I have a rhubarb plant in a raisded (12cm) bed and the whole thing has collapsed. Everything around us is very wet although we haven’t had rain for several days now. There has been no sunshine for that time either. Could it be the damp soil that has caused this? I have other rhubarb plants. 2 in pots that seem ok and 2 more in a ground level garden that are ok as well.

Next is the ivy geraniums. All in hanging pots. All have grown well and flowered recently but now their leaves are going black and slimy. Would that be due to the wet or the humidity?

I would say that we will probably be in for more rain, judging by the cloud passing over Q’ld from the north west.

I’d appreciate any thoughts you can offer on these plants. We don’t want to lose the geraniums because some have been bought through a geranium nursery and are special. Don’t want to lose the rhubarb either really. Because it has only been in the ground for a year and we refrained from eating it according to the rhubarb rules.

Going to hit the supermarket now but will be back later on.

Morning!

pomolo said:

I have a rhubarb plant in a raisded (12cm) bed and the whole thing has collapsed. Everything around us is very wet although we haven’t had rain for several days now. There has been no sunshine for that time either. Could it be the damp soil that has caused this? I have other rhubarb plants. 2 in pots that seem ok and 2 more in a ground level garden that are ok as well.

Next is the ivy geraniums. All in hanging pots. All have grown well and flowered recently but now their leaves are going black and slimy. Would that be due to the wet or the humidity?

I would say that we will probably be in for more rain, judging by the cloud passing over Q’ld from the north west.

I’d appreciate any thoughts you can offer on these plants. We don’t want to lose the geraniums because some have been bought through a geranium nursery and are special. Don’t want to lose the rhubarb either really. Because it has only been in the ground for a year and we refrained from eating it according to the rhubarb rules.

Going to hit the supermarket now but will be back later on.

Morning!

The raised bed has likely been compressed by heavy rain. Mucking about with the soil while heavy rain is about will only cause it to compress more.

Ivy leaf geranium needs to be repotted into a better drained mix and situated where it doesn’t get all the rain. but if it is already black and slimy it may well be too late to save.

Sounds like a drainage problem, my bed has rock around the edges and also holes drilled along the bottom planks for extra drainage.

The Estate said:

Sounds like a drainage problem, my bed has rock around the edges and also holes drilled along the bottom planks for extra drainage.

That looks gorgeous, Thee! So organised, sensible and well built.. the complete opposite to everything in my backyard! :D

thanks Bon and very productive these days :)

Top marks Thee.. can you lend me your youthful sand and gravel tosser?

also.. send some of your water my way.. :)

pretty please?

roughbarked said:

Top marks Thee.. can you lend me your youthful sand and gravel tosser?

also.. send some of your water my way.. :)

pretty please?

The ‘tosser’ who made that for me is no longer in action LOL, but I am sure you could do it yourself, I can still cart dirt and mulch about so you should be able to….. just takes me a lot longer these days

:) yes .. I am still able.. just not as tonnage gets shifted these days.

my two problems are: dry and hot

roughbarked said:

my two problems are: dry and hot

I can’t narrow it down to two – I have dry, hot, and slaters :D

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

my two problems are: dry and hot

I can’t narrow it down to two – I have dry, hot, and slaters :D

Yep.. you took the words right out of my mouth.. ;)

How about a photo pom, so we could help a little more….?

Rhubarb likes a fair amount of water so if they are in raised beds, I wouldn’t think the water is your problem, unless as roughbarked says your soil has become compacted. They also need a fairly fertile soil, so perhaps that might be more of an issue.

My rhubarb looked pretty crook after the recent heat wave and looked as though it would cark it. The leaves were all singed and overall the plants looked shrunken. But with these last couple of weeks of alternate cool and warm weather they are bouncing back. Maybe yours will do the same. Have you fertilised them recently?

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

I have a rhubarb plant in a raisded (12cm) bed and the whole thing has collapsed. Everything around us is very wet although we haven’t had rain for several days now. There has been no sunshine for that time either. Could it be the damp soil that has caused this? I have other rhubarb plants. 2 in pots that seem ok and 2 more in a ground level garden that are ok as well.

Next is the ivy geraniums. All in hanging pots. All have grown well and flowered recently but now their leaves are going black and slimy. Would that be due to the wet or the humidity?

I would say that we will probably be in for more rain, judging by the cloud passing over Q’ld from the north west.

I’d appreciate any thoughts you can offer on these plants. We don’t want to lose the geraniums because some have been bought through a geranium nursery and are special. Don’t want to lose the rhubarb either really. Because it has only been in the ground for a year and we refrained from eating it according to the rhubarb rules.

Going to hit the supermarket now but will be back later on.

Morning!

The raised bed has likely been compressed by heavy rain. Mucking about with the soil while heavy rain is about will only cause it to compress more.

Ivy leaf geranium needs to be repotted into a better drained mix and situated where it doesn’t get all the rain. but if it is already black and slimy it may well be too late to save.

Compressed soil by heavy rain is a possibility but strawberries along side are ok.

The Estate said:

Sounds like a drainage problem, my bed has rock around the edges and also holes drilled along the bottom planks for extra drainage.

I doubt a bed with a bottom in it would ever work up here TheE. Even with holes in the base. Yours looks good though.

pain master said:

How about a photo pom, so we could help a little more….?

I’ll see what I can do sometime tomorrow. Not promising though.

AnneS said:

Rhubarb likes a fair amount of water so if they are in raised beds, I wouldn’t think the water is your problem, unless as roughbarked says your soil has become compacted. They also need a fairly fertile soil, so perhaps that might be more of an issue.

My rhubarb looked pretty crook after the recent heat wave and looked as though it would cark it. The leaves were all singed and overall the plants looked shrunken. But with these last couple of weeks of alternate cool and warm weather they are bouncing back. Maybe yours will do the same. Have you fertilised them recently?

I’m kinda hoping my rhubarb will lift it’s leaves and recover too.

pomolo said:

The Estate said:

Sounds like a drainage problem, my bed has rock around the edges and also holes drilled along the bottom planks for extra drainage.

I doubt a bed with a bottom in it would ever work up here TheE. Even with holes in the base. Yours looks good though.

Good call pom…

pomolo said:

The Estate said:

Sounds like a drainage problem, my bed has rock around the edges and also holes drilled along the bottom planks for extra drainage.

I doubt a bed with a bottom in it would ever work up here TheE. Even with holes in the base. Yours looks good though.

that is dirt /soil what you see there LOL, just coz it looks dry and stuffs ?? this is what was there prior ?

bon008 said:

The Estate said:

Sounds like a drainage problem, my bed has rock around the edges and also holes drilled along the bottom planks for extra drainage.

That looks gorgeous, Thee! So organised, sensible and well built.. the complete opposite to everything in my backyard! :D

LOL! I was thinking much the same Bon, about my garden, not yours! My vegie plots look a bit makeshift.

The Estate said:

roughbarked said:

Top marks Thee.. can you lend me your youthful sand and gravel tosser?

also.. send some of your water my way.. :)

pretty please?

The ‘tosser’ who made that for me is no longer in action LOL

Do I detect a subtle double meaning there?

maybe

roughbarked said:

my two problems are: dry and hot

You just summed up about nine tenths of Aus there, RB. I’ve forgotten, whereabouts are you again? Inland SA comes to mind or maybe I’m mixing you up with Drylander…

I wonder in there is a copyright on forum PM messages if not I could tell more

The Estate said:

I wonder in there is a copyright on forum PM messages if not I could tell more

Well there’s no copyright, but it’s not the done thing to display the contents of a PM, especially out of context. If you are going to break the unwritten rule, then you need to be open about what you have said too. It’s a bit of a grey area. It’s ok, I don’t need to know that badly…just picked up on something that’s all.

hortfurball said:

The Estate said:

roughbarked said:

Top marks Thee.. can you lend me your youthful sand and gravel tosser?

also.. send some of your water my way.. :)

pretty please?

The ‘tosser’ who made that for me is no longer in action LOL

Do I detect a subtle double meaning there?

Subtle?????? LOL

The Estate said:

I wonder in there is a copyright on forum PM messages if not I could tell more

Nah, let it go, Thee…he/they aren’t worth the energy…as you said, 2010 will be the year you start living your own life…However I would like a picture of that vegetable garden as it is now (or a recent picture anyhow) …

Dinetta said:

The Estate said:

I wonder in there is a copyright on forum PM messages if not I could tell more

Nah, let it go, Thee…he/they aren’t worth the energy…as you said, 2010 will be the year you start living your own life…However I would like a picture of that vegetable garden as it is now (or a recent picture anyhow) …

Just for you, I have just taken a few, will download when I get home from work, off to the Docs now , then to slavery LOL

hortfurball said:

roughbarked said:

my two problems are: dry and hot

You just summed up about nine tenths of Aus there, RB. I’ve forgotten, whereabouts are you again? Inland SA comes to mind or maybe I’m mixing you up with Drylander…

Where am I? Well that burned body of an Indian national they found recently was apperently murdered across the road from where I grew up and dumped south of town . … South west NSW

for Pomolo.. Strawberries can cope with compressed soil and bad drainage far longer than rhubabrb can.

roughbarked said:

for Pomolo.. Strawberries can cope with compressed soil and bad drainage far longer than rhubabrb can.

MrP has been down and removed the sleepers surrounding the bed to allow better drainage. He said he’s sure he can see new (stand up) growth coming from the centre.

It’s been raining here again too. Only showers not a tropical downpour.

The Estate said:

I wonder in there is a copyright on forum PM messages if not I could tell more

well each post is timedated.

The rhubarb in question

http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo90/pomolo_bucket/032.jpg

pomolo said:

The rhubarb in question

http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo90/pomolo_bucket/032.jpg

I’m not a rhubarb grower, but I would probable lift part and fork the soil over, before re-planting….

pain master said:

pomolo said:

The rhubarb in question

http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo90/pomolo_bucket/032.jpg

I’m not a rhubarb grower, but I would probable lift part and fork the soil over, before re-planting….

I’ll take your advice under consideration. It is definately showing new leaf growth so maybe it’s oing to be OK.

I haven’t bothered putting up the geraniums because MrP has cut all the black leaves off so they look crook but are going to live.

pomolo said:

pain master said:

pomolo said:

The rhubarb in question

http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo90/pomolo_bucket/032.jpg

I’m not a rhubarb grower, but I would probable lift part and fork the soil over, before re-planting….

I’ll take your advice under consideration. It is definately showing new leaf growth so maybe it’s oing to be OK.

I haven’t bothered putting up the geraniums because MrP has cut all the black leaves off so they look crook but are going to live.

forking the soil will allow air in.. gently bently

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

pain master said:

I’m not a rhubarb grower, but I would probable lift part and fork the soil over, before re-planting….

I’ll take your advice under consideration. It is definately showing new leaf growth so maybe it’s oing to be OK.

I haven’t bothered putting up the geraniums because MrP has cut all the black leaves off so they look crook but are going to live.

forking the soil will allow air in.. gently bently

Onya RB.

Here you go Dinetta, was too hot last night when I got home, actually did not even log in last night, well it aint getting any cooler so here goes…

Do you think I could fit a few more plants in

The Estate said:

Here you go Dinetta, was too hot last night when I got home, actually did not even log in last night, well it aint getting any cooler so here goes…

Do you think I could fit a few more plants in

Well TheE, In all honesty I think it might be full. Sure looks healthy.

wish I had your water..

roughbarked said:

wish I had your water..

We were saying the same thing only 3 weeks ago RB. When it comes up here, it really comes with gusto.

>wish I had your water..

Her plants would die then.

we have had great rain a few weeks back and the area where the vegie patch is was under water believe it or not, a sloping block can be wonderful at times. The lawn in places stays green all year around because that is what weeds do LOL

CollieWA said:

>wish I had your water..

Her plants would die then.

true.. but if all of Australia could have water it could all grow such bountiful results.

Problem is.. some of us believe we have the right to export our water in order to buy a mercedes.. or export our trees in order to buy a toaster in a cardboard box.

roughbarked said:

CollieWA said:

>wish I had your water..

Her plants would die then.

true.. but if all of Australia could have water it could all grow such bountiful results.

Problem is.. some of us believe we have the right to export our water in order to buy a mercedes.. or export our trees in order to buy a toaster in a cardboard box.

I agree the ratio of allotment is way out of whack, 95% daily use in Vic is for industry ???

I think the lack of federal government goolies in interstate water relations is a crying shame!

The fact that Sozzies only get the crumbs off the table is shameful.

I’ve never lived in SA either, maybe slept there 3 nights, so I’m not parochial!

I think the lack of federal government goolies in interstate water relations is a crying shame!

The fact that Sozzies only get the crumbs off the table is shameful.

I’ve never lived in SA either, maybe slept there 3 nights, so I’m not parochial!

CollieWA said:

I think the lack of federal government goolies in interstate water relations is a crying shame!

The fact that Sozzies only get the crumbs off the table is shameful.

I’ve never lived in SA either, maybe slept there 3 nights, so I’m not parochial!

All the water for SA is pinched before it gets very far down the river :(

The Estate said:

roughbarked said:

CollieWA said:

>wish I had your water..

Her plants would die then.

true.. but if all of Australia could have water it could all grow such bountiful results.

Problem is.. some of us believe we have the right to export our water in order to buy a mercedes.. or export our trees in order to buy a toaster in a cardboard box.

I agree the ratio of allotment is way out of whack, 95% daily use in Vic is for industry ???

:(.. concrete locks water up.

bluegreen said:

CollieWA said:

I think the lack of federal government goolies in interstate water relations is a crying shame!

The fact that Sozzies only get the crumbs off the table is shameful.

I’ve never lived in SA either, maybe slept there 3 nights, so I’m not parochial!

All the water for SA is pinched before it gets very far down the river :(

wonders what things would have been liker if we had dammed the lower reaches of the rivers before the upper?

OK hydroelectricity has a lot going for it but not when it makes rivers run dry.. It would have been far smarter to have back filled the rivers rather than cutting them off.

The Estate said:

Do you think I could fit a few more plants in

Wow! What a sensationally full garden! Love it!

The Estate said:

roughbarked said:

CollieWA said:

>wish I had your water..

Her plants would die then.

true.. but if all of Australia could have water it could all grow such bountiful results.

Problem is.. some of us believe we have the right to export our water in order to buy a mercedes.. or export our trees in order to buy a toaster in a cardboard box.

I agree the ratio of allotment is way out of whack, 95% daily use in Vic is for industry ???

If industry could only figure out how to recycle the same water and use it over and over, just imagine how much there would be for all.

hortfurball said:

The Estate said:

roughbarked said:

true.. but if all of Australia could have water it could all grow such bountiful results.

Problem is.. some of us believe we have the right to export our water in order to buy a mercedes.. or export our trees in order to buy a toaster in a cardboard box.

I agree the ratio of allotment is way out of whack, 95% daily use in Vic is for industry ???

If industry could only figure out how to recycle the same water and use it over and over, just imagine how much there would be for all.

100% agree there !!!