fiending, they are, They are the offenders,
that's right. The reason is you have such a fabulously
gorgeous lawn that the grass grub, which is a native
beetle species, go into or lawn because it has got
nice roots, and that's what they eat, the roots of grasses,
and they go maybe two or three inches deep. At
(07:14):
this time of the year, they're coming more and more
to the surface, and you can like it or love it,
But these stylings know exactly when they come to the
surface and they say, ha, you know what, I'm going
to Gary's place because he's got the best grass grubs
in the world. So does that make sense?
Speaker 6 (07:35):
Ye?
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Anything I do about it?
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (07:38):
You can believe it.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
There are quite a few things like Yates have got
a grub and phina thing that actually kills those grubs
right now. So it's grub and phina pour parina is
a caterpillar that lives in your lawn as well. Probably
they might go for that too. So use that grubs
and porhina stuff that Yates is making and spray your
(08:01):
lawn with that, and you'll find that when these creatures
have been an iholated, and you'll find that the starlings
know exactly are No gary is not that great anymore?
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Right? And is there once? Only applications do I need
to do on a regular basis.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
I think you can do it with ones now and
maybe do it again in about three weeks time, two
or three weeks time to make sure that you got
most of them, because they all go upwards in their
own tempo if you like, you know what I mean,
when they're low down at the root zones. They so
this is a period of the year that they are
coming up. So yes, it pays it again three.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Weeks last way to pick the grass itself.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
No, because it's specifically made for those grass grubs.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
Yeah, thank you very much for advice.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Good, it's all very busy to you, buddy. Hey, them
with grass grubs, which I don't know that I've got
them or not, But do they tend to sort of
heave the soil as well, because I've noticed mowing the
lawns now it's it's like driving on a pothole road.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That's right. Yeah, they do that sometimes, and so do
parhina the pirinum off as well, so they expose the
tops of the soil a little bit, right, And if you, uh,
there's actually a good good thing to say about that
level of which you cut the grass. Don't go too
low at this time of the year. No, I don't worry,
you know what I mean, But that is that is
(09:27):
always a very good thing to remember because I know
you think you won't have to mow that quickly again,
which is logical. But on the other hand you're causing
quite a few troubles as well.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Yeah, Roger, that thank you. I might file it away
for discussions at home on a later date. As much
discussed anyway, we might talk about lawn rolling as well.
But later on we're going to take a short break
if you'd like to talk to give us a call
right now. Oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty right, Oh,
(10:02):
you and your talk, so it is with us. We're
talking all things in the wonderful world of gardening. Stephen,
Good morning.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
Good morning, Rude. I live in Auckland, and I've got
a lot of citrus trees, which I think I look
after quite well. But this year the orange trees and
the tens yellows are dropping their fruit. And I'm not
talking about one or two, about a lot of them,
probably a month earlier, and there's two sour to eat.
I'm just wondering if there's something I should be putting
(10:33):
in the mathetilizer or something like that which can make
the fruit hang on a bit better.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah. Quite often with citrus, from what I remember, especially
in the Auckland region where I used to live, quite
often it's something to do with inconsistent watering or something
like that, or too much or indeed, as you said,
also temperature if you like fluctuations. But indeed what you
say too nutrient deficiencies. So in other words, of the
(11:00):
np K, there isn't enough. K K is the material
that makes flowers flour but also makes fruit develop and
become nice and sweet and k in the normal language
that we know is also known as potash.
Speaker 6 (11:17):
Yeah. Well, I know that the trees got quite stressed
over the summit. As an Auckland we had a very
very dry summer dry, yeah, and then of course the
winter and Auckland the rain has been a biblical proportions
over the last month.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
You got it. So that's exactly what I'm saying. So
there's all these little tricks of inconsistent watering in this
case by nature, and the nutrient deficiencies is probably another
one as well. So what I would do is don't
overwater them now, because you know that's never good. Overwatering
is really quite often a very serious way to kill
(11:55):
a tree anyway. But the new nutrient deficiency is get
yourself a bag of sulfate of potash, sulfate of potash
which is mostly K of NPK, and handful to the
square meter around the root zone every now and then
from now on you do it again, say months later,
(12:16):
when it's really becoming warmer in the soil, and then
you do it another time just before you know you
get the next flower, et cetera, et cetera. You'll be fine,
So have a.
Speaker 6 (12:26):
Go with that, all right, I do give them a
light dressing of citrus spiritualizer three times a year. Good,
but I'll just put a bit more sulfos on as well.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Did Yeah, And it's really good to have in your
garden shed anyway, because you'll you can use it for
all the other plants if they're not really flower well
or fruiting very well. So you have a go. But
normally your citrus fertilizer also has got a good dose
of potash in it. In this case, you give it
more and it goes like, holy moly, Steven is really
(12:58):
really going overboard here. But we'll have a go.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
All right, Well I'll do that, thanks very much.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
From no worries almost to Stephen. You take care and Lee,
good morning.
Speaker 7 (13:11):
Oh good morning. I want if I can hit some
advice please. I live in White Night and I have
a banana tree which I just love. I bought it
twelve years ago, traded it for something, and I look
at my pitchen window and I love it, but I
can't believe that it's grown a big flower. It funny
(13:34):
time of the year, but I just wondered why after
twelve years I've decided to do this? Should I remove it.
Will it take too much goodness from the banana tree?
Because I wouldn't imagine that the fruits it will actually
fruit as a beautiful flower, but it's out of proportion
for the size of the tree.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yeah, I know what you mean. I've had it in Langholm.
When I lived in Auckland, I had a similar thing.
But it depends if it's a variety that actually gives
you some edible bananas, why not. And I know that
in the North Island you can actually get bananas to
fruition and eat them well, so that's up to that's
(14:13):
up to you whether you'd want to have that thing
and try it out.
Speaker 7 (14:17):
Is it a strange time of year for it to
have happened.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
No, because it takes a bit longer than it does
in the tropics. You can imagine why that is a yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:27):
Just I mean, I love it, but I'd hate for
it to take all the goodness out of the tree.
You know, I don't know much about bananas, what I
do love my tree.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
No, No, I don't know much about bananas out because
I've been away from working for far too long. But
why not have a go at it and what you
can do if you are worried about the amount of
nutrients that the plant needs, give it some extra fertilizer.
Speaker 7 (14:50):
Oh that's always got answer, isn't that. Yeah, Well, I'm fascination,
so I might just even just for an observation because
I've never seen come into fruition anywhere. Okay, well, I
think God just hang in there.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Thank you so much, hey, Lee, that was exactly why
I was suggesting that, because it is really nice to
do new things that you've never done before.
Speaker 7 (15:12):
Too, exactly fascivates. So that's so it's going to rest
on the fence. But that's okay, that's.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
All right, who cares, hey, But one thing is it's
important to make it a fruiting fertilizer, like a fertilizer
for citrus for instance. You know which has got which
is good? Yeah? Which has got that NPK ratio with
more k? So that's good for four flowers and fruiting. Yeah,
there you go.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I much appreciated. Thank you, Lee, all the very bid
that's lovely. I quick text. I planted, Someone says, I
planted thirty deafidils in my garden five years ago. Only
a few are still flowering. How can I get them
back flowering.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Oh deaffidils. Oh gosh, you need to sometimes you need to.
What does jewels do she hangs them up. Yeah, at
the wrong time of the the right time of the year.
So these things sometimes need to be taken out of
the soil right and then kept in a cool position
that you know, all that sort of stuff that is.
That is quite a thing. I don't know exactly what
(16:13):
would be the best one for this variety, but have
a goer doing something like that.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Okay, because I have to say, I was in Blenheim
yesterday and there's the War Memorial Park. I presume it
is just out, you know, right in the middle of
the town, beautiful gardens around it. The daffodils were up.
It just looked absolutely stunning yesterday morning.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
It is just and tomorrow is the first day you
can buy for Marlborough Garden Festival by the first lots
of tickets.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Brilliant, brilliant, the go folks, you heard it here. First,
we're going to take a break. We'll come back and
talk to Julian just the moment your news talks. It'd
beud climb past with us. Julie stick in six.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
Yeah, I've got two questions. Actually, the first question is
about a stick and stick. And we headed outside our
work building this week and the little intect appeared. And
we've got no plants outside the front of the building,
and the turned brown. Yeah, and so we picked it
up and took it just about twelve meters away, put
(17:19):
it on some grounds, and a couple of hours later
it returned, and then we took it away, put it
back and then used today. Two days later it was
there again, and I know it could be another stick
in sect, but we've got no plants. You know, it
was really obvious that we thought it was the same one.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
No, no shrubs, no trees, no nothing.
Speaker 8 (17:44):
No, it walked away from grass and trees to our
fare and our building is white and it was the
fare as warm. So yeah, I can't believe it.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Okay, normally these so stick in sects, let me tell
you how stick and sex operate. They're actually very cool
a mother. Basically most quite a few stick and sects
are just females, no males. So they literally walk into
a tree, let's say, or a roast bush or whatever
(18:17):
it is that they like, and all they do is
they drop eggs just like that, they fall down, and
they fall down under the tree, and those eggs hatch
and the babies go into the same tree or bush
or shrub or whatever it is. So in no time
you're looking at a couple hundred of these things in
one particular area. I think what I would do if
(18:39):
I were you, I would go walk around the bush
and see where the brothers and sisters of this guy are,
and to see what tree it is that the mother
has been eating, because if there's too many, they will
start walking around and doing strange things like going into
buildings without plants. Right, you know what I mean.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
It was a strange question.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
No, it's a wonderful question. It's brilliant. I loved it
stuff because if I got the stickysex, I put it
into my trees and I let it drop eggs for Africa.
It's great.
Speaker 8 (19:14):
Yeah. And actually the tree that we do have a tree,
then it hasn't been sprayed, so just in the mixed
property which is next to our building, so I think
possibly it might have come from there. Just listening to
you a look taken question. We've got two end all
fig pot plants in our in our surgery, and these
(19:36):
little little flies have been had been growing, or just
that they were. They were just going everywhere in the building.
There were tiny little like sand fly things and the
white black I think like, okay, all right, we threw
them out, and so we've we've got new we've got
(20:00):
new figs and new pots of new potting mix. Yeah,
and I just wonder if we were sort of overwatering
it and these little like.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I was, look, I know, we're running out of time. Yes,
it could have been over watering and then the soil
gets really wet, and that means you get little nuggots
that actually try to eat some of the not of
the soil that does not if you like, put into
proper soil. You know what I mean, hadn't gone to
the final bit. That's what I gone. There you go.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
It's all the balancing act, doesn't it. It is ultimately
lovely to talk to you, Julie, Thanks for joining us,
Take Care of Folks.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
For more from the Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcamp, listen
live to Newstalk ZETB 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.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well about the moths. Here we go wasps reeking, have
it high, Pete. I'm from Moths and Butterflies of New
Zealand Trust, not for profit conservation organization concerned with helping
moths and butterfly. I got your details from Michael and
the editorial. There's a survey that they're.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Doing, survey, the wasp survey.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, I think I think so, there we go.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Okay, that is there are so we've got quite a few.
This is the Moths and Butterfly. This used to be
the Monic Butterfly Trust.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Ah okay, so Moths and Butterfly of New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
You got it, Yeah, you got it. So what they
want to do is they want to do a survey
on how many wasps, on which species are ware et cetera,
et cetera. And and that's so it's very simple. We've
got the German wasp, We've got the common wasp, and
then we have three species of paper wasps as well.
And guess what MPI just alerted us last week or
(01:10):
a week ago before that that there is another wasp
that has been found in I think in Auckland, only
two observations so far. Mp I would really like to
know where they are and if there's any others, yes,
quite unlikely in the winter time, but there you go.
It's just an idea. And so go and have a
(01:30):
look on the Empire MPI website and you'll find out
exactly what that thing looks like. And I'll do a
little more extensive thing on jack Tame in a couple
of weeks time.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Anyway, brilliant. Right, Well, we've got a bunch of calls,
a bunch of need to talk. Let's let's rip into it.
Rick A very good morning to you. Hello, Rick, Hello, Hello,
go for it.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, it's rude, it's rude, but two U's in one
d a Rudd, there's an invasive fish, just saying no,
there's not. Okay, get on with it.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Rick again, I have a question about praying mantises. Yeah, yeah, okay,
so the invasive species. Is there a way that we
can get rid of them or like traps or anything.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
No, I don't think there is. And besides, you can
try all you like. I think this is a thing
that he's here to stay. If you like, I must
say there are some people are doing some research at
the moment on the native wasp as opposed to the
African wasp, but South African wases. They call it the
springbok mant it. Anyway, this thing is so well established around,
(02:46):
especially in the north of New Zealand, that I don't
see us doing any eradication of that thing forever. The
second thing is and I must say that I've got
a bit of a soft spot for that thing because
it's the best mentors to have in captivity, work with
kids at schools and teach them how to feed them
(03:07):
by hand and things like that. It's actually quite cool.
And I don't think they compete that much with our
native wasp. I have the feeling they have slightly different
areas where they live and where they prefer to live,
like in gardens which are modified, if you like, areas
with in terms of plants and trees, whereas the native
(03:28):
one tends to be more in native situations. So that's
my idea, So leave them, Rick, I would say, yep,
does that make sense?
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Yeah, I think I was talking about the praying mantis.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
No.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
The only place that I found them on our farmers
actually on in the barbary hedges. Yeah, I was just running.
But I have noticed the invasive ones actually attacked them
and eat them.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Have you. I have never seen that yet. That is
interesting because that was another thing I was going to say,
but I thought I wasn't going to take the mickey
out of everybody. I've never seen that, so I'm not
not too sure it. But if goold well happened because
it's an aggressive field.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Though property over ten years ago. There's some native ones
around the house, and I just happened to come across
that there was a silver one with silver Wells was
actually eating one of the native ones, and that sort
of put me on the quest sort of try and
get rid of them.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can see what you mean. I
think if you have a lot of plants and trees
that are of the native variety and nice and dense,
you'll find that the African mantis will not like it
as much as, for instance, a garden setting. You know
what I mean.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I understand that.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Good observation, though, thank you didn't know I did. Well,
I knew about it. I heard about it, but I've
never seen it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Yeah, it was just very odd because I don't know, like, yeah,
a lot of the schools and that they don't or
kids in school don't no the difference between the invasive
one and the native one. Correct the little bluish yet
on the arms.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Of their front the front legs. That's right, lovely A.
It's very nice to see. Hey, have you have you
ever have you ever had some of those either natives
or African ones egg cases that hatched? I used.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
One lay and eat case. I've never seen the native one, okay,
not that I'm aware of, but I have seen the
African one layer casing.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Okay. What I always like is when they hatch from
the eggs. These these babies, they run in all the rections,
They run like hell, and I've always wondered why that is.
And the reason is usually the first meal they have
is their brother or sister. Yeah, just saying.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
The quick and the hungry. Good thanks that the very best.
Take care and Gary, what's going on at your place?
Speaker 5 (06:13):
Good morning, gentlemen. I have a property at Mangi Fi
Heads north of Auckland, and I have a situation with
the birds. And these are the ones that are slightly
bigger than the sparrows, but are scratching my precious lawn
right down to the soil. I'm wondering if you tell
me why they'd be doing it for the first time
ever and secretly, how I overcome it.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
If you have an answer, I might have an answer
because it's starlings, is it that they're doing it?
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Yes, it probably would be.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yes, the dark ones, the black ones were the lovely
actually lovely, lovely, not some of the men things like that. Lovely.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Ye, yes, they are.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
The people are fiending, they are, They are the offenders,
that's right. The reason is you have such a fabulously
gorgeous lawn that the grass grub, which is a native
beetle species, go into or lawn because it has got
nice roots, and that's what they eat, the roots of grasses,
and they go maybe two or three inches deep. At
(07:14):
this time of the year, they're coming more and more
to the surface, and you can like it or love it,
But these stylings know exactly when they come to the
surface and they say, ha, you know what, I'm going
to Gary's place because he's got the best grass grubs
in the world. So does that make sense?
Speaker 6 (07:35):
Ye?
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Anything I do about it?
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (07:38):
You can believe it.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
There are quite a few things like Yates have got
a grub and phina thing that actually kills those grubs
right now. So it's grub and phina pour parina is
a caterpillar that lives in your lawn as well. Probably
they might go for that too. So use that grubs
and porhina stuff that Yates is making and spray your
(08:01):
lawn with that, and you'll find that when these creatures
have been an iholated, and you'll find that the starlings
know exactly are No gary is not that great anymore?
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Right? And is there once? Only applications do I need
to do on a regular basis.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
I think you can do it with ones now and
maybe do it again in about three weeks time, two
or three weeks time to make sure that you got
most of them, because they all go upwards in their
own tempo if you like, you know what I mean,
when they're low down at the root zones. They so
this is a period of the year that they are
coming up. So yes, it pays it again three.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Weeks last way to pick the grass itself.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
No, because it's specifically made for those grass grubs.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
Yeah, thank you very much for advice.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Good, it's all very busy to you, buddy. Hey, them
with grass grubs, which I don't know that I've got
them or not, But do they tend to sort of
heave the soil as well, because I've noticed mowing the
lawns now it's it's like driving on a pothole road.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
That's right. Yeah, they do that sometimes, and so do
parhina the pirinum off as well, so they expose the
tops of the soil a little bit, right, And if you, uh,
there's actually a good good thing to say about that
level of which you cut the grass. Don't go too
low at this time of the year. No, I don't worry,
you know what I mean, But that is that is
(09:27):
always a very good thing to remember because I know
you think you won't have to mow that quickly again,
which is logical. But on the other hand you're causing
quite a few troubles as well.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Yeah, Roger, that thank you. I might file it away
for discussions at home on a later date. As much
discussed anyway, we might talk about lawn rolling as well.
But later on we're going to take a short break
if you'd like to talk to give us a call
right now. Oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty right, Oh,
(10:02):
you and your talk, so it is with us. We're
talking all things in the wonderful world of gardening. Stephen,
Good morning.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
Good morning, Rude. I live in Auckland, and I've got
a lot of citrus trees, which I think I look
after quite well. But this year the orange trees and
the tens yellows are dropping their fruit. And I'm not
talking about one or two, about a lot of them,
probably a month earlier, and there's two sour to eat.
I'm just wondering if there's something I should be putting
(10:33):
in the mathetilizer or something like that which can make
the fruit hang on a bit better.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah. Quite often with citrus, from what I remember, especially
in the Auckland region where I used to live, quite
often it's something to do with inconsistent watering or something
like that, or too much or indeed, as you said,
also temperature if you like fluctuations. But indeed what you
say too nutrient deficiencies. So in other words, of the
(11:00):
np K, there isn't enough. K K is the material
that makes flowers flour but also makes fruit develop and
become nice and sweet and k in the normal language
that we know is also known as potash.
Speaker 6 (11:17):
Yeah. Well, I know that the trees got quite stressed
over the summit. As an Auckland we had a very
very dry summer dry, yeah, and then of course the
winter and Auckland the rain has been a biblical proportions
over the last month.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
You got it. So that's exactly what I'm saying. So
there's all these little tricks of inconsistent watering in this
case by nature, and the nutrient deficiencies is probably another
one as well. So what I would do is don't
overwater them now, because you know that's never good. Overwatering
is really quite often a very serious way to kill
(11:55):
a tree anyway. But the new nutrient deficiency is get
yourself a bag of sulfate of potash, sulfate of potash
which is mostly K of NPK, and handful to the
square meter around the root zone every now and then
from now on you do it again, say months later,
(12:16):
when it's really becoming warmer in the soil, and then
you do it another time just before you know you
get the next flower, et cetera, et cetera. You'll be fine,
So have a.
Speaker 6 (12:26):
Go with that, all right, I do give them a
light dressing of citrus spiritualizer three times a year. Good,
but I'll just put a bit more sulfos on as well.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Did Yeah, And it's really good to have in your
garden shed anyway, because you'll you can use it for
all the other plants if they're not really flower well
or fruiting very well. So you have a go. But
normally your citrus fertilizer also has got a good dose
of potash in it. In this case, you give it
more and it goes like, holy moly, Steven is really
(12:58):
really going overboard here. But we'll have a go.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
All right, Well I'll do that, thanks very much.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
From no worries almost to Stephen. You take care and Lee,
good morning.
Speaker 7 (13:11):
Oh good morning. I want if I can hit some
advice please. I live in White Night and I have
a banana tree which I just love. I bought it
twelve years ago, traded it for something, and I look
at my pitchen window and I love it, but I
can't believe that it's grown a big flower. It funny
(13:34):
time of the year, but I just wondered why after
twelve years I've decided to do this? Should I remove it.
Will it take too much goodness from the banana tree?
Because I wouldn't imagine that the fruits it will actually
fruit as a beautiful flower, but it's out of proportion
for the size of the tree.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yeah, I know what you mean. I've had it in Langholm.
When I lived in Auckland, I had a similar thing.
But it depends if it's a variety that actually gives
you some edible bananas, why not. And I know that
in the North Island you can actually get bananas to
fruition and eat them well, so that's up to that's
(14:13):
up to you whether you'd want to have that thing
and try it out.
Speaker 7 (14:17):
Is it a strange time of year for it to
have happened.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
No, because it takes a bit longer than it does
in the tropics. You can imagine why that is a yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:27):
Just I mean, I love it, but I'd hate for
it to take all the goodness out of the tree.
You know, I don't know much about bananas, what I
do love my tree.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
No, No, I don't know much about bananas out because
I've been away from working for far too long. But
why not have a go at it and what you
can do if you are worried about the amount of
nutrients that the plant needs, give it some extra fertilizer.
Speaker 7 (14:50):
Oh that's always got answer, isn't that. Yeah, Well, I'm fascination,
so I might just even just for an observation because
I've never seen come into fruition anywhere. Okay, well, I
think God just hang in there.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Thank you so much, hey, Lee, that was exactly why
I was suggesting that, because it is really nice to
do new things that you've never done before.
Speaker 7 (15:12):
Too, exactly fascivates. So that's so it's going to rest
on the fence. But that's okay, that's.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
All right, who cares, hey, But one thing is it's
important to make it a fruiting fertilizer, like a fertilizer
for citrus for instance. You know which has got which
is good? Yeah? Which has got that NPK ratio with
more k? So that's good for four flowers and fruiting. Yeah,
there you go.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I much appreciated. Thank you, Lee, all the very bid
that's lovely. I quick text. I planted, Someone says, I
planted thirty deafidils in my garden five years ago. Only
a few are still flowering. How can I get them
back flowering.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Oh deaffidils. Oh gosh, you need to sometimes you need to.
What does jewels do she hangs them up. Yeah, at
the wrong time of the the right time of the year.
So these things sometimes need to be taken out of
the soil right and then kept in a cool position
that you know, all that sort of stuff that is.
That is quite a thing. I don't know exactly what
(16:13):
would be the best one for this variety, but have
a goer doing something like that.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Okay, because I have to say, I was in Blenheim
yesterday and there's the War Memorial Park. I presume it
is just out, you know, right in the middle of
the town, beautiful gardens around it. The daffodils were up.
It just looked absolutely stunning yesterday morning.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
It is just and tomorrow is the first day you
can buy for Marlborough Garden Festival by the first lots
of tickets.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Brilliant, brilliant, the go folks, you heard it here. First,
we're going to take a break. We'll come back and
talk to Julian just the moment your news talks. It'd
beud climb past with us. Julie stick in six.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
Yeah, I've got two questions. Actually, the first question is
about a stick and stick. And we headed outside our
work building this week and the little intect appeared. And
we've got no plants outside the front of the building,
and the turned brown. Yeah, and so we picked it
up and took it just about twelve meters away, put
(17:19):
it on some grounds, and a couple of hours later
it returned, and then we took it away, put it
back and then used today. Two days later it was
there again, and I know it could be another stick
in sect, but we've got no plants. You know, it
was really obvious that we thought it was the same one.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
No, no shrubs, no trees, no nothing.
Speaker 8 (17:44):
No, it walked away from grass and trees to our
fare and our building is white and it was the
fare as warm. So yeah, I can't believe it.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Okay, normally these so stick in sects, let me tell
you how stick and sex operate. They're actually very cool
a mother. Basically most quite a few stick and sects
are just females, no males. So they literally walk into
a tree, let's say, or a roast bush or whatever
(18:17):
it is that they like, and all they do is
they drop eggs just like that, they fall down, and
they fall down under the tree, and those eggs hatch
and the babies go into the same tree or bush
or shrub or whatever it is. So in no time
you're looking at a couple hundred of these things in
one particular area. I think what I would do if
(18:39):
I were you, I would go walk around the bush
and see where the brothers and sisters of this guy are,
and to see what tree it is that the mother
has been eating, because if there's too many, they will
start walking around and doing strange things like going into
buildings without plants. Right, you know what I mean.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
It was a strange question.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
No, it's a wonderful question. It's brilliant. I loved it
stuff because if I got the stickysex, I put it
into my trees and I let it drop eggs for Africa.
It's great.
Speaker 8 (19:14):
Yeah. And actually the tree that we do have a tree,
then it hasn't been sprayed, so just in the mixed
property which is next to our building, so I think
possibly it might have come from there. Just listening to
you a look taken question. We've got two end all
fig pot plants in our in our surgery, and these
(19:36):
little little flies have been had been growing, or just
that they were. They were just going everywhere in the building.
There were tiny little like sand fly things and the
white black I think like, okay, all right, we threw
them out, and so we've we've got new we've got
(20:00):
new figs and new pots of new potting mix. Yeah,
and I just wonder if we were sort of overwatering
it and these little like.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I was, look, I know, we're running out of time. Yes,
it could have been over watering and then the soil
gets really wet, and that means you get little nuggots
that actually try to eat some of the not of
the soil that does not if you like, put into
proper soil. You know what I mean, hadn't gone to
the final bit. That's what I gone. There you go.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
It's all the balancing act, doesn't it. It is ultimately
lovely to talk to you, Julie, Thanks for joining us,
Take Care of Folks.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
For more from the Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcamp, listen
live to Newstalk ZETB on Sunday mornings from six, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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