Archive for December, 2007

More Garden Enjoyment to be had

Gardening, General | Posted by Dean
Dec 13 2007

On Wednesday evening I walked in the door around 8pm after a long day at work in Surry Hills. I was met at the verge by my beloved and quickly whisked inside to see what had been procured on the last of the Christmas shopping. Once inside I saw a Heineken 5L keg under the tree. I kind of hinted about 2-3 months ago that I would not mind one for Christmas. That was rather pleasing knowing that the period between Christmas and New Year will be kind of hazy.

I was then shown all the final Christmas gifts and a new inflatable Santa, unfortunately an Indoor ornament only. Feels good not having to rush around in the crowds hunting for gifts. All we need to do now is get the grub and grog. Easy pickings with me on leave next week I am sure that Mum and I can get that sussed.

Anyways, the next thing presented was a complete surprise, and further evidence that Socko and I are soul mates. Socko presented a Bird Bath and wild seed bell to me. I have actually been contemplating the exact same approach since spending more time outside and noticing that we do get a lot of Parrots (will need to get my bird book out to identify the variety) and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos in the area. It is not just the pests like Indian Minor, Pigeons and Starlings after all. So now I will be moving into attracting the local native birds to the yard.

I am at a bit of a quandry though as to whether I put that out the front, or out the back. Out the front has a natural advantage of two large eucalypts across the road which themselves attract the native fauna. Out the back though is more secure. Also, at the moment we have a lot of Christmas decorations up in the front, and a large party marquee out the back. So I will probably be waiting until those are removed before making a decision as to what goes where. We also bought a large seed feeder last year, so I am considering also firstly locating and secondly deploying it.

This is even more of a reason to banish the feline invaders to their own premises, or atleast out of mine. The CatWATCH is looking more and more the goer. Just awaiting a response from the distributor about its effectiveness on deaf cats. Whilst we are on this subject the RSPCA have responded, and the advice is:

Thank you for your email.

I am sorry about the position that you find yourself in.

One option is to try to spray the area where the cats are “invading” with eucalyptus, lavender, citronella oil, lemon or orange peels or a chemical cat deterrent obtained from perhaps a pet supply shop or a garden nursery. These may help to deter the cats.

I do not know the circumstances of your neighbour but are there any relatives or close friends who visit her with whom you may be able to have a quiet word with to explain the situation. They may be able to convince her of the more responsible option of having her cats de-sexed etc.

I hope this information has been of help to you. If you need further advice re this or any other animal welfare issue, please contact me on the details listed below.

Thank you for your interest in animal welfare and for your support. It is very much appreciated in our efforts to help all creatures, great and small.

If only there was a sensible family member or responsible carer that I had sufficient trust in to contact to I would. Unfortunately, they are focussed solely on the neighbour and neglecting the needs of the felines and the general public in the vicinity. I will though be trying the spraying of citronella oil very soon. Lavendar is already in the garden, and once the lemon tree begins dropping fruits the peels are gonna be scattered under the house. That said the CatWATCH is looking increasingly attractive. I have asked the RSPCA for an opinion on the device.

Anyways, off to bed with me as I have a vendor Christmas party tomorrow evening and I want to ensure I drink/eat the value of our current contract. Given is in the millions I will end up in hospital before I succeed hehe.

PS: My latest batch of pots are on the way. So once they arrive its off to Bunnings to pick up some more of the great RichGro Professional Mix with Seasol, EziWet and Osmicote.


1 Comment »

Cats, not a Musical

Cat and Pest Control, Gardening, General | Posted by Dean
Dec 12 2007

Well the scourge of the Cats continues. They are reaching plague proportions with another pregnant “skank” (next doors constantly pregnant females) sighted in the last 2 days. On Sunday (9th December) I e-mailed the RSPCA requesting advice on how to humanely to deter the feline pests from my yard. They are still yet to respond. They are probably too busy dealing with abandoned puppies and kittens as is common at this time of year. Piece of advice for all, never buy a puppy or a cat for a present on instinct, sit down and consider the cost implications and whether the pet will still be loved and wanted in 6-12 months. Anyways, back to the plague at hand!

Yesterday one of virii, oops kittens, decided to play in the trailer, which is loaded with cardboard and waiting for a tip run. Normally that would not have bothered me, but knowing the numbers around at the moment I thought it best to get it to move along back to where it belongs (ie. the neighbours yard) before they were all in there. When I tried scaring it off it got itself confused and decided to bury itself to a safe place deep within the cardboard. It could well still be there, although it would be awfully wet given the rain.

Later in the afternoon not one, but two of the “skanks” brazenly jumped off the fence and ran under the house in front of me. No doubt they were rendevousing with one of the lucky tom cats in the area, lucky cos theres always at least one “skank” ready to raise it’s tail. Luckily though the “skanks” were not heard copping a serve. That said I am fed up with constantly having to defend the yard against these god awful infestations. Needless to say I have now had enough.

Now, I hear you ask why can I not talk to the neighbour. Well she is quite old and set in her ways. Further, it is clear that English is not her first language, so comprehension is simply not there. In fact I have heard one of the many community workers try to explain to her that she had far too many animals and it ended with the old lady in tears and under the impression that the community worker wished all her cats eliminated.

That is not the case. What is required is for the numbers to be thinned out through:

  • The sale of the healthy kittens.
  • Those that are found to be suffering with severe health challenges such as being blind or deaf should be put down, given they are outdoor cats it is best that happens than them be run over because they could not sense the vehicle coming as has occurred in the past.
  • The “skanks” should be desexed to prevent a rampant plague again. Sorry to the Toms you will need to find a new harem.

However, it appears that the plethora of community workers simply do not have the power and/or intestinal fortitude to actually take the steps to ensure that the above occurs.

As a result I have been doing some research. I do not want to spend regular copious amounts of money and introduce a chemical solution to my garden. I would prefer to spend some money up front and solve the issue for good.

As such I am thinking of purchasing 1 or 2 CatWatch devices. A CatWatch device detects the presence of an animal and then blasts them with an ultra-sonic sound that has been specifically developed to annoy cats. The cat will soon learn to stay away or it will hear the adverse sound.

Units are either battery or mains powered. The mains power kit is optional. However, with the mains power the sound is boosted by 35% which is going to be required in my yard. In terms of cost the units are available for $135.00 each and a mains adapter is $22.50. I can also purchase a connector kit for $13.50 and utilise 1 mains adapter for 2 (or more) devices. I think I will go down that path and ensure the “garbage”, they have gone beyond a litter, of felines is kept away from my fruit and vegetables.

So all up im looking at $306 to keep the neighbours sprawling pack of cats out of part of my yard. I will still need to purchase some rocks to scatter around the White Bird to ensure that the scourge do not begin using its pot as a toilet. I also need to contact the distributor about the effects the unit will have on deaf cats, if it will have no effect I will performing more research until I can safely say the invasion of the hordes is cessated.


Comments Closed

The Birds of Paradise

Flowers and Decorative Plants, Gardening | Posted by Dean
Dec 12 2007

Standard Bird of Paradise

Everyone is familiar with the standard Bird of Paradise (Strelezia reginae), that I will refer to as the Orange Bird from here on, which has a unique bird shaped flower (pictured above) that is brilliant orange and deep purple. With it’s appealing tropical appearance the plant has become a very common plant in many Australian gardens as it requires very little (to no) attention once established. The plant grows pretty much on its own, as the one that is out the back and pre-existing when we began renting the current residence has proven. It got its first prune last weekend and is a big bushy healthy specimen. I will be taking a cutting from the Orange Bird soon so that I have this plant once we move to a new house early in the new year.

White Bird of Paradise

The plant pictured above is another fine example of a Bird of Paradise. It is the White Bird of Paradise (Strelezia nicolai). As can be clearly seen the White Bird of Paradise has a magnificent white and blue flower in the same bird shape. After some searching at local nurseries I managed to secure one of these plants and it is now in a massive pot full of the RichGro potting mix. I am hoping for some flowers soon as I am quite keen to see them up close and personal. Thankfully the flowering season is the summer months so it should not be a long wait.

Apart from the distinctive flowers of each variety the other major difference is the potential sizes the plants will grow to. The Orange Bird will grow to 1.2m high x 90cm wide. Whereas the White Bird grows up to 10m high and 5m wide. Neither require a lot of water and are suitable for pots and can be grown indoors (size restrictions obviously). They are both attractive plants and I am very keen to see both flower soon.

PS: The new page header is a photo of my plants leaves from up close. The sun brightened just as I took the snap and produced a nice shot.


4 Comments »

Unexpected Arrival

Gardening, Herb, Fruit and Vegetables | Posted by Dean
Dec 11 2007

Today I was innocently working away on the day job when next thing a plant is dropped next to me. Upon looking at it I immediately realised it was another pot of Chives. We currently are using these infrequently so I was confused as to why we needed more. Upon turning to my Mum and saying we already have Chives she pointed out that these are Garlic Chives.

After a Google search (see its still my friend) I found that Garlic Chives are often called Chinese chives, Chinese leek, Ku chai, Oriental garlic chives or Nira (Japanese). The plant also has a garlic like flavour, hence its name and is great in many Asian dishes such as stir fries, noodles and soups. I will definately be trying that theory in the coming week when I cook up some grub when I am on leave to give the usual cooks a break.

Another difference is the plant itself has a more strappy leaf appearance, unlike the tubular structure of regular everyday chives. I will probably be growing the Garlic Chives and standard Chives side by side once my new planters arrive from Deals Direct in the coming days. Once planted I will take some happy snaps.

Addendum
We have decided that we will adopt the Ku Chai name for the plant.

Update: Hot off the press is the impending return of the Wheeled Planter. I may wait for its return and grow each variety of Chives in a dedicated tub.

Update: The status of the Wheeled Planter has once again changed and it appears that it will not be returning. I did find an eBay shop called DiscountDeals_Store selling them, but at a much higher price.

Certainly not paying for their extortion. Funnily enough the categories and products on offer from that shop map almost exactly to Deal Direct. Further all the text and images within their eBay advertisements are also plagiarised from Deal Direct.


Comments Closed

New Additions to the Family

Gardening, Herb, Fruit and Vegetables | Posted by Dean
Dec 11 2007

Today we went back to Mitre 10 to exchange a Mr Fothergill’s Sunflower pack that was infested with bugs. The switch was painless, however I could not resist looking at what else they had in stock. As happens with me in a garden “toy” shop at the moment I ended up walking out with more plants and supplies. I will not bore you with the supplies, but in terms of the plants we walked out with another tomato variety and another chilli variety.

The tomato is a Grape Tomato and was bought bearing fruits. So it has been planted in a tomato specific potting mix and well watered in. Hopefully this will soon be bearing edible fruits. It should do as it will be spoilt.

Ebony Fire

The chilli is an Ebony Fire chili which is a real ring burner. It is a black/red fruit with exceptionally dark foliage. Very different to the Jalapeno and “Hot Chilli” that I suspect is another Jalapeno. The Ebony Fire is laced with ripe fruit and is basically at its maximum height of 30 cm. I will wait a few days for the plant to adjust to its new home and then I shall be harvesting. I will let you know how the ring goes after consumption. I will also upload a photo of this plant soon.

Wheeled Planter

I also took delivery of a Wheeled Planter pictured above from Deals Direct, I am a bit of a sucker for their products. It is now the home of the green lettuce, red lettuce, and the spinach (picture to come once I get some time and dry conditions to take one). It is a great size and the plants have a lot of room to grow. I would be purchasing at least one more, but unfortunately they are out of stock. I certainly will be keeping my eye out for more of this product. In the mean time I have ordered some barrels and wash tubs instead.

I am also considering the purchase of some cucumber and zucchini seeds for planting in the coming barrels. I have a nice sunny location in mind for these in the back yard. Should be another interesting experiment.


1 Comment »