Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jul 13, 2009 10:03 am Hi folks, I've been following a few threads here silently and trying Fu Manchu's suggestions with the soil improvement. I've bought a stack of Seasol and Powerfeed along with some Molasses (though the missus is a bit confused about it all). I've already given the soil a couple of treatments, although the Molasses is a pain in the ****, sticking to the bottom of the watering can and being hard to find in large quantities in Sydney. I have a heavy clay soil (based on the fact that my moisture sensor has continually read moist since it was installed about 9 months ago and is set to the almost the highest moisture setting). My soil was cultivated with Botany Humus and other organic material and soil when my plants were planted last summer but it's clear to me the soil still needs work. I was at Plantmark on the weekend (via the greenpass card Australand send out) and noticed they have some other products from the Commercial division of Seasol like Liquid Humate and Seasol +, and a product called Envy which appears (from the label) to be like DroughtShield. There was also a liquid soil breaker from Multicrop called Soilbreaker. I was wondering whether people had any experience with these products and whether they would help with a heavy clay soil. I intend on transplanting some of my plants (mostly natives) in spring and would like to break up the clay as much as possible before then, in addition to protecting them as much as possible from another hot summer. Thanks, Jamie Re: Soil improvement enquiry 2Jul 13, 2009 10:13 am This enough for you.. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Seriously though, can you get to a stock feeds store? Should be able to buy tubs of it. And I don't know anything about how to use it on the garden but in regards to it sticking to the watering can, did you dissolve it in hot water first? Re: Soil improvement enquiry 3Jul 13, 2009 10:37 am No...didn't dissolve it in hot water first. It's a bit difficult to do that for 20 or 30 watering cans worth so I only used the molasses on one small area so far. I'm not sure how to work out the logistics yet. I might be able to work out something with an empty Seasol spray on pack because they cover a lot more than a watering can will, and better for the back. Re: Soil improvement enquiry 6Jul 13, 2009 7:27 pm No don't because it will start to ferment overnight. The molasses won't dissolve first go, but like in my thread, you don't need to worry about that too much. Just leave it stuck on the bottom, fill it up again and do the next bit You will get 3 or 4 fills before it is all gone using cold water Now the other products. I do detect some element of you being sucked into a vortex of filling your shed with hundreds of things sorry not quite Seasol do many products you may not recognise that are available to farmers and the like. They even do a seaweed powder to give to dogs on their food and for cattle. All very good but like many products they have a retail name and a commercial name Powerfeed is a liquid humate. It has fulvic and humic acids (among many other things) that really help make the soil more friable. The liquid humate products are all a response to Seasol's Powerfeed product. Other companies want in on the market too so they all follow along with copies that are inferior because Seasol have the powerfeed down pat using things the others can not. I only know of one other product that even comes close, and it isn't any of those Be careful of soil moisture sensors. You need to be paying over $200 for one before you get anything remotely reliable. Those things from garden centres with a little needle are not worth the money you pay for them. Your finger will out perform them Soil moisture sensors are fantastic when linked to irrigation systems. I spoke to an old mate the other week. He is a tech officer for the City of Subiaco. They now have all the irrigation for parks and gardens linked to a computer with weather stations and soil moisture sensors sending info to him so they can really tell when the water needs applying. He went 2 or 3 weeks after he would naturally have thought it necessary from his experience in the turf industry. So all up that was 3 or 4 weeks after rain He won some award for his efforts in putting it together and tip of the cap to the City of Subiaco for taking irrigation control to that level. I hate seeing councils watering when it is raining because of the set ups they have. They'd have to go around to every park and switch them off when it rains. Not in Subi Anyway... You do have the right view of feeding the soil and not the plant. Great stuff To really start getting some headway, get a worm farm started. Once you get one going you have an endless supply of worm wee to add to a watering can. That is like steroids for soil health. The composts will also provide a basis for making the soil more friable and less clay based. Gypsum too will have an effect but it is going to years for it to do its job. You can also make poo teas by soaking sheep or cow poo or pig poo in a hessian bag on a bucket. Then apply the water diluted in a watering can to the soil. If you do get organic composts make sure they are certified organic with a NASAA http://www.nasaa.com.au/welcome1.html certification or a BFA certification http://www.bfa.com.au/ They are very different to organic composts I can assure you Re: Soil improvement enquiry 7Jul 13, 2009 7:58 pm I haven't tried the local stock feeders yet for molasses but noticed in the local hardware shop which stocks some things for horse owners they had 2 L ex milk containers filled with mollasses for $4 etc. I think we'll be leaving gardening until next year some how. I want to get retaining walls and retic in first. Re: Soil improvement enquiry 9Jul 14, 2009 9:55 am kexkez I haven't tried the local stock feeders yet for molasses but noticed in the local hardware shop which stocks some things for horse owners they had 2 L ex milk containers filled with mollasses for $4 etc. I think we'll be leaving gardening until next year some how. I want to get retaining walls and retic in first. I just bought 10L bucket at a stock feed store for $8.99 in Melb. Fu, how ofter should I add molasses to: Lawn? Garden Beds? Thanks Re: Soil improvement enquiry 10Jul 14, 2009 11:52 am Well there is no clear rates that I know of. The guy who got me onto it grows citrus plants for orchardists and he uses it on his crops just 4 or 5 times a year. On turf it seems to be a little more often. There doesn't seem to be any usage guide to it. I am just working it out as i go and i know you guys like to see something that says use this much, over this area, this many times a year sorry I don't mark my calender as to when to do mine, more when I can be bothered or feel it needs a bit of help. I haven't used the molasses in a few months now. I can't recall using a lawn fertiliser in years. I have the only green healthy lawn in the street . As the soil starts to warm, i will be using it a bit more often again. I'd expect to use it maybe every 4 or 5 weeks along with blood and bone. I also use seasol, powerfeed and a few times a year rake a very light covering of certified organic material in. A ripper I am trying out just now is the "naked gardener, organic soil activator" which is very high in organic carbon. Carbon is very very good for your soil you can buy that from most garden centres in a bag. http://www.nakedfarmer.com.au/index.html I do use molasses on the garden sometimes more and sometimes less than the lawn. It is just when i feel the soil might need it. Again it doesn't help you much sorry Look at it like this. It isn't something you will use every weekend or a few times a month. It is something that is applied a little less often but it stores well undiluted for a very long time You are feeding the soils microbes and micro flora with this stuff. That is what makes for strong healthy plants, not so much a bag of processed fertiliser Those just feed the plant and destroy many types of soil micro flora. Processed fertilisers also create weak plants that look impressive but develop pest problems and health problems very easily. Like you being stretched out to be 3m tall. Nice and big, yeah. But as soon as it gets hot you are stuffed and wilt easy needing lots of water, or you will feel the cold a fair bit too Re: Soil improvement enquiry 11Jul 14, 2009 7:16 pm Ah FuMan, you are a person after my own heart ). This is exacty what my favourite garden activity is at the moment... feeding the soil microbes, I have a nice compost bin that produces litres, it seems, of compost tea and I just spray this over the plants, no fertilizer wastege this year . I have to get some of those molases you are raving about ). Maggie Re: Soil improvement enquiry 12Jul 14, 2009 11:52 pm A quick easy way to get Molasses is from http://www.gardenersdirect.com.au/contact.html and give them a call. You can get smaller amounts delivered to the door And they are local to you Or duck out to Mirco Bros in Wangara or up near the end of Hester Ave and Wanneroo Rd. Re: Soil improvement enquiry 13Jul 15, 2009 9:44 am Thanks everyone for their suggentions. Fu, the other products I mentioned - (Liquid Humate and Seasol +) are both made by Seasol. I just asked because those two products come in much larger amounts than the Powerfeed and Seasol. I was also wondering what the difference was between those commercial products as opposed to the consumer products other than the amounts. Do you have any suggestions on controlling Oxalis without killing the groundcover it's trying to mingle with, or kidney weed, or another little dicot weed that seems to spring up everywhere and looks like a blackberry without the spikes (and not dock)? I've just tried a concoction of Zero, a little bit of Seasol and red food colouring, but it's very hard to paint on without getting any on the good plants. Cheers, Jamie Re: Soil improvement enquiry 14Jul 15, 2009 11:19 am You can kill the oxalis by .... well you're stuffed sorry pull it out for the next 100 years. Paint on some glyho and take a few hits in what you want to keep. If you can get the seasol in the commercial quanties and the related products, do it The liquid humate of theirs is the retail powerfeed. Re: Soil improvement enquiry 15Jul 15, 2009 2:54 pm Thanks again Fu. I went past PlantMark again today, actually scouring for some plants and had a look again at some of the products. The GroundBreaker stuff (in my initial post) looks pretty nasty. The directions say to hose off from foliage after you use it, water it in well the next day and to avoid runoff. That doesn't fill me with confidence There seem to be 4 commercial Seasol products available in 20L packs - Seasol + Plus, Liquid Organic Humate, Powerfeed and one with a soil wetting agent in it (which I certainly don't need). One other question. Does anyone know of a native plant version of blood and bone? B&B looks a bit high in phosphorus and I have a few natives including 3 grevilleas (which I'd like to keep). Cheers, Jamie Re: Soil improvement enquiry 16Jul 15, 2009 9:14 pm Phosphorus sensitivity is only applicable to native plants that are Proteaceae. Even then not all are as sensitive as others. try blood and bone that is just blood and bone without anything added. Otherwise try the seamungus product by neutrog any of their stuff is pretty good Also Garden gold for natives Hi, Looking to add an ensuite to one of the bedrooms and make it a Master BR. Please see the attached current floorplan. Need suggestions on what's the best way to do… 0 7483 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair I'm in WA and our sandy soils make drainage a bit easier but this is what I'd be doing. Dig down to your footings and let the wall dry out. Clean it all well by brushing… 1 5451 Three options 1 Ask the liquidator 2 Find another PD customer and ask the source of their report 3 Pay for new report 3 13924 |