Volume 17/1 February 2017 ugcnews@gmail.com

Another Year In the Garden

Our last meeting in 2016

seems such a long time ago.

Members I have met recently

are looking forward to getting

back together with friends and

sharing garden news in 2017.

Our Christmas parties provided wonderful environments for many of our members to meet informally and

reflect on another year of gardening in the Tweed. Thank you to our generous hosts - Don and Sandra

Capner for the general meeting and Lyn Reid for the food group. Don’s garden is a real treasure which

continues to evolve and surprise. The food group got to see Lyn’s recently completed home extension and

hard landscaping. The new work married well with her old home and established garden. Rather than a

formal meeting report, Pamela Payne has compiled a photo story of each meeting for inclusion in this

newsletter.

Thank you to members who have offered to host meetings in 2017. Buzz Buzolic, our secretary, and Julia

Hancock, our food group co-ordinator have put together great meeting calendars. We will have the

opportunity to meet in a wide range of gardens. I notice the program includes a visit to a school garden.

The February and March general meetings will be held at venues that provide shelter, usually important at

this time of year, although I have to say we are yet to see any significant rain this summer.

Remember to check the latest newsletter for any late changes to the meeting schedules.

How does your garden grow? What are you plans for this year?

Remember, sharing knowledge and swapping garden outputs are fundamental elements of our garden

club.

The committee and I look forward to learning about dreams, garden research, successes and challenges at

our meetings and in our newsletters.

Happy Gardening

Jenny Kidd President

Some habits none of us ever want to break. Chief amongst them is our UGC Christmas party in Don and Sandra

Capner’s glorious garden.

At Food Group Christmas it was exciting, and inspiring, to see all the new work on Lyn Reid’s house and garden. Could

we have had a happier venue for our final meeting and party?

Julia Hancock

After weeks of savage weather the universe conspired

to give us a break on the morning of the February

Food Group meeting. It was cool and cloudy and the

large turnout reflected our appreciation of more benign

conditions. We were at Bill and Jenny Daniell’s wonderful Terranora property, which they have lived in for three years,

all the time making huge improvements to what was initially a rather run down garden. Their most recent project is to

create a 15 x 10m garden on a steep west-facing slope to minimise mowing. Groundcovers, blueberries and

agapanthus will be planted here to stabilise the bank

and provide colour and interest. Bill makes alpaca

‘tea’ with which he fertilises his abundant vegie

garden and even at this time of the year he can keep

lettuce alive with this magic brew. We talked about

lots of things. All gardens and gardeners have

suffered from the heat - more this year than ever

before. It has been practically impossible to go

outside at times other than very early or very late in

the day. If it’s too hot for the gardener it’s definitely

too hot for plants, so things have been really

struggling. Despite the adverse conditions it’s

amazing how much some members are managing to

grow, as discussed below:

Di brought fruits for morning tea from her jaboticaba and Brazilian cherry (acerola) tree. The cherry is a delightful, easily-grown small tree for the home garden which produces several crops throughout the year. Di has some free tree guards to give away to anyone who would like to collect them.

Sue recommends Soil for Life compost from Quarry Road, Murwillumbah, near where the Challenge Nursery used to be. Beware of the dog that bites.

Meanwhile Gillian’s passionfruit is producing lots of leaves at the expense of fruit. Why? Give it a dose of trace elements and sulphate of potash to stimulate flower production and fruit set.

James is growing a very different type of pumpkin – what is it? A hybrid produced by browsing bees! His dam is covered by little popcorn-sized plants which have suffocated the water lilies. What are they? Azolla, which can

be harvested with a rake and used as mulch or composted down. He found a baby snake with a yellow stripe at the back of its head. What is it? A juvenile brown snake. James and Betty wondered how to encourage fruit set on their dragon fruit. It produced 50 flowers this year but they all fell to the ground – why? Perhaps it’s just too hot for them at the moment.

It sounds like Phil and Marcella have created a Garden of Eden with all the produce they’re growing. They’ve got 25 pineapples off 50 plants all grown from tops. All their fruit trees are loaded with fruit. They’ve had 28kg of honey from their hives. And they’re preparing beds for garlic planting next month. The downside to paradise? They’ve got a two acre lawn full of dandelions – how to get rid of them? Use dicamba at the rate of 200ml to 15 litres. Alternatively for smaller areas put a teaspoon of sulphate of ammonia in the centre of the dandelion plant and wait for it to burn to death.

Jenny brought along some seeds from the miracle fruit (synsepalum

dulcificum), which when chewed make sour food taste sweet.

Jackie has had a profusion of guavas, lychees and okra this year.

Kirsteen is producing lots of mangoes, passionfruit, tomatoes and zucchini.

Sheila wondered if you can pick mangoes when they’re really green? Yes. When to pick avocadoes? They never ripen on the tree so wait till they’re big enough to eat. Alternatively look in the local market to see when they’re available.

Grae would like tree seedlings to make into bonsai.

Carol wondered how to protect her tree tomatoes (tamarillos) so they wouldn’t get nibbled by possums, bats and rats before they were fully ripe. Put a collar around the trunk of the tree.

Hartmut was attacked by a python recently, but luckily its fangs sank into his trousers, not his leg. A timely warning that pythons can be dangerous, most particularly because they have filthy teeth which means their bites are extremely toxic. He and Sue have been overwhelmed by self-seeded pumpkins. They’re getting guinea fowl to control the ticks and act as an early warning system for the snakes. They also brought along some star fruit for us to try.

Brigitte wanted to find a new home for some spare roosters. Betty offered to adopt them. Brigitte also told of a failed attempt to make jaboticaba schnapps.

Pam’s success story is all about oregano. It can take as much heat as is thrown at it, and grows in rubble, and thrives on neglect. The perfect plant for now.

Jan and Rex also have a Garden of Eden in Nunderi and when Jan read out the list of what they grow it probably would have been quicker to say what they weren’t growing. Jan’s made small bags out of shade cloth which are working well to protect her ripening mangoes.. They are very pleased with their tropical apple which has produced a good crop and is now flowering again (plant purchased from Farmer’s Choice), and have had 60kg of blood plums (plant purchased from Ron McMahon at Crystal Creek).

Jean wanted to know how to get a dragon fruit to thrive? She’s had one in the ground for a couple of years now and it’s done nothing. One thing is to move it to another position to see if that’s more to its liking. Maybe Jean is pampering it and it might do better with neglect.

Julia’s garden is an experiment to see what will grow with absolutely no input from the gardener in terms of watering and general maintenance. Survivors include salvias, dahlias, basil (all types), oregano, rosemary, chives, dill, fennel, Tuscan kale, marigolds, day lilies, geraniums and pelargoniums, zinnias, pentas, cacti and succulents, ginger, turmeric, pumpkins, chillies, sage, fruit trees and vincas. There’s always colour and something to eat, despite her criminal neglect.

Kirsteen Hornick has discovered yet another native orchid. It is Cryptostylis Erecta, commonly known as the Bonnet

Orchid or Tartan Tongue Orchid, and it is native to south eastern Australia. It grows in sandy soils under trees;

is propagated by the ichneumon wasp; and flowers from September to April.

Kirsteen wrote, “I discovered it in a cattle paddock by luck as the leaves look like grass and the flower is not brightly

coloured. It is apparently not rare but I challenge anyone to find one - I’ve been searching for another ever since I found

this one in November with no success.

The orchid is now planted in Kirsten’s native forest area and is ‘doing happily”. The following photos are (1) a close up

of the flower (2) the orchid as Kirsten transported it last November and (3) the current happy plant.

Lewis Hancock, young achiever

As reported in previous newsletters, Lewis (our youngest member) always wins multiple awards in Murwillumbah

Garden club’s flower arranging competition. Look out for Lewis’s article in the forthcoming edition of Our Gardens on

how he achieves such great results. From Julia Hancock - no relation

First of the coloured Anasazi sweet corn. Well filled out cobs, if a little smaller than

commercially grown varieties.

Posted by Philip Wilson on UGC Facebook page.

Kordona Esmeralda ( mini flora)

Posted by John Bennett on UGC Facebook page.

The word from Woodford

There were many interesting talks on matters

environmental, political and ecological at the

Woodford Folk Festival this year. Among many key

messages were:

Without bees and earth worms the human race will die, and quickly too.

Global warming is happening much faster than anyone anticipated.

The world is still full of talented, beautiful, gentle human beings. Julia Hancock

Bromeliads Part 2 - Greg Aizlewood

Crown rot, root rot and leaf spot are the three fungal diseases which appear in our region. Crown rot and root rot are the result of an attack by a fungus which targets the growing tip and roots of the plant. The first indicator of an active disease is a lack of general vigor in the plant and leaf tip die back. This is usually accompanied by foul pungent odour from the growing medium and the water in the cup. If left untouched the center leaves of the plant turn brown and decay. Eventually the plant will break off at the base. Overwatering, poor drainage or overcrowding mainly brings about this condition. If you spot the symptoms early removing from the garden or pot, draining all the water from the foliage and treating by soaking the plant in a fungicide solution can save the plant. After approximately 15 minutes remove the plant from the fungicide and allow drying for a day or two in a shady spot. When you are satisfied the plant is recovering and you have eliminated the causes of the problem, replace the plant and water sparingly. “Aechmea wilt” or leaf spot is a disease which manifests itself as fast spreading brown spots on the bottom of the outside leaves. This causes rapid deterioration and death of the leaf and if left attached to the plant eventual penetration to the inner leaves with a similar fate. All affected plants should be removed, destroyed and the growing area disinfected. Fortunately this disease is not common. Controls Both these diseases can be avoided by practising good plant hygiene. Give the plants good drainage with good air movement and avoid splashing potting medium on the leaves when watering. Give them sufficient water to maintain a damp growing medium during the day but ensure they have a chance to dry out before nightfall as this is when plants are more susceptible to fungal attack. If crown or root rot disease is detected treat with a fungicide. Benlate has been recommended and successful in the past.

Home Made Sprays Milk Spray Full cream milk diluted with nine parts water Checks virus diseases like tomato mosaic and kills red spider mites, caterpillars and tomato worms.

Onion Spray Grind onions alone or with chives and garlic or onion tops in a blender, adding twice the amount of water, or simmer the ingredients in water for 2 hours. Spray several times for blight on potatoes and tomatoes, for apple scab, curly leaf on peach trees, powdery mildew, aphids and red spider mites. Pyrethrum Spray Make a tea with a few flowerheads of pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum coccineum) or feverfew in 1 litre of water. Add a little soap to improve the consistency. Or grind up flowerheads and add to water. Spray in the evening against aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, mites and thrips, mildew and scale. Cabbage Grub Dust Mix 2 handfuls each of woodash and flour with ½ cup salt. Dust plants to kill all kinds of cabbage grubs.

Did you know?

Salvos have sold their op shops to private enterprise. People who donate their stuff may not realise it’s being sold for

corporate profit rather than charity. Julia Hancock

From the second Uki Garden Club Newsletter, September 1998 Bring and buy June Barker suggested the club sets up a trading table at the beginning of each meeting to enable members to swap cuttings, fruit, vegetables and other bits and pieces for a nominal sum. All profits from the sale of such items will go into the club fund to finance future projects. All donations of plant material will be gratefully received. If anyone has spare bulbs of clivia miniata, the Kaffir lily, Julia Hancock would be much obliged. Pretty in pink for a Monday morning.

Posted by Lyn Reid on UGC Facebook page

The red rose whispers of passion,

And the white rose breathes of love;

O, the red rose is a falcon

And the white rose is a dove John Boyle O’Reilly (From Julia Hancock)

I had the pleasure of attending a workshop on soils last November, presented

by Dr Judi Earl, a consultant soil scientist. I was surprised how interesting I

found it. Judi introduced the formation and classification of soils, and then went

on to the chemistry of soils. Her talk was based on the diversity of soils in our

region, from the red volcanic soils, to the yellow-grey clays, to the sandy river

soils. Some of it was a bit technical (at high school chemistry level) but she

explained the relevance to soil fertility. Her talk was mainly designed for

graziers and orchardists, but it was certainly relevant to hobby gardeners as

well.

She cross-referenced her discussions about soil nutrients, to the results of over 160 soil analyses from the

Tweed/Byron/Lismore region, carried out by the laboratory at Southern Cross University. The picture that comes

through is not all good news though. While the analyses might look good at first glance, the reality is that many of our

key soil nutrients are “locked up” - not available for plant growth. For instance, 99% of our soil’s phosphorus (including

most of what is applied as fertiliser) is bound up by excess aluminium and iron, and hence becomes unavailable to

plants. Another imbalance is in our calcium: magnesium ratio – the ideal ratio is 5:1, but in Tweed soils it is 2:1, i.e. not

enough calcium for the amount of magnesium. A practical result of that imbalance is that if we want to increase the

useable phosphorus in our soils, it’s a waste of time to just add superphosphate – we’re better off adding lime instead

because the calcium will displace phosphorus from the aluminium which has bound it up.

Judi also explained a key measure of soil fertility known as Cation Exchange Capacity, or

“CEC”. This translates as the soil’s ability to hold key nutrients such as calcium, potassium,

etc. (cations) and then to release them to plants when needed. Rich soils such as the

humus layers of rainforests (including the Big Scrub which covered the land most of us now

live on) have a CEC of 150-250 units. The average CEC of Tweed soils analysed by the

SCU lab was 16.3 units. It was a revelation to me to learn how far our soils had degraded

in a relatively short one hundred years. Anyway, the moral of this story is to keep mulching

and mulching more again. We always knew it was worth doing, but it helps to know how

important it really is.

Dr Earl is conducting the second workshop in her “Understanding Our Soils” series in late March/early April, details yet

to be confirmed. It will deal with the biology of soils. The best way to find out details of her next workshop are to send

her an e/m expressing your interest. Her e/m address is judiearl@auzzie.net

Started giving haircuts to the pentas. Will bring cuttings along to a garden club meeting when they have taken.

Posted by Tony Stanhope on the UGC Facebook page.

Good car for sale

Club member Bridget Pieper is selling her much loved Nissan Pulsar ST 2001, 4-

door sedan, manual. She’s been the only owner. It’s in excellent condition, always

garaged, complete log book maintenance history. Air conditioning. Rego till October

2017. 240,000 kms. $2500 neg. Phone 0457 81 1 625. Ideal, safe first car for teenager or reliable second car for family.

(From Julia Hancock)

Free plant

Would anyone like a clump of Michaelmas daisy (Aster nova-belgii)? It’s a perennial, low-

spreading plant with pretty mauve daisy-shaped flowers in summer and autumn. Phone

Julia on 02 6672 2506 for collection. Very drought-tolerant and easy to grow.

Wanted

Sheila Stephenson would like rooted cuttings of ordinary mint.

Julia Hancock would like rooted cuttings of Vietnamese mint.

We live just outside Uki; we are going overseas for 10 weeks, from the 25th April to 3rd July.

Wondering if there is anyone interested in 2 hours gardening each week during that time. I am happy to pay, or

someone may prefer that I take care of their garden while they are on holidays

Love to hear from anyone interested.

Can be contacted by email johncath@bigpond.net.au or phone 0266794180

Catherine Richards

Finally I can say I've grown a good

crop of Okra. Posted by Jackie Balk

on UGC Facebook page

Did You Know?

Prior to 1967, the tamarillo was known as the "tree tomato" in New Zealand, but a new name was chosen by the New Zealand Tree Tomato Promotions Council in order to distinguish it from the ordinary garden tomato and increase its exotic appeal. The choice is variously explained by

similarity to the word "tomato", the Spanish word "amarillo", meaning yellow, and a variation on the Maori word "tama", for "leadership".

Jan Brooks is now looking after the seed box.

When you donate seeds, please include: Name of seeds Date collected Whereabouts in the valley seeds were collected Your name All collected seeds: 50 cents per packet

Seeds Available in Seed Box

Vegetables Dwarf Snake Beans, Bitter Melon, Lettuce “Oak leaf”, Mustard Greens, Luffah Vine, Broccoli “Green Dragon”, QLD Arrowroot, Smoky “Papaya” Pumpkin, Jap Pumpkin, Pumpkin “Potkin”, Bell Chili, Asian Stem Lettuce, Madagascar Bean, Asian Greens Fruit Mini Indian Melon, Sunshine Yellow Watermelon, Papayuelo, Orange Paw Paw, Thai Pea Eggplant, Tamarillo Orange, Tomato “Yellow Peace” Herbs Dill, Rosella, English Parsley, Fennell, Purple Basil, Calendula Flowers Oriental Poppy pink, Sunflower, Holly Hock NEW IN THE BOX

Bixa orellana Bixa Tree or LipstickTree Originates from the Americas. Grows 6 – 10m. Bears clusters of bright white to pink flowers.

Spiky looking red/brown seed pods covered in soft spines. Likes all year round moisture,

good drainage, and full sun to partial shade. Jan Brooks

After three decades of research and development a team at Griffith University has combined

with agricultural product company AgNova Technologies to design what they’ve termed the

‘holy grail’ of fly traps. The device consists of two large cobalt-blue intersecting ovals with a sachet containing a gel lure

which releases an odour that simulates ripe fruit, attracting female fruit flies. It hangs from a tree branch and fruit flies

stick to the blue ovals when they come near. The female flies are trapped before they can lay eggs in fruit. The gel

contains a synthetic attractant designed specifically to lure females and the technology has so far resulted in dramatic

levels of success in field trials both in terms of the fruit flies being caught and crop yield improvement. Julia Hancock

This is a project spearheaded by Carmen Stewart who is the driving force behind

Thrive 2482. The project is being launched on Sunday 30 April from 10am to 1pm

at Knox park. There will be a big picnic and people are asked to bring a plate to

share (or BYO picnic). Carmen is also asking people to bring good quality things

that they’re happy to give away (clothes, household stuff, toys etc.). There will be

buskers, storytelling, tug-o-war, a game of cricket, kids’ activities etc. It’s not a

huge event, but it’s all about getting into the spirit of connecting and sharing.

Carmen has asked the garden club to sponsor a seed packet giveaway, which means Julia Hancock will be collecting

seeds from any members who have some to spare and packing them in special Thrive 2484 packets. Julia’s aiming to

put together 200 packets for the Knox park event.

Carmen has suggested that the seed packets are printed with “Sponsored by Uki Garden Club” and the It Takes a Town

logo. Information about the seeds enclosed within each packet would need to be handwritten. At the February meeting

there will be a show of hands to gauge whether members are interested in supporting this initiative.

What is Thrive 2482 all about?

One in five children in the 2484 postcode area is living below the poverty line. Thrive aims to break the cycle of

disadvantage by bringing together diverse sectors and residents to develop and activate a common agenda to make

‘good stuff happen’

For more information, or to offer support contact: Carmen Stewart, Carmen@thrive2484.com 0438 140 589

From Julia Hancock

Pleased to have been given a seedling of the

beautiful Rainbow Gum from the Philippines.

Posted by Philip Wilson on UGC Facebook

page

My path is lined with gold; cassia is in full bloom and dropping flowers along my

path. The yellow against the fresh green is stunning.

Posted by Jan Brooks on UGC Facebook page

Photos from Marilyn and Graeme Gough who, regularly give their time to tend the gardens at Wedgetail Retreat.

From Dot Francis In the summer edition of `Our Gardens’ I came across this interesting piece written by Paul Kirkpatrick, & thought it well worth sharing with members who might not have read this magazine. “Mycobacterium vaccae, a bacteria found in the soil, has been shown to stimulate the body’s immune system. This friendly soil bacteria also increases the release of serotonin in the brain. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression so science has proven that working in the soil can improve our health and elevate our mood.” Now we know why gardeners are happy, positive folk!!

Next Meetings Saturday 25 Feb 2.00 pm. Hosts: Lynn O’Hara & John Mcdougall 285 Northstar Resort, 1 Coast Rd, Hastings Point 0408 053 303 Guest speaker: Arthur Good

Lynne O’Hara wrote: at our complex...Northstar Resort at Hastings Point...we have a lovely community hall called Cavenbah. There is also an undercover BBQ area attached to the hall. ..This is where we will do the meeting. There will be plenty of seating, so members will not need to bring

along their own chairs. This hall is in the middle of the complex, so most will have to find a parking space in the parking area at front of complex, and walk down to the hall. There are a few spaces next to the hall, but you have to be lucky....also you will need to go to the office to get the password number for the boom gate to open. . I have arranged transport from the front of the complex down to the hall should anyone require it...my partner John will do this for us. March Meeting: Sunday 26 March 2.00 pm Hosts: Marilyn & Graeme Gough 02 6672 6220 1/19 Fern Ave, Murwillumbah Aveo Mountain View. Guest speaker: Flowering Native Trees Phillip Holzknecht

Food Group Tuesday 14 March 9,30 Host: Di Morrison 02 6677 7153 98 Hammond Drive Clothiers Creek

The Uki Garden Club is happy for you to share anything from this newsletter but please acknowledge the newsletter as

your source. Pamela Payne, ed.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this newsletter. The deadline

for the next newsletter is Friday 17 March. All contributions – no matter how

big or how small – are very welcome. Pamela

thanks to Kym Marston, proprietor of Print Spot, for our printing

Calendars Attached

Uki Garden Club

SCHEDULE FOR GENERAL MEETINGS 2017

NB: PLEASE CHECK LATEST NEWSLETTER FOR ANY LATE CHANGES

Month

Day

Date

Time

Host/Venue/Contact No Topic/Speaker

January NO MEETING

February

Saturday 25 2.00pm

Lynn O’Hara & John McDougal 285 Northstar Resort, 0408 053 303 1 Coast Rd, Hastings Point

Arthur Good

March SUNDAY 26 2.00pm Marilyn & Graema Gough 1/19 Fern Ave Murwillumbah Aveo Mountain View 02 6672 6220

Flowering Native Trees

Phillip Holzknecht

April Saturday 29 2.00pm

Gary & Patricia Samuels

18 Cascade Rd., Terranora 0439 875 728

May Saturday 27 2.00pm Penny Riley 02 6672 6154

4 Norths lane, Nunderi

June Saturday 24 2.00pm Anne Pryke 02 6679 5348

59 Braeside Drive, Uki

July Saturday 29 2.00pm Linda Rees 0408 190 868

390 Wardrop Valley Rd.,

Wardrop Valley

AGM

August Saturday 26 BUS TRIP All day excursion

September Saturday 30 2.00pm Philip Wilson & Richard McKenna

29 Eaglehawk Close, Tyalgum

02 6679 2140

October Saturday 28 2.00 pm

James & Betty Robinson

32 Yellowood Rd, Tyalgum

02 6679 2098

November Saturday 25

11.00 am

Don & Sandra Capner

108 Farrants Rd, Farrants Hill

02 6677 7244

Christmas Party

December NO MEETING

Uki Garden Club

SCHEDULE FOR FOOD GROUP MEETINGS 2017

NB: PLEASE CHECK LATEST NEWSLETTER FOR ANY LATE CHANGES

MONTH

DATE

TIME

HOST NAME

AND PHONE

NUMBER

ADDRESS GUEST

SPEAKER/

Event

Tuesday Feb. 24

9.30am

Bill & Jenny Daniell

07 5590 4619

490 Terranora Rd.,

Terranora

Tuesday March 14

9.30am

Di Morrison 02 6677 7153 98 Hammond Drive

Clothiers Creek

Tueday April 11

9,30am

Michael & Jackie Balk

02 6678 2926

81 The Grove

Nunderi

Tuesday May 9

9.30am

Clive & Carol Kimpton

02 6679 3487

191 Pinnacle Road

Pumpenbil

Autumn Leaves

Tuesday June 13

9.30am

Jan & Rex Thomas

02 6672 1336

23 The Grove

Nunderi

Tuesday July 11

9.30am

Murwillumbah East Primary

School 02 6672 6781

Charles St,

Murwillumbah

Tuesday August 8

9.30am

Sue Yarrow 02 6672 1185 491 Bakers Road

Byangum

Tuesday Sept 12

9.30am

Sue & Hartmut Holzknecht

02 6677 1772

12 Waranga Crescent

Burringbar

Tuesday Oct. 10

9.30am

Phil & Marcella Keegan

02 6677 0210

12 Waranga Crescent

Burringbar

Tuesday Nov. 14

9.30 am

Martin Daley

02 6693 3464

77 Eaglehawk Close

Tyalgum

Tuesday Dec. 12 Nellmary McEwan

02 6672 4219

4 Eyles Avenue

Murwillumbah

CHISTMAS PARTY