Hi Horty, Muschee, Collie at a stretch :)

This just came up on freecycle:

“I have about 40 Australian native plants in pots. Including Eucalyptus Rudis, Melaleuca Violacea, Acacia Saligna, and some others. I have neglected them for about 2 weeks and the are quite dry. If they were to be replanted soon, they would live on. “

The pick-up is in Hilton.

Let me know quick if you’re interested, I can pass on the email if you’re not a freecycle member, and you can contact the offerer.

It would be mass murder if I took them :D

bon008 said:

Hi Horty, Muschee, Collie at a stretch :)

This just came up on freecycle:

“I have about 40 Australian native plants in pots. Including Eucalyptus Rudis, Melaleuca Violacea, Acacia Saligna, and some others. I have neglected them for about 2 weeks and the are quite dry. If they were to be replanted soon, they would live on. “

The pick-up is in Hilton.

Let me know quick if you’re interested, I can pass on the email if you’re not a freecycle member, and you can contact the offerer.

It would be mass murder if I took them :D

Thanks Bon but no. Muschee might have the room for them on her bush block.

Oops, sorry, just meant to reply, not quote.

I’d be wary of natives being planted out in this weather.. They most often only take five minutes to die.

roughbarked said:

I’d be wary of natives being planted out in this weather.. They most often only take five minutes to die.

Yup, that’s why I’m not taking them. Except for extenuating circumstances I don’t plant things out at any time other than autumn. I’m not energetic enough to keep things alive at any other time.

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

I’d be wary of natives being planted out in this weather.. They most often only take five minutes to die.

Yup, that’s why I’m not taking them. Except for extenuating circumstances I don’t plant things out at any time other than autumn. I’m not energetic enough to keep things alive at any other time.

I’m a native nurseryman of long experience. The only natives you want to beg borrow or buy are:

ones that have been well cared for and look healthy Watered constantly moved often Hardened in full sun.

The soil in the pot must be moist
The roots should be only visible as white radicle tips at the drain holes.

planting natives is best done on shady days with enough water to last two weeks. and initially watering should at least be considered to be constant supply for the first three months.. bare minimums.

In an ideal world, sure. But there’s still something to be said for freebies :)

Natives will respond to transplanting far better in the hotter months but will die in a few seconds if the water isn’t there.

If water is scarce then the best time to plant is early autumn in cold areas and winter in warm areas.

bon008 said:

In an ideal world, sure. But there’s still something to be said for freebies :)

My first comment to people who wanted freebies was.. look in that pile ove there.. The pile of tossouts that I planted my own forest with. I sold the good ones to paying customers.

i had people wanting me to give a discount on 50 cents.

I had to remind them that it was going to cost more than two dollars to dig the hole and that would be a waste of money by nightfall.

My constant rant was and still is. The price of the tree is a mere fraction of the cost of getting it to work for a day.

\ add that to each day of the first eighteen months and you will be coming closer to the true price of the tree.

price of the tree.. er.. should have read .. cost of the tree.

for it won’t be a tree unless it has at least two good seasons and it won’t last more than twenty years if this isn’t repeated. on a regular basis.. either by nature or by man’s hand.

There is no such thing as in an ideal world.. in regard to natives.

unless someone is there to give TLC. if the TLC is dropped for even a brief time.. during their nursery time. Then the plant is compost tucker.

roughbarked said:

My constant rant was and still is. The price of the tree is a mere fraction of the cost of getting it to work for a day.

\ add that to each day of the first eighteen months and you will be coming closer to the true price of the tree.

Yeh, two things though:

- maybe tending to the tree (whether it lives or not) is a relaxing, meditative process which people enjoy regardless of the likelihood of success
- if you don’t spend enough time and water on the tree, you haven’t really lost much financially. I don’t know about you, but my time is pretty cheap and my water’s pretty cheap too.

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

My constant rant was and still is. The price of the tree is a mere fraction of the cost of getting it to work for a day.

\ add that to each day of the first eighteen months and you will be coming closer to the true price of the tree.

Yeh, two things though:

- maybe tending to the tree (whether it lives or not) is a relaxing, meditative process which people enjoy regardless of the likelihood of success
- if you don’t spend enough time and water on the tree, you haven’t really lost much financially. I don’t know about you, but my time is pretty cheap and my water’s pretty cheap too.

Well said .. as no forests would get planted if people didn’t think that way.

Hey Bon, thanks for thinkin of us…..I know I’m a day late, but thought I’d pop my head in anyways.

I’m actually a bit more careful these days as to what I plant. Basically cause the more I plant the more water I need. We aren’t on town water and the bore doesn’t supply alot of water, but what I get I use for vegie gardening. And as a back up incase the house tank gets low.

I check freecycle quite often. You just never know if you can unload some of your junk or grab someone elses junk.
I’ll be looking for some bricks soon for my final vegie garden bed…after that I’ve run outta room.

Oh and my chooks would have a ball with all your slaters….I should borrow them to you for a day :)

Hey Muschee :)

Forgot to say this morning.. the plants have gone :D

I would love to unload my junk via freecycle, but it seems my junk is too low quality – no one wants it!

Actually I was at a party on the weekend, and caught up with some friends of a friend who live one street back from us, and they have chooks! Was very tempted to ask if I could borrow one or two to pop in the vegie patch :) Maybe once we pull out the last few crops – which could be this weekend, looking at the forecast.

bon008 said:

Hey Muschee :)

Forgot to say this morning.. the plants have gone :D

I would love to unload my junk via freecycle, but it seems my junk is too low quality – no one wants it!

Actually I was at a party on the weekend, and caught up with some friends of a friend who live one street back from us, and they have chooks! Was very tempted to ask if I could borrow one or two to pop in the vegie patch :) Maybe once we pull out the last few crops – which could be this weekend, looking at the forecast.

Why not get a couple of chooks yourself bon?

AnneS said:

Why not get a couple of chooks yourself bon?

Can’t commit to keeping any additional critters alive at the moment. We can barely keep up with the existing household chores. Ducks (and rats!) are on the list for when we feel we have more time and energy though.

bon008 said:

AnneS said:

Why not get a couple of chooks yourself bon?

Can’t commit to keeping any additional critters alive at the moment. We can barely keep up with the existing household chores. Ducks (and rats!) are on the list for when we feel we have more time and energy though.

Fair enuff!

AnneS said:

bon008 said:

AnneS said:

Why not get a couple of chooks yourself bon?

Can’t commit to keeping any additional critters alive at the moment. We can barely keep up with the existing household chores. Ducks (and rats!) are on the list for when we feel we have more time and energy though.

Fair enuff!

hehe, sorry if that was a bit blunt! It’s just I get a bit fed up of people saying “just get chooks!” every time I mention slaters, as if it’s like borrowing a book from the library. Yes, chooks would be an awesome solution, but chooks are for life, not for Christmas :D

bon008 said:

AnneS said:

bon008 said:

Can’t commit to keeping any additional critters alive at the moment. We can barely keep up with the existing household chores. Ducks (and rats!) are on the list for when we feel we have more time and energy though.

Fair enuff!

hehe, sorry if that was a bit blunt! It’s just I get a bit fed up of people saying “just get chooks!” every time I mention slaters, as if it’s like borrowing a book from the library. Yes, chooks would be an awesome solution, but chooks are for life, not for Christmas :D

True. They can be a nuisance….like my horrors who have made a mess of a lot of my beds, They have been digging up the rose bed where I am trying to salvage some of my Mum’s roses :(
They haven’t succeeded in actually digging up the roses yet thank goodness. They are grounded for the next few days! Won’t be allowed out of their yard. LOL

But overall they are really good value and not all that hard to look after…sometimes I find William more of a handful!

AnneS said:

True. They can be a nuisance….like my horrors who have made a mess of a lot of my beds, They have been digging up the rose bed where I am trying to salvage some of my Mum’s roses :(
They haven’t succeeded in actually digging up the roses yet thank goodness. They are grounded for the next few days! Won’t be allowed out of their yard. LOL

But overall they are really good value and not all that hard to look after…sometimes I find William more of a handful!

Yeh.. have to consider things like going away on holidays though. We can leave the dog with mum and dad, but chooks might be a bit trickier. I have to become better friends with these friends of friends on the next street up I think :D

bon008 said:

AnneS said:

True. They can be a nuisance….like my horrors who have made a mess of a lot of my beds, They have been digging up the rose bed where I am trying to salvage some of my Mum’s roses :(
They haven’t succeeded in actually digging up the roses yet thank goodness. They are grounded for the next few days! Won’t be allowed out of their yard. LOL

But overall they are really good value and not all that hard to look after…sometimes I find William more of a handful!

Yeh.. have to consider things like going away on holidays though. We can leave the dog with mum and dad, but chooks might be a bit trickier. I have to become better friends with these friends of friends on the next street up I think :D

Yes hols are a problem when you have animals or a big vegie garden :). We can generally only go away for an overnighter at most because one of us needs to be here to tend to the garden and the animals

What’s this ‘going away on holiday’ of which you speak? Never heard of it, LOL!

I know exactly what you mean Bon, but for me, chooks are no hindrance as I already tethered myself when I decided to have two dogs, two cats, a tropical fish tank and a garden.

hortfurball said:

What’s this ‘going away on holiday’ of which you speak? Never heard of it, LOL!

I know exactly what you mean Bon, but for me, chooks are no hindrance as I already tethered myself when I decided to have two dogs, two cats, a tropical fish tank and a garden.

hehe :) We prefer to holiday with Tess, but we do have to go see Mr Bon’s side of the family in England every now and then, so we made sure before we got Tess that we had enough family/friends willing to look after her.

It’s not just that though, it’s just the feeling of being ready to be responsible for the chook’s lives. Getting chooks just to eat the slaters is kind of like having kids just to get some maternity leave. You have to be ready, whether it’s chooks or kids, and we’re not ready for chooks yet. One day!