1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

Earthy Tips | SHORT SHOOTS
remove. For particularly stubborn weeds you
can use ingredients from the pantry to help
you out. Try pouring boiling water directly
onto the weed or spraying a bad patch with
white vinegar. Sprinkling salt granules works
well on pathways when you want to remove
all the vegetation from between cracks and
crevices, as long as you don’t have saltwater
running off into the garden or lawn.
8
9
Hot pot
Pot plants can get extremely
hot in the summertime, which
can lead to root damage and death. To
keep your plants cool, top dress them in
mulch and move them out of the sun in the
middle of the day. Plastic and terracotta
pots retain the most heat whereas thick or
glazed ceramic and concrete pots will keep
plants cool, healthy and less stressed.
Pottery class
Gypsum can be used to turn clay
soil into fine, easily worked particles
suitable for cultivation. However, not all clay
soils respond well to gypsum. To test whether
yours does, drop a clot of the soil in a glass of
rainwater and observe the glass over the next
24 hours. If the soil disperses into the water
slowly and turns into a cloudy haze, it is sodic
and will benefit from the addition of gypsum.
If it does nothing, adding gypsum would be
of no value.
10
Aussies vs
mozzies
Summer may be breeding season
for mosquitoes but that doesn’t mean
you need to let these bloodsuckers take
over your backyard. To prevent breeding,
ensure you don’t have stagnant water
congregating in buckets, car tyres, empty
pots or birdbaths. Keep goldfish in your
garden pond to eat mosquito larvae
and make sure children’s play pools are
regularly emptied. Avoid store-bought
insect repellent, which contains a host of
harmful chemicals. Instead, cover up with
long sleeves in the evening, rub lavender,
tea-tree or eucalyptus oil into your skin,
light citronella candles and plant tulsi, mint,
marigold, lemon and neem around your
outdoor entertaining area to help create a
mosquito-free zone.
8
Organic Coconut Fibre –
the Natural Cleaning Solution
· No plastic
· Sustainable
· Naturally antibacterial
· Biodegradable
For a stockist near you, visit www.importants.com.au
Good Organic Gardening | 45