The Native Plant Growers Bible.

PART 1. General

Native plants are an excellent source for adding colour and 'flair' to your garden, ask any West Australian!
Planting natives has the benefit of attracting many of our birds especially honeyeaters also bees and butterflies.
The best time of the year to plant native trees and shrubs is either Autumn, Winter or Spring. Native trees in some places, particularly where summers are dry, should be planted in autumn to ensure that they are well enough established to survive drier weather.
In frost-prone areas plants will need special protection and in some places spring planting is better to avoid harsh frosty conditions.
Where they can be given due care and attention, natives can be successfully planted in the summer.
Not all seed germinates easily. Some seeds have a physical or chemical inhibitor to germination designed so that the seed will only germinate in natural habitats when conditions are favourable.
In some cases the inhibitor can be overcome by pre treatment of the seed before sowing but with others, successful germination has defied all attempts.
Species that may give reliable results are, Acacia (wattles), Banksia, Callistemon (bottlebrushes), Allocasuarina (sheoaks), Eucalypts, Hakea, Hardenbergia and Melaleuca are a few.
Seed of a wide range of Australian Plants can be purchased from commercial suppliers (Nindethana, Albany WA) and members of SGAP can obtain seed free from the co-operative seed banks operated by various regional groups.

Plant Requirements.
Plants need carbon dioxide from the air, and water and essential nutrient elements from the soil. The roots also need a steady supply of oxygen.
The essential nutrient elements are divided into two groups according to whether plants need large amounts (major) or small amounts (minor/trace).
The major nutrient groups are nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P] potassium [K] calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg] and sulphur [S].
The minor [trace] elements are iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum, cobalt, chlorine and sodium.
Plant growth is poor if only one of the essential nutrient elements is in short supply, even though there may be ample supplies of others.

PART 2. Soil;

The fertility of soil is determined by three elements; air, water and nutrients. An excess of either will kill most plants.
Sand is well drained, but tends to loose nutrients to the subsoil.
Clay soils tend to hold moisture and nutrients very well, but poor drainage will affect detrimentally most plants.
A balance of Sand & Clay (Loam) combined with plenty of organic matter is suitable for the garden.

Worms are a gardener's best friend;
Worm casts contain up to:

2 times more Phosphorus [P] than soil.

2 times more Lime [Ca]

3 times more Potash [K]

6 times more Magnesium [Mg]

7 times more Nitrogen [N]

Soil Texture:
1. Sand – does not cohere and is coarse to touch.
2. Loamy sand – cohesion just perceptible; when formed into a ball can just be handled without breaking.
3. Sandy loam – coheres, yet is easily friable; individual sand grains can be felt.
4. Loam – both friable and coherent; sand grains cannot be felt.
5. Sandy clay loam – like clay loam, but sand grains can be felt.
6. Clay loam – somewhat friable, but also somewhat plastic; rolls out to a ribbon whereas loam breaks up.
7. Sandy clay – like clay, but sand grains can be felt.
8. Clay – tough and plastic.

Clay; the definition. Mineral particles of certain flaky silicates less than 0.0004mm in dia. that possesses plastic properties. Clays are derived from Sedimentary Rock usually from compaction of mud, and consist chiefly anhydrous aluminum silicates that result from the decomposition of various feldspathic rocks.
The pH of clay is usually very alkaline.

Leaching: The development of distinct horizons in a soil is the result of the washing downwards of the finer and more mobile constituents in drainage water. The fine clay particles and many of the more soluble chemical substances are washed out of the surface soil.
The clay particles lodge in the subsoil and the dissolved substances, including many nutrient ions, are washed right out of the profile.
With some seeds there is a chemical inhibitor present which prevents or delays germination.

The pH scale;
Perfect soil has a pH of 6.5............Neutral Soil is pH 7.0

pH 4.5 is Very acid
pH 5.0 is Acid
pH 5.5 Slightly acid
pH 6.0 Good
pH 6.5 is Perfect
pH 7.0 is Neutral
pH 7.5 Good
pH 8.0 is Alkaline
pH 8.5 Very alkaline

All chemical reactions are affected by pH. When the soil pH is below 5, many nutrients are unable to be taken up by the plant, e.g., Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash, also trace elements such as Sulphur, Calcium and Magnesium.
The plants will then show signs of deficiency which the leaf structure and growing habit will show.
A pH of say 9 which is a very limey soil does not allow the plant to uptake Iron, Manganese, Copper, and Zinc to the plant.
Corrective measures must be taken and care not to unbalance, however organic mulch will assist.

The WA native plants which have grown and survived in the poorest soils require more expertise to prepare a soil bed similar to that which they exist in.
General plants and vegetables are a lot easier to propagate and develop in a balanced soil type.

Part 3. Propagation.

Microclimate;
The description of climate zones in Australia is very general. Any district, city or town includes some locations where the climate is different from the general pattern. This difference may be due to one of many factors – including elevation, slope, aspect, proximity to the coast or lakes, prevailing winds.
For example, northern aspects are warmer than southern aspects. Hollows or flat sites at the bottom of slopes are cold and more liable to frost because cold air flows down hill. These small local climates are called microclimates. A microclimate can be created in your garden by providing extra warmth or shelter from brick, stone or concrete building or wall.
Shade houses, glass houses also will provide a microclimate.

Seed sowing:
There are some good proprietary seed raising mixtures available, but if you wish to mix your own, the following blend of 50% peat and 50% coarse sand, perlite or vermiculite and decomposed leaf mulch.

The seedlings rapidly develop a taproot. For this reason it is advisable to pot them on within a few weeks of germination. The smaller the plant the easier it is for a successful transplant.
Germination of seeds is straightforward for most species. However in the case of Banksia and some exotics that are found in the drier areas, the following preparation should be considered.
Place the seed in a well drained medium such as washed river sand, or sand mixed with perlite or vermiculite. A slightly acid soil with a pH of 6 – 7 is preferable and autumn or spring is the best seasons for sowing.
The seed (Banksia) may be placed in either horizontal or vertically with the wing uppermost and lightly covered with soil, then kept damp.
Germination times vary with species and conditions but in most species the cotyledons should appear within 3 to 6 weeks.
After sowing, the seed bed needs to be kept moist and sheltered from drying winds and from rain. Some sunlight is an advantage.
A good method of watering for small quantities of seed is the use of a capillary bed, with this method overhead watering is not needed and the seed or seedlings can be left unattended for some time.
This is similar to the "bog" method!

Note; Transplant shock can occur if the seedling is too advanced when transplanted.

Growing from Cuttings;
The time the cuttings are taken is important. Young growth approaching maturity is usually the best.
Perhaps the best time of the year for taking cuttings from the majority of plants is from February to April. At this time the best material is likely to be available i.e. half matured wood or in most species when the stem is changing from green to brown.

At this point the selected cutting will have had two to four months to mature and the weather conditions being cooler or more conducive to a better strike rate and not so prone to dehydration.
Some species strike best from soft tip cuttings and others from semi hard wood, but remember that the younger it is, the more rapidly it wilts, therefore choose material that has begun to lose its sappiness.

Verticordia grandis and other Verticordias, also Petrophile linearis have been easily propogated from such material.
Seedlings coming up after a burn can be cut off where the stem joins the root and then treated as cuttings. Eucalypts and Everlastings respond in this way. Individual leaves of some species can be used as cutting material e.g. Balaustion, Dampiera, Darwinia, Lechenaultia, Stylidium, Verticordia, Velleia.

Time for taking cuttings;
Cuttings may be taken from cultivated plants at any time of the year. The best time for taking cuttings from the majority of plants in the bush is from February to April. At this time, the best material is likely to be available, i.e. half-hard wood, which has had two to four months to mature. Also the temperature is right for striking.
The winter months, from May on, often prove too cold without specially heated cutting trays. Some species strike easiest from the soft tip cuttings, and others from the semi-hard wood. Experience will tell you which species fall into each of these categories. Cuttings from species of Pimelia, “Waxes” Chamalaucium and Boronia should be set in late summer as they present the best material at this time.

How to Strike cuttings;
Firm contact with soil mix, moisture and oxygen are all essential to encourage root growth. Oxygen as well as water enters through the spaces between the soil particles; therefore, the coarser the particles the greater the spaces between them.
Coarse river sand is often used as the main component for cutting mixtures. Peat moss is added to prevent the sand from drying out too rapidly.
A good mix is 75% washed river sand and 25% moistened peat. If some well rotted leaf matter is available it can be added, or in fact substituted.

Pots. Any well drained container can be used for striking cuttings. Five inch pots are ideal.
Potting Medium. This can be three or four parts of clean sharp sand (such as river sand) to one part of peat. Perlite or Vermiculite may be used in place of the sand. This medium will be reasonably sterile.
Sterilisation. Always maintain optimal standards of' hygiene. This applies to the pots, utensils and potting medium. The medium may be further sterilised by heating, or by drenching with a fungicide solution after the cuttings are set. For optimum results a fungicide spray should be applied every few days.
Setting Cuttings. From the available cutting material, snip two to three inch tip pieces. In many cases, best results are obtained when the cut is made just below a node. The soft tip should be removed from these and to prevent loss of moisture by transpiration, all but the upper third of the foliage should be stripped. Be careful not to injure the stem.
Some foliage can be easily stripped by running the fingers down the stem, but in other cases, the foliage must be removed with a sharp knife or clippers or by pulling the leaves upwards. If the leaves are large, they should be halved — again to cut down transpiration.
Always make sure of a clean cut at the base. If cutting material is very hard or dried out, soak in Formula 20 (1 litre water to 2 drops Formula 20) for up to 12 hours. If desired, the cutting may be dipped in hormone powder before setting, as this can hasten root formation. However, this is not strictly necessary, as good results can often be achieved without using hormone powder. If using cutting powder, dust the lower ½ inch of the cutting leaving foliage above this point. Leave the powder to set for a few minutes before planting. A hole should be made in the potting medium with a clean, sharp stick or dibble and the cutting inserted to a depth of half of its length.

Cuttings should be spaced so that they are not overcrowded as this can increase the risk of fungal attack. The pot should be thoroughly watered-to remove all air pockets (this can be done with the fungicide solution if desired) and the whole should be covered with a plastic bag, supported by wire hoops and loosely tied down. Plastic bags that come as vegetable containers do the job very well.

The pot should be kept in a warm, humid place out of direct sunlight. If too much condensation accumulates in the plastic bag, the tie can be loosened for a while or alternately, small holes can be made in the bag. Inspect the pot regularly to make sure that the soil remains moist. Remove any cuttings that die.
Some growers have reported good results by standing the prepared cuttings overnight in the following solution mixed according to the strengths given on each package:- Maxicrop (a seaweed plant nutrient solution); Captan (a fungicide); Formula 20 (a root growth hormone).

Rooting of Cuttings.
This will take anything from four weeks to six months. When a cutting feels firm in the soil to gentle pulling, it has formed roots. For confirmation, the pot may be knocked out for inspection.

Grafting;
Nowadays many Grevillia species, such as G. Wickhamii are grafted onto hardy rootstock making the easier to grow away from the Mediterranean climate of their native area.
Members of the Proteacae family, Grevillia have a few special requirements, such as well drained soil, and fertilizers which or low in phosphorus [p], if they contain any at all. Liberal use of, for example, blood 'n bone will knock them dead.
G Wickhamii has large grey leaves and racemes of red or orange flowers depending on the form.

Potting Up.
As soon as roots have formed, thoroughly wet the pot and carefully knock out the contents. The small plants can be easily separated by immersing the content in a bowl of water so that the soil falls away.
Gently plant each of the rooted cuttings into a separate small pot as described for the pricking out of plants grown from seed (being careful not to damage the young roots). Shelter will be needed for a while until the plant recovers— here again; a plastic bag cover is useful. As soon as the plants are again growing, they should be gradually accustomed to near-garden conditions by exposure to more sunshine each week. Watering and protection from wind must be maintained during this period, or the small plants can dry out and die.

Secrets of Propagation.

Presenter: Malcolm Campbell [08/08/2003]

Phil Collins has been growing Australian plants for 25 years, propagating difficult to grow species and his knowledge is exceptional. He grows about 500 different species from cuttings. Some plants don't set viable seed, which is one of the advantages of this method and the other one is that when taking cuttings with mature wood, the struck cutting material will produce a plant that will flower in its first year.

There have been many breakthroughs in propagating Australian plants in the last 20 years. It has been discovered that quite a few species will germinate from seed quicker and with a much higher percentage success rate if they are soaked in smoke water prior to seed-raising. It is actually duplicating the effects of bushfires on the germination of some plants.

It has been a traditional practice to remove the strip of leaves from the lower one third to one half of cutting material, but with some experiments Phil found that he was getting better and quicker results without stripping the leaves at all. The cuttings were still pre-treated with a growth hormone. This method seems to work best on plants with fine leaves like melaleucas, callistemons and chamelauciums.
Plants with larger leaves, like Correas still have to be stripped, but it also has the advantage of saving time, so as well as getting better results, twice as much work can be done.
Different species adapt to different strengths of hormone. A liquid hormone with IBA Indolebutyric acid and napthaleneacetic acid works well, at about 500 ppm.
Rockwool, a volcanic rock based product, is being used as the striking medium where root disturbance should be kept to a minimum to ensure the successful growing on of some plants. Roots are easily established in the porous material and it can easily be broken apart and planted directly into potting soil. It enables the easier propagation of some difficult to grow species like Grevillea lavandulacea and some of the grey leaved plants like Eremophila nivea and Eremophila macdonnellii from the Simpson Desert.

Cold storage treatment is another technique used on some seeds. This stratification method seems to speed up and even out the germination process in some varieties. Bursaria spinosa Christmas Bush will set seed in February/March, which is collected and cleaned and is placed in the freezer for 4 to 6 weeks and then they are sown. The same process is used on Callitris gracilis Native Pine. It is emulating the frosty cold conditions that the plants go through in winter.
One of the advantages of propagating into straight vermiculite is that because it is so light, the seedlings can be pricked out of the medium with minimal root disturbance and the plants will then transplant with greater success. Good drainage is most important in a propagation mix. It is the best insurance policy against harmful pathogens.
It also pays to be patient, as seed can be thrown out without giving it enough time. Some seed can take a long time to germinate, and there can be continual germination for up to a year. Xanthorrhoea semiplana seed freshly sown and Dianella revoluta are two examples where patience is required.

Kangaroo Grass - Themeda triandra is widely grown throughout Australia, but there is a trick to collecting the seed. It is important to cut the seed stalk at the base at the end of December, put the seed stalks in a hessian bag and store them in a cool, dry place for a year. There is a long after-ripening period with the seed.
Young, fresh plant material is very important to get the best strike rate. It is very enjoyable to get successes with propagating. Trying new techniques and experimenting with germination methods is fascinating. It requires patience but it is very rewarding. Grevillea treueriana, a good plant for dry area gardens, is a new species that Phil has success propagating and he will be releasing numbers in several years.

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s919046.htm

Dormancy of Seeds.
When seed is ripe, it is relatively dry, containing only about 10% of water compared to about 80% in the parts of the plant which is actively growing.
In this dry state growth cannot take place and the young embryo remains in a state of suspended animation or dormancy.
Seeds can remain alive but inactive for a few years. Within this period they are usually ready to resume growth at the right time and place. The right time is when warmth and moisture are available and these usually turn up with the changes of the seasons.
Breaking the dormancy, this area is called Pre-treatment.

Methods;

Boiling water.
This is the most common pre-treatment method and is used with seeds such as Senna, Acacia and all of the 'pea' family family in which the hard seed coat forms a physical barrier which is impervious to water.
These plants are often native to areas where bushfires occur at regular intervals - the heat of the fire cracks the hard coat and allows moisture to reach the embryo inside. Pouring boiling water over the seeds simulates this effect. The seeds to be treated are placed in a container, covered with boiling water and allowed to stand overnight. Seeds that soften and swell to 1.5-2 times their original size can be sown; those that don't swell are retreated.
In some cases, however, the seeds will not tolerate excessive time in boiling water and respond better to a one minute immersion in boiling water followed by cooling down. Acacia species native to areas where relatively quick grass fires occur may be in this category.

Abrasion;
This can be used as an alternative to boiling water. Seeds are abraded between two sheets of fairly fine sandpaper to reduce the thickness of the seed coat. This can be cumbersome and an alternative is to glue sandpaper to the inside surfaces of a small plastic container, put the seeds in and then shake the container vigorously.

Stratification;
A type of dormancy often encountered with seed of species native to alpine or semi-alpine habitats is a requirement for a period of cold conditions prior to germination. This requirement can be accommodated by placing seed in a closed container (containing moist vermiculite or similar material) in a refrigerator for 1-3 months before sowing. This procedure is referred to as” stratification" and examples of seed requiring this treatment are Banksia canei, B.saxicola, Eucalyptus kybeanensis, E.pauciflora, E.regnans and E.delegatensis. The method has also been applied with some success to non-alpine plants such as Anigzanthos sp. (Kangaroo Paws).

Fire;
Apart from the "pea" flowers and acacias, some other seeds seem to require the passage of a bushfire to germinate. Flannel Flowers (Actinotus helianthi), for example, are usually seen at their best in the wild in the seasons immediatley following a bushfire. This effect can be simulated by sowing the seed in a terracotta pot (not plastic for obvious reasons!) and setting fire to leaf litter and twigs placed on top. The fire should be maintained for 2 - 3 minutes. This method has worked but is really a "last resort" method as it is difficult to have any real control over the amount of heat delivered to the seeds. Once the ash has cooled, the pot is watered and maintained as for any other seed raising container.

Smoke; [A new revelation]
Research in South Africa and Australia has shown a favourable response in the germination of some seeds when exposed to smoke prior to sowing or when treated with "smoke water". In some cases germination has been achieved with species that have proved very difficult or impossible to germinate in the past (eg. Calytrix, Conostylis, Dianella, Eriostemon, Geleznowia, Lechenaultia, Philotheca, Pimelea, Stylidium and Verticordia.
The easiest method of applying smoke treatment is the use of smoked water as a pre-treatment where seed is soaked for 12 hours in a 9:1 water:smoke-water solution. Smoke water can be produced by bubbling smoke through a container of water for about 60 minutes after which the solution is frozen until needed. Smoke water can be purchased from the Friends of Kings Park, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, West Perth, Western Australia, 6005 and is also available under the commercial trade name Regen 2000.
The article "Smoke Stimulates the Germination of Many Western Australian Plants" by K.Dixon and S.Roche contains useful information on research into this topic. A copy is available as an Australian Plants online "zip" archive (22k).

Part 4. Banksia & Grevillea.

Banksia Seed.
Seed selection; when first extracting seed it is important that the separator is not mistaken for the seeds.
The separator is hard, has two wings and is brown.
Each seed has a single thin wing and is usually black.

Banksia Cuttings.
Always take cuttings from the best plants, 'paying attention to vigour of growth, form of foliage, flowering capacity, flower shape and colour. It has been found that propagation material taken from plants which have been cultivated from cuttings for at least one generation, gives better results than material taken from plants growing in the wild. Shoots sprouting from root stock after a bush fire make excellent cutting material.

When collecting material, it is important that it is not, at any time, allowed to dry out. It should be wrapped firmly in moist newspaper (not too tightly), then stored in a plastic bag in a cool place for transporting. For preference, an insulated container or refrigerator should then be used. Plant material will deteriorate if stored too long, so it should be 'set out” as soon as possible. Nevertheless, cuttings stored as above will keep in good condition for striking for up to two weeks.

Growing Banksias from seed; Germination of seeds is straightforward for most species. They should be placed in a well drained medium such as sand, or sand mixed with perlite or vermiculite.
A slightly acid soil with a pH of 6 – 7 is ideal and autumn and spring the best seasons for sowing.
The seed may be placed either horizontally or vertically with the wing upper most and lightly covered with soil, then kept damp. If the wing is missing the apex of the seed may usually be determined by the irregular edge where the wing has detached, the base usually being slightly pointed with smooth edges.

GROWING GREVILLEA FROM SEEDS From the newsletter of ASGAP's

Grevillea Study Group, July 2001.

Grevillea seeds have a reputation for unreliable germination but Neil Marriot has a few 'tricks of the trade' to improve your success rate.

For many years it has been known that Grevillea seeds are highly unreliable and erratic in their germination.
Sometimes seed germinates well, but often it is very poor or comes up over several (often many) months. I have been growing grevilleas by seed for many years now, and have finally developed a process that gives almost 100% success. I do not use any fungicides as they are too dangerous. However, you can use them if you wish, but by sticking to the following steps you should not need to.

Make sterile seed mix: 3 parts Perlite to I part sieved peat moss. Moisten with clean tap water and firm and level into trays till they are just over half to two thirds full.

Sow smoked and soaked seed thinly over seed mix. Then cover seed with at least 1cm of the same mix. Water in well. I have discovered that Grevillea seed germinates far better when sown deeply in the mix.

Place the seed trays outside in a sunny site and well off the ground, e.g. on an old table. Check moisture level of mix and water, normally this means daily watering. Never allow to thy out or all your seed will be lost.
I find spring to be the best time to sow seed. This allows seedlings to be potted up and well established by next autumn However, autumn sowing gives equally good results but many seedlings can be lost through first winter if they are not well developed by the time the cold weather arrives. Most species of Grevillea have an inbuilt dormancy factor which prevents them from germinating when night minimum temperatures rise above 15C.

Part 5. Damping off.

A close watch should be kept for 'damping off' at germination and during the first few months of seedling growth. “Damping off” causes rotting of the stems of seedlings at soil level, particularly in seed mixes that are overwet. The problem can be difficult to control without the use of a fungicide.

'Damping off' fungus [Pythium] sometimes attacks downy stemmed plants and particularly seedlings. Affected stems usually blacken or shrivel at soil level and the plant collapses. This usually happens when plants are overcrowded or when air circulation is restricted.
The fungus can only travel through the microscopic layer of moisture over the soil surface particles, usually during darkness. Therefore, water early in the day to ensure a dry surface at night, free susceptible plants from dead underfoliage and branchlets and make sure mulch is not too close to stems.
A good idea is to top the soil surface with vermiculite as a surface covering. It holds the moisture within, rather than around the particles and its loose coarse texture foils the travel of fungus. Also the air access it allows helps germination.

Part 6. Trade secrets and 'pitfalls'.

Pre-germination.
It involves sowing seed into a sealed container containing a layer of moist vermiculite or even a moist paper towel. Any required per-treatment needs to be carried out as normal before sowing. The container is then placed in a cool, dark place and checked every week or so until germination commences.
Any seeds which have germinated are carefully removed and potted into small pots or tubes.
The remaining seeds are re-sealed in the container which now needs to be checked every 1 – 2 days as germination of the remaining seeds usually occurs quickly once germination has commenced.

Seed Harvest:
Banksia's are best grown from seed. When collecting cones, make sure you can feel the woody fruit amongst the spent flower material. Old cones are best to ensure maturity.
Seed can be obtained from the cone by applying fire to the cone, which precipitates the seed to be accessed. When first extracting seed it is important that the separator is not mistaken for the seeds.
The separator is hard, has two wings and is brown. Each seed has a single thin wing and is usually black. Care must be taken to select undamaged fruit for seed extraction. The cones are often inhabited by insects which bore their way through the spike, eating the seeds as they go.

Grevillea's shed their seeds when the fruit has become mature. Harvesting prior to maturity by selecting green immature seeds will not germinate.

Other natives;
Seed is collected as the fruit ripens and whenever there are sufficient quantities of ripe capsules. Capsules are removed or pruned from the branches in a way that minimizes damage to parent trees, and are spread onto calico sheets to dry.
When the capsules have opened, seed is separated by shaking and sieving then stored.
As Eucalypts have fine seed, yielding up to 1000 seeds per gram, collecting is not an easy task.
Some of the popular commercially harvested eucalypts are, Euc. Salmonophloia, (Salmon Gum) brockwayii (Dundas mahogany) and torquata. (Coral gum)

Pitfalls;
Gardeners often assume that if a given amount of fertilizer will produce growth, twice as much will produce twice as much growth. This may be true for a soil that is grossly deficient in a nutrient element, but it is certainly not universally true.
In fact, twice as much can sometimes give very much reduced growth. Soluble fertilizers dissolve readily in the soil solution, thereby increasing the concentration of salts in it, resulting in a having a 'burning' effect on the leaves in particular.

Nutrient Deficiencies – A quick guide.

Nitrogen. General yellowing, stunting, premature maturity.

Magnesium. Patchy yellowing, brilliant colours especially around the edge.

Potassium. Scorched margins, spots surrounded by pale zones.

Phosphorus. Yellowing, erect habit, lack luster look, blue-green, purple colours.

Cobalt. Legumes only, as for nitrogen. Did you know?

Cotyledon; A leaf forming part of embryo of seeds.

Dicotyledons; plants with two seed leaves.

Monocotyledons; plants with one seed leaf.

Legume; A plant with pea like flowers and seeds in a pod or the seeds of such a plant.

Osmosis; The ability of dissolved substances to diffuse through the membrane.

Vermiculite; Granules of the mineral called mica which have been expanded under heat to form a moisture holding material for soil improvement.

Wilting point; A soil which contains some moisture which is unavailable to plant roots.

Handy Hints;

Gardening is excellent therapy to calm nerves, to relax from the pressures of modern living. Throw away those tranquillisers, get out in the garden and feel the tensions flow out.

Garlic spray; 1 clove of garlic to a teaspoon of liquid paraffin or canola oil. Crush and soak for a day or so. Then use 1:50 with water.

When sowing seeds of any type always sow into a moist bed, it helps prevent seeds blowing out and supplies moisture to the seed immediately.

Eggshells are a good source of magnesium and calcium to be added to mulch or compost heap.
There is much evidence to prove that evening watering in the garden increases fungal diseases. Try watering in the mornings so the foliage is dry at night.

To make your own liquid fertilizers, suspend a sack of sheep or poultry manure in a drum of water for about a week. Dilute one part fertilizer to 2 parts water.

When using liquid fertilizer, always be sure that the soil is damp beforehand, never pour liquid fertilizer onto dry soil.

Orange peel is said to repel cats from the garden.

A good fright will repel a dog.

References,

Alex S George, The Banksia Book,
Allan Searle's, Native plants,
WA Wildflower Soc,
Michael Roads, Organic Gardening in Aust,
CSIRO, Food for Plants,
Landscope,
ABC.net.au/gardening,
CALM WA,
Yates Garden Guide.

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