Topic: The RAWK Gardening Thread. (All Questions Answered)

[Fowllah]

An annoying flat weed has appeared everywhere this year, anyone know what its called?

Possibly ground elder. had it last year. complete pain in the arse. I borrowed a knap-sack and sprayed it with a good weed killer.

[John C]

Possibly ground elder. had it last year. complete pain in the arse. I borrowed a knap-sack and sprayed it with a good weed killer.

No mate, this lye's flat, it doesn't grow upwards and had no stem?

[Barneylfc∗]

How do you kill a tree? Or at least stop the c*nt growing? It's starting to lift the flag stones out the back.

[Sarge]

How do you kill a tree? Or at least stop the c*nt growing? It's starting to lift the flag stones out the back.

How big is it?

[Willi]

Just found this thread.
Posted the following in the 'Chillies' thread the other day.

Started reading RAWK several years ago, thinking it would improve my footy knowledge. Read this thread about 18 months ago and it's turned me into a fucking gardener. From (according to my girlfriend) mowing the lawn twice a year if she was lucky, I've been spending hours every weekend and evenings in the summer in the garden. Rebuilding bits, the new greenhouse has just arrived which I'm building in the next few weeks ready for next season. Fucking footy forum indeed.
Anyway, the chillies are the most important part of the work. We've been eating Purple and normal Jalapenos stuffed with cheese about 4 times a week for the last 2 months, still a few more to come from plants that I could bring indoors (just need the heat to ripen)
The Filius Blue are an attractive plant, the fruit is small but reasonably hot and tasty. I put one in my soup every luchtime, makes all the difference.
Habenero Red Savina, what can you say? The aroma is really good!!!!!!!
Then I have Cayenne, some red and some yellow which I don't know the name of (the seeds came from some dried chillies which my daughter brought back from Mallorca).
The chillies which we couldn't use I put in a dehydrator, so we have many jars of dried chillies which will last us until next year.
I'm under orders to do more Jalapenos next year.
The problem this year was the weather in that here in the south of Germany it was fucking awful until the start of June, then it was hot(great) but the chillies need 2 months sun/warm to ripen which has been critical this year. Been a short summer. Saved by us not having any frosts yet.
My gardening (and life in general) is organised around kick off time. Not going to miss a game for a fucking plant.
Thankyou RAWK for changing my life.

Well there you go.
At the moment I'm preparing for a fuck off greenhouse. Digging and things. Has to be in place for next garden season.

Haven't read the whole thread yet but from early on, slugs/snails I treat with a pair of scissors. We had loads in June but I went out late evening with the scissors and after 3 nights they were under control. Then a regular patrol of the garden. You need dedicated scissors for this, my girlfriend wont touch them.

[Filler.]

A good tip for preventing slugs getting at your plants is to use copper piping. I curl a six inch diameter ring of old copper piping round the base of plants like spinach and chard, and it works. They get an electric shock from it. Same goes with marijuana, tho i add a 3 inch verticle piece of copper piping, sawn down it's length, and then wrapped round the stem for added protection. Keep all leaves off the ground too.

Sowing garlic tomorrow. Bit late, as ever.

[Barneylfc∗]

How big is it?

Not very big at all. Height wise, 15ft maybe. No thicker than making a circle with your thumbs and forefingers. Thing is, the roots are lifting the flag stones, so need to kill the twat before it makes it worse

[Filler.]

How do you kill a tree? Or at least stop the c*nt growing? It's starting to lift the flag stones out the back.

Chainsaw... then drill as many deep holes as you want/can, and fill those holes with tree stump killer. Not sure of the actual term. Get a good wide drill bit, sink a few holes into the stump, and eventually, she will rot.

[Filler.]

Not very big at all. Height wise, 15ft maybe. No thicker than making a circle with your thumbs and forefingers. Thing is, the roots are lifting the flag stones, so need to kill the twat before it makes it worse

15ft? Don't even need a chainsaw. Cut the thing down with a saw. If it's a fir tree/coniferous type thing, cut it down with a smile.

[Prof]

Can anyone help me identify this plant?  I think one of my kids might have eaten a berry off it and I want to check it out.

[Lawnmowerman]

Looks like a St John's wort

[Prof]

Looks like a St John's wort

Thanks

It doesnt have yellow flowers though

[electricghost]

A type of Dogwood perhaps

[Lawnmowerman]

Thanks

It doesnt have yellow flowers though

Theres hundreds of different types of them, going through different phrases. Google Johns worts berries.

[Prof]

Theres hundreds of different types of them, going through different phrases. Google Johns worts berries.

I think you're right, thanks mate.  This pic looks identical.

[Prof]

A type of Dogwood perhaps

Thanks for the suggestion, I think LMM has it right.

[Lawnmowerman]

Yeah thats it. Flowers yellow first, then berries

[Kopite B205]

I enjoy working on my back garden this time of year. Just stained all my new panels and shed over the last few weeks and it looks great. Planted some laurel at the rear fence about 3 years ago and that is coming along nicely now. Shed some serious sweat all summer now clearing my boarders of some seriously overgrown and unsightly geraniums and then shaped my boarder with a nice wavy pattern. Planted 3 lovely plants today including a fantastic hydrangea so that will look great in time.

My problem however is my lawn! Its not that bad but I want that lush green look. I've tried Evergreen 4 in 1 twice this summer but I still get a lot of yellow patches and sporadic weeds in the grass. Any tips on how to get my turf looking like Anfield would be greatly appreciated.

[Kopite B205]

Oh...what about Green Thumb? Anybody used them? I've heard mixed reviews.

[CraigDS]

Personally wouldn't bother with Green Thumb, know a few people who have used them and not had great results.

Find yourself a good feed and weed and use that. Once it's killed off the moss/weeds you'll want to rake this all out or use a scarifier, you may need to do another feed and weed if not all has gone. Once you've got it back to just the good grass (it may look a bit bare) you can give a good covering of new seed. Don't be stingey on the quality of the seed as it will make a difference.

Then it's a case of keeping up a good feed/weed and watering regime, and not cutting it too short too quickly as this will knock the colour out of it too.

[Prof]

Yeah thats it. Flowers yellow first, then berries

Thanks mate

I asked Mrs Prof this morning, she said it did have yellow flowers 

I do all the gardening and landscaping of our 100yd garden but haven't noticed the yellow flowers   

[Spongebob Redpants]

Any tree experts in here ?

Moved to a new house last year . Garden is nice , but have a few concerns about the trees .

Already had one conifer removed that was a good 35 foot high and literally 2m away from the house . Next concerns are a couple of Silver Birches . Have one big fella bang on 6m away from the house . As far as I know , they have a fairly shallow root system . Not sure it's in the best of health , and at about 40 to 50 foot tall a bit concerned it may topple at some point . If I do arrange to get it taken down at some point , just a bit concerned about ground heave . Now I know that there's no definitive answer , without further investigation , as to the likelyhood of it occuring . Just curious if anyone has any input .

Also , have a smaller Silver Birch at the back of the garden , which is only 2 foot away from the garage . Will let this have its last summer and take down later in the year .

If and when I do arrange these to get taken down , will be back in here for advice on more appropriate replacements .

[Crosby Nick]

Oh...what about Green Thumb? Anybody used them? I've heard mixed reviews.

My parents did. Think it took them a few visits before they were happy but their lawn is properly lush and green now. Puts my weed and moss ridden dump to shame!

[AndyInVA]

Grew some basil this year in a big pot outside
grew very easily and was able to make great home made pesto with it

[richiedouglas]

Afternoon ladies and gents.

I've got a problem with our corkscrew hazel - it's getting pulverised by caterpillars. I've attached a picture of one of the little shits. I've probably cleared about 150 off our tree (which has been stripped). The tree itself is in its infancy and isn't much higher than a metre. The same thing happened last year but with a different type of caterpillar (picture on a different computer).

Is there anything I can do to stop them coming again next year? I'm fairly resigned to them winning the 2014 fight.

Also, bit of trivia. I was walking through some woods on Sunday and saw these weird green orbs (??) on the underside of a leaf. Any idea what they are?

[electricghost]

Afternoon ladies and gents.

I've got a problem with our corkscrew hazel - it's getting pulverised by caterpillars. I've attached a picture of one of the little shits. I've probably cleared about 150 off our tree (which has been stripped). The tree itself is in its infancy and isn't much higher than a metre. The same thing happened last year but with a different type of caterpillar (picture on a different computer).

Is there anything I can do to stop them coming again next year? I'm fairly resigned to them winning the 2014 fight.

Also, bit of trivia. I was walking through some woods on Sunday and saw these weird green orbs (??) on the underside of a leaf. Any idea what they are?

Re the caterpillars, you can use a product called Thuricide http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thuricide-HPC-Caterpillar-Worm-Control/dp/B004CZ2YBW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1408376147&sr=8-4&keywords=bacillus+thuringiensis

It is not harmful to other beneficial creatures.

Also you could try planting lavender, sage or peppermint nearby as they don't like the scent these produce.

Or put a bird feeder nearby to attract birds to the area and they will eat them.

[richiedouglas]

Re the caterpillars, you can use a product called Thuricide http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thuricide-HPC-Caterpillar-Worm-Control/dp/B004CZ2YBW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1408376147&sr=8-4&keywords=bacillus+thuringiensis

It is not harmful to other beneficial creatures.

Also you could try planting lavender, sage or peppermint nearby as they don't like the scent these produce.

Or put a bird feeder nearby to attract birds to the area and they will eat them.

Many thanks!

[Mutton Geoff]

Just found this , as i took on an  Allotment in February is there an Allotment one or will this suffice, re that plant with the berries got lots in my woodland effect back garden tends to grow with Ferns, they can look ok if just keep them down to an acceptable amount, anyway Mares Tails are the blight of Allotment Holders lives.

[Barneylfc∗]

Suddenly started getting loads f mushrooms growing in my back garden. Only started in the last 2 weeks. Anyone know why?

[sminp]

Suddenly started getting loads f mushrooms growing in my back garden. Only started in the last 2 weeks. Anyone know why?

Poor drainage or overwatering. Or a combination. They're harmless anyway, they're probably doing you a favour if it is a drainage problem.

[Barneylfc∗]

Poor drainage or overwatering. Or a combination. They're harmless anyway, they're probably doing you a favour if it is a drainage problem.

Probably overwatering. Recently emptied the swimming pool into it. Tried running it off the garden but because of where the plug is on the pool, a lot of it had to just be poured out into the grass. Cheers

[Sarge]

Probably overwatering. Recently emptied the swimming pool into it. Tried running it off the garden but because of where the plug is on the pool, a lot of it had to just be poured out into the grass. Cheers

That will do it, damp and the shade is what they love.

[Nice Guy Davey]

Try carefully pulling them up from the bottom of the stalks. If you just run the mower over them then you'll spread the spores and they'll spread round the garden. 

[Barneylfc∗]

Ok so some c*nt is burrowing holes in my back garden. How do I find out what it is with sitting all Rambo'd up in the bushes all night? I've filled them in loads of times but was cutting the grass the other day and there's new ones.

[Willi]

Are you talking large holes (dog, rabbit) or small holes (mouse. rat) ? Are there piles of earth (mole, vole)?

[Lawnmowerman]

If they're only small holes a couple of inches deep, could be magpies coming back for food they've previously buried

[Barneylfc∗]

I've never noticed any piles of earth. They're about 6 inches wide, but I can fit my whole arm down them.

[Willi]

I wanted to suggest hedgehog or some type of bird, however if your arm fits down them I would think it's a tunnel.

[Vinay]

I just bought a Magnolia Stellata from Lidl for the amazing price of £3.99
As this is a 'small' variety, growing to a maximum of 4.5 m, I am considering planting it in the front yard, not too far from the pavement. I live in a Close.
Any advice RAWK gardeners?

[Another Red]

I've recently developed an almost unhealthy obsession with succulents. Never been particularly interested in gardening but these plants get me excited! Echeverias, aeoniums, sedum, kalanchoe, jade, aloe, agave, graptofuckingpetalums. I'd quite happily spend my days propagating these things if I had the choice.