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Fixing shallow hard loamy clay soil - 1 Add soil to the surface to increase the depth. 2 Double-dig the whole area. To do this, open up a 60 cm wide trench at one end of the area and remove the top soil down to the clay base. Barrow this soil to the other end of the area where digging will... more

Loamy Soil - When a soil is referred to as loamy, it usually means that the soil contains a mixture of humus, sand and clay. A good loamy soil should contain, in addition to the clay particles, an ample supply of humus with sufficient sand to prevent it setting hard u... more

Cactus and Soil - Cacti need food, therefore amongst the soil ingredients the most important are: Loam—organic matter (leaf mould or old manure) and sharp sand. Compost should be left to mature for at least a month before using. It should be turned weekly and kept just m... more

Growing Lawns in Shaded Areas - Growing a lawn in shade is often a problem. Under the most adverse circumstances it is an insoluble problem. You simply cannot grow turf without some direct sunlight or in places where other prohibiting factors exist. Strongly competing tree roots may occ... more

Green Manure - In a large garden a good plan is to rest one seventh of the area devoted to vegetables and cut flowers every year, and to sow this seventh with a green manure or cover crop which can be dug or ploughed in at the end of the season. A more intensive program... more

Fungi - Fungus Diseases - Parasitic fungi are mostly microscopic. They invade higher plants and grow in their tissues (cells), which they kill and then absorb the contents for food. They penetrate and grow in the plant cells by means of fine fungal threads (hyphae), and spread f... more

Cactus Pests and Disease - It is very important to watch your plants, and keep them healthy and vigorous, and never too crowded. It is much easier to prevent infestation than to cure it. Window collections are ideal places for insects, and it is therefore natural that pests increas... more

Oversowing Lawn - Oversowing is an acceptable practice and is not a difficult operation. Suitable grasses are hybrid bent or the cheaper NZ Browntop bent. Hybrid bent is the grass used extensively for bowling greens. To prepare the lawn for oversowing, lightly scratch i... more

Bush Roses - Bush roses vary in height from 1 to 6 ft. or so, according to variety and method of pruning. They are represented by hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras as well as the informal shrub types or species, usually grown as single specimens and not in for... more