So I hope you don’t mind if I mess around a bit. By the way iinet is the best and cheapest ph/broadband line I know but it varies in every state.
Cheers,
Pete
what yas have in mind 
pete said:
So I hope you don’t mind if I mess around a bit. By the way iinet is the best and cheapest ph/broadband line I know but it varies in every state.
Cheers,
Pete
well alright – you can be ‘minister for having fun’ but just remember to consult our panel of experts. LOL
pete said:
So I hope you don’t mind if I mess around a bit.
as long as it is good safe fun, because you know what they say?
Its always funny until someone gets hurt…. then its hilarious!
pain master said:
pete said:
So I hope you don’t mind if I mess around a bit.
as long as it is good safe fun, because you know what they say?
Its always funny until someone gets hurt…. then its hilarious!
On the subject of fun. Does anyone watch the 7pm Project on ten. I rarely miss it. Some of it goes over my head because I’m not up to scratch with lots of todays lingo but the speed and their wit cracks me up. Friday nights I never miss.
pomolo said:
pain master said:
pete said:
So I hope you don’t mind if I mess around a bit.
as long as it is good safe fun, because you know what they say?
Its always funny until someone gets hurt…. then its hilarious!
On the subject of fun. Does anyone watch the 7pm Project on ten. I rarely miss it. Some of it goes over my head because I’m not up to scratch with lots of todays lingo but the speed and their wit cracks me up. Friday nights I never miss.
I usually watch the re run never have the box on till I go to bed , only watch telly in bed LOL
We all enjoy a laugh on here Pete, and you seem to have a great sense of humour:)
orchid40 said:
We all enjoy a laugh on here Pete, and you seem to have a great sense of humour:)
Thanks – but I think I need to go serious from now on as when I tell a joke to my broccoli plants they just shake their heads and turn away! – Wait sorry that’s my friend horti – the plants seem to be on my level.
By the way the few broccoli plants I have (all the plants I have are in pots) are getting so big they must be soon going to head – is there anything I need to do to ensure a good broccoli head? I currently use seasol and powerfeed half strength once a week but with the upcoming growth should this change.
Thanks all for your advice with the blueberries – I am going to repot tomorrow as per the new potting mix suggestions.
:)
pete said:
orchid40 said:We all enjoy a laugh on here Pete, and you seem to have a great sense of humour:)
Thanks – but I think I need to go serious from now on as when I tell a joke to my broccoli plants they just shake their heads and turn away! – Wait sorry that’s my friend horti – the plants seem to be on my level.
By the way the few broccoli plants I have (all the plants I have are in pots) are getting so big they must be soon going to head – is there anything I need to do to ensure a good broccoli head? I currently use seasol and powerfeed half strength once a week but with the upcoming growth should this change.
Thanks all for your advice with the blueberries – I am going to repot tomorrow as per the new potting mix suggestions.
Again.. look it is really wrong temperatures to expect good broccoli heads ..
you should be planting seed now.roughbarked said:
pete said:
orchid40 said:We all enjoy a laugh on here Pete, and you seem to have a great sense of humour:)
Thanks – but I think I need to go serious from now on as when I tell a joke to my broccoli plants they just shake their heads and turn away! – Wait sorry that’s my friend horti – the plants seem to be on my level.
By the way the few broccoli plants I have (all the plants I have are in pots) are getting so big they must be soon going to head – is there anything I need to do to ensure a good broccoli head? I currently use seasol and powerfeed half strength once a week but with the upcoming growth should this change.
Thanks all for your advice with the blueberries – I am going to repot tomorrow as per the new potting mix suggestions.
Again.. look it is really wrong temperatures to expect good broccoli heads ..
you should be planting seed now.
and I’d be more inclined to liquid fert fortnightly… you maybe getting a tad too much nitrogen into your plants and that is why they are all leaf???
roughbarked said:
Again.. look it is really wrong temperatures to expect good broccoli heads ..
you should be planting seed now.
I’ve just planted seedlings, is that OK?
pain master said:
roughbarked said:
pete said:Thanks – but I think I need to go serious from now on as when I tell a joke to my broccoli plants they just shake their heads and turn away! – Wait sorry that’s my friend horti – the plants seem to be on my level.
By the way the few broccoli plants I have (all the plants I have are in pots) are getting so big they must be soon going to head – is there anything I need to do to ensure a good broccoli head? I currently use seasol and powerfeed half strength once a week but with the upcoming growth should this change.
Thanks all for your advice with the blueberries – I am going to repot tomorrow as per the new potting mix suggestions.
Again.. look it is really wrong temperatures to expect good broccoli heads ..
you should be planting seed now.and I’d be more inclined to liquid fert fortnightly… you maybe getting a tad too much nitrogen into your plants and that is why they are all leaf???
pete said:
pain master said:
roughbarked said:Again.. look it is really wrong temperatures to expect good broccoli heads ..
you should be planting seed now.and I’d be more inclined to liquid fert fortnightly… you maybe getting a tad too much nitrogen into your plants and that is why they are all leaf???
Thanks guys. Horti suggested fert fortnightly originally but the half fert/seasol was suggested by another and I decided to try it – purely cause I don’t know anything. Most of my plants are really going well – Have tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, lettuce, strawberries (now going well) and pepino’s all going well and I’m just starting to get decent fruit/vege from them but I didn’t realise the importance of fert timing. I will adjust the regimen and see what happens. I am quite happy now having actually “harvested” a few bits and pieces cause the grandkids now know we grow food, not just buy it and any learning that will help out later is all good. I have mentioned my blueberries previously and having taken your on mass advice I have decided to do a test. I will leave 1 blueberry plant in Bailey’‘s premium, but have repotted another into a more acid mix as suggested and I suspect you guys know what will happen but I am looking forward to see what happens when comparing the 2 in a few weeks.
Re the broccoli – I just didn’t know about the temperature prob – I have bought the broccoli seedlings from a store cause I thought that the store would only sell seedlings that are good to go at this time of year. Horti has now put me straight as to this. I hope the broccoli does work though. Maybe altering the fertilisation pattern will help! Will take good advice, however, and start planting appropriate seeds now – i.e. will try to get in sync with planting times etc. Heh another decade and I may kinda know whats going on plant wise!
pete said:
Heh another decade and I may kinda know whats going on plant wise!
Actually, don’t be fooled everyone, he’s learning incredibly quickly…is soaking up information like a sponge which is why I recommended he come here and talk to people who’ve actually grown vegies, as opposed to myself, who has occasionally as you know, had a self seeded pumpkin or tomato from the compost heap! For someone who barely knew plants existed a few months ago he’s going to be talking in Botanese soon, LOL!
I also recommended a good book called Successful Organic Gardening by David R. Murray, which Pete wasted no time buying and getting his nose into.
It’s great to see someone so enthusiastic but sadly my lack of experience in vegie growing is has become evident. By the time I get my patch up and running I’ll be asking Pete for tips, LOL!
hortfurball said:
pete said:Heh another decade and I may kinda know whats going on plant wise!
Actually, don’t be fooled everyone, he’s learning incredibly quickly…is soaking up information like a sponge which is why I recommended he come here and talk to people who’ve actually grown vegies, as opposed to myself, who has occasionally as you know, had a self seeded pumpkin or tomato from the compost heap! For someone who barely knew plants existed a few months ago he’s going to be talking in Botanese soon, LOL!
I also recommended a good book called Successful Organic Gardening by David R. Murray, which Pete wasted no time buying and getting his nose into.
It’s great to see someone so enthusiastic but sadly my lack of experience in vegie growing is has become evident. By the time I get my patch up and running I’ll be asking Pete for tips, LOL!
Yeah right – I am enthusiastic but the decade idea is good – LOL, So many confounding factors when it comes to growing plants it does my head in. In my youth my mum would throw a plant in the ground and if it failed we would never know why. It is so complicated – I mean really! A human body is complicated but we are all basically the same. It doesn’t seem so with plants. Some live in water, some seem to live almost without. Most seem to need certain nutrients, some don’t. Humans need oxygen to breathe and things to eat but plants are much more diverse then that. Horti puts it too strongly about my info uptake cause it’s like trying to uptake a life’s work in a few months – never going to happen for me! I am just looking forward to learning more about plant stuff and the fact that my grandaughters come over and immediately run out to see whats happening with my plants is such a joy. Thats what got me into plants in the first place.
plant stuff and the fact that my grandaughters come over and immediately run out to see whats happening with my plants is such a joy
—————————
a garden is a lovely place – with a view, summin to nibble on and it grows incredibly fast. small wonder that children are fascinated.
after 30+ years of growing veges i still believe in the ‘fluke theory’. if you improve the soil each year with manure and mulch then your first year will be your worst. after that the soil starts improving and crops start growing better. even so i always seem to get some ‘fluke’ crops and some duds. i have never worked out a fool proof way of growing anything.
probably carrots are a good crop for sandy soil. they yield more good eating per sq.m. then any other crop and save lots of money plus give better food than you can buy. winter carrots are planted in late feb in perth.
SGA has great info pages on all that grows in the garden, and I use their ‘ in you patch this month’ guide for when to plant. Of course it’s generalised and you may have different areas on your house block. I have a cool area, a boggy part and most tropical plants grow well on my patio. ect.
http://www.sgaonline.org.au/patch.html
pete said:
I am just looking forward to learning more about plant stuff and the fact that my grandaughters come over and immediately run out to see whats happening with my plants is such a joy. Thats what got me into plants in the first place.
pain master said:
roughbarked said:
pete said:Thanks – but I think I need to go serious from now on as when I tell a joke to my broccoli plants they just shake their heads and turn away! – Wait sorry that’s my friend horti – the plants seem to be on my level.
By the way the few broccoli plants I have (all the plants I have are in pots) are getting so big they must be soon going to head – is there anything I need to do to ensure a good broccoli head? I currently use seasol and powerfeed half strength once a week but with the upcoming growth should this change.
Thanks all for your advice with the blueberries – I am going to repot tomorrow as per the new potting mix suggestions.
Again.. look it is really wrong temperatures to expect good broccoli heads ..
you should be planting seed now.and I’d be more inclined to liquid fert fortnightly… you maybe getting a tad too much nitrogen into your plants and that is why they are all leaf???
Pain master. Just wondering if you think the fert fortnightly should be full or half strength. As in, week 1 giving a full strength seasol then the next a fert but should it be a half or full strength? Also wondering how nitrogen increases leaf production but inhibits broccoli and.or other head production?
Also roughbarked mentioned it is the wrong temp for broccoli but my neighbour has huge broccoli heads each year in Jan/Feb (in Perth mind). Whats happening with that? The only reason I picked up the broccoli was that they were seedlings in Bunnings so I thought I would give it a go. Interesting – I just hope I do get some broccoli out of it in the long run.
pete said:
Pain master. Just wondering if you think the fert fortnightly should be full or half strength. As in, week 1 giving a full strength seasol then the next a fert but should it be a half or full strength? Also wondering how nitrogen increases leaf production but inhibits broccoli and.or other head production?
The way you have been going about it, I mean half dose weekly is prolly doing the same as a full dose fortnightly, so its really about time issues for me. Doing the job fortnightly saves me time in the long run. Now I see the liquid fert as being a bit like the sugared lolly water the athletes drink; the fert is a good pick-me-up for the plant with a good range of minerals in it, however, the real long term goodies (the athletes would call this the proteins and carbs) for the plants are in the ground.
Now the general consumer wants results for his cash, so the manufacturers make sure that there is an adequate available supply of nitrogen (a real building block for plants) in their liquid ferts because this can be easily taken in my the plant and used straight away. So liquid fert one day, greener new growth the next, means more use of said product.
Now back to the broccoli, the leafs are easy to make, hell, any plant can do that! So you give the plant a quick dose of fert re:nitrogen (doesn’t matter the amount) and the plant will just keep on pumping out the leafs. Here I stress: it doesn’t matter how much nitrogen is in your liquid fert, a little percentage or a lot, it is easy to use by the plant and will therefore be gobbled up straight away. But building a nice flower and a reproduction unit takes some skill, and a wide variety of all the goodies in the ground, air, water.
My theory with broccoli has always been to fert regularly early on, and then back the fert off a bit as the plant gets bigger and hope the goodies in the ground are adequate.
pete said:
Also roughbarked mentioned it is the wrong temp for broccoli but my neighbour has huge broccoli heads each year in Jan/Feb (in Perth mind). Whats happening with that? The only reason I picked up the broccoli was that they were seedlings in Bunnings so I thought I would give it a go. Interesting – I just hope I do get some broccoli out of it in the long run.
Sorry, not wanting to be a party-pooper but did you write it down and document in your diary the times your neighbour’s broccoli was ready? I have a good friend, nice guy who says that Townsville got 2 metres of rainfall in January alone last year and another metre in February! While I grant you it was wet, I know of at least 12 Townsvillians who write down their weather obs every day and all of them just got over 2metres for the year, and none of them got 3 metres in the first two months. My good friend, has a rain gauge and a daily diary for his work purposes but never wrote the numbers down. So what starts off as a reliable statement soon loses impact.
Now I don’t doubt that you are correct in saying your neighbour has good broccoli heads in Jan/Feb. Have they got some out there today? And please ask them what is their tips for good production??? I find you can get broccoli to head in the warmer months but you need to eat them on the day of harvest, the heads will quickly yellow off and lose any of its tightness. A good tight long lasting head needs a bit of chill in the air.
AnneS said:
pete said:I am just looking forward to learning more about plant stuff and the fact that my grandaughters come over and immediately run out to see whats happening with my plants is such a joy. Thats what got me into plants in the first place.
One of the best reasons of all pete. Not to mention the sheer pleasure of being able to say “I grew that!”. Both my kids are keen gardeners and my granddaughter is often outside in the garden with her Mum (who although keen is still learning). Granddaughter is only just starting to take a few tentative stpes, but once she is walking properly she’ll be having a great time in the garden. Can’t wait to take her around my garden when she comes to visit in a couple of weeks time
Dead right Anne. Although my eldest grandchild did ask after I said “we grew that” she asked why I cant grow hair on my head – out of the mouths of babes!
pain master said:
pete said:
Pain master. Just wondering if you think the fert fortnightly should be full or half strength. As in, week 1 giving a full strength seasol then the next a fert but should it be a half or full strength? Also wondering how nitrogen increases leaf production but inhibits broccoli and.or other head production?
The way you have been going about it, I mean half dose weekly is prolly doing the same as a full dose fortnightly, so its really about time issues for me. Doing the job fortnightly saves me time in the long run. Now I see the liquid fert as being a bit like the sugared lolly water the athletes drink; the fert is a good pick-me-up for the plant with a good range of minerals in it, however, the real long term goodies (the athletes would call this the proteins and carbs) for the plants are in the ground.
Now the general consumer wants results for his cash, so the manufacturers make sure that there is an adequate available supply of nitrogen (a real building block for plants) in their liquid ferts because this can be easily taken in my the plant and used straight away. So liquid fert one day, greener new growth the next, means more use of said product.
Now back to the broccoli, the leafs are easy to make, hell, any plant can do that! So you give the plant a quick dose of fert re:nitrogen (doesn’t matter the amount) and the plant will just keep on pumping out the leafs. Here I stress: it doesn’t matter how much nitrogen is in your liquid fert, a little percentage or a lot, it is easy to use by the plant and will therefore be gobbled up straight away. But building a nice flower and a reproduction unit takes some skill, and a wide variety of all the goodies in the ground, air, water.
My theory with broccoli has always been to fert regularly early on, and then back the fert off a bit as the plant gets bigger and hope the goodies in the ground are adequate.
pete said:
Also roughbarked mentioned it is the wrong temp for broccoli but my neighbour has huge broccoli heads each year in Jan/Feb (in Perth mind). Whats happening with that? The only reason I picked up the broccoli was that they were seedlings in Bunnings so I thought I would give it a go. Interesting – I just hope I do get some broccoli out of it in the long run.
Sorry, not wanting to be a party-pooper but did you write it down and document in your diary the times your neighbour’s broccoli was ready? I have a good friend, nice guy who says that Townsville got 2 metres of rainfall in January alone last year and another metre in February! While I grant you it was wet, I know of at least 12 Townsvillians who write down their weather obs every day and all of them just got over 2metres for the year, and none of them got 3 metres in the first two months. My good friend, has a rain gauge and a daily diary for his work purposes but never wrote the numbers down. So what starts off as a reliable statement soon loses impact.
Now I don’t doubt that you are correct in saying your neighbour has good broccoli heads in Jan/Feb. Have they got some out there today? And please ask them what is their tips for good production??? I find you can get broccoli to head in the warmer months but you need to eat them on the day of harvest, the heads will quickly yellow off and lose any of its tightness. A good tight long lasting head needs a bit of chill in the air.
Sorry to leave a big quote in, but firstly I will try the back off the fertiliser as the broccoli get big, but cause I have ALL my veges in pots does this mean I should do the same for all? I am too new at this to know any other way to fert a pot then liquid. So advice pls. I do actually, by chance remember when my neighbour had good broccoli heads cause he gave me a couple of broccoli a few days before my eldest grandkids birthday – 09/02 (that was a very unusual event, hence my memory). That was a couple of years ago and they have not had good broccoli since but nothing has been done to the soil since first crop and I kinda thought that maybe the soil might be a bit depleted and will not respond well to a second/third crop without some tendering? Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
pete said:
pain master said:
pete said:
Pain master. Just wondering if you think the fert fortnightly should be full or half strength. As in, week 1 giving a full strength seasol then the next a fert but should it be a half or full strength? Also wondering how nitrogen increases leaf production but inhibits broccoli and.or other head production?
The way you have been going about it, I mean half dose weekly is prolly doing the same as a full dose fortnightly, so its really about time issues for me. Doing the job fortnightly saves me time in the long run. Now I see the liquid fert as being a bit like the sugared lolly water the athletes drink; the fert is a good pick-me-up for the plant with a good range of minerals in it, however, the real long term goodies (the athletes would call this the proteins and carbs) for the plants are in the ground.
Now the general consumer wants results for his cash, so the manufacturers make sure that there is an adequate available supply of nitrogen (a real building block for plants) in their liquid ferts because this can be easily taken in my the plant and used straight away. So liquid fert one day, greener new growth the next, means more use of said product.
Now back to the broccoli, the leafs are easy to make, hell, any plant can do that! So you give the plant a quick dose of fert re:nitrogen (doesn’t matter the amount) and the plant will just keep on pumping out the leafs. Here I stress: it doesn’t matter how much nitrogen is in your liquid fert, a little percentage or a lot, it is easy to use by the plant and will therefore be gobbled up straight away. But building a nice flower and a reproduction unit takes some skill, and a wide variety of all the goodies in the ground, air, water.
My theory with broccoli has always been to fert regularly early on, and then back the fert off a bit as the plant gets bigger and hope the goodies in the ground are adequate.
pete said:
Also roughbarked mentioned it is the wrong temp for broccoli but my neighbour has huge broccoli heads each year in Jan/Feb (in Perth mind). Whats happening with that? The only reason I picked up the broccoli was that they were seedlings in Bunnings so I thought I would give it a go. Interesting – I just hope I do get some broccoli out of it in the long run.
Sorry, not wanting to be a party-pooper but did you write it down and document in your diary the times your neighbour’s broccoli was ready? I have a good friend, nice guy who says that Townsville got 2 metres of rainfall in January alone last year and another metre in February! While I grant you it was wet, I know of at least 12 Townsvillians who write down their weather obs every day and all of them just got over 2metres for the year, and none of them got 3 metres in the first two months. My good friend, has a rain gauge and a daily diary for his work purposes but never wrote the numbers down. So what starts off as a reliable statement soon loses impact.
Now I don’t doubt that you are correct in saying your neighbour has good broccoli heads in Jan/Feb. Have they got some out there today? And please ask them what is their tips for good production??? I find you can get broccoli to head in the warmer months but you need to eat them on the day of harvest, the heads will quickly yellow off and lose any of its tightness. A good tight long lasting head needs a bit of chill in the air.
Sorry to leave a big quote in, but firstly I will try the back off the fertiliser as the broccoli get big, but cause I have ALL my veges in pots does this mean I should do the same for all? I am too new at this to know any other way to fert a pot then liquid. So advice pls. I do actually, by chance remember when my neighbour had good broccoli heads cause he gave me a couple of broccoli a few days before my eldest grandkids birthday – 09/02 (that was a very unusual event, hence my memory). That was a couple of years ago and they have not had good broccoli since but nothing has been done to the soil since first crop and I kinda thought that maybe the soil might be a bit depleted and will not respond well to a second/third crop without some tendering? Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
N rich with P during leaf stage
K rich with P and traces.. during flowering
keeping in mind that soil Ph and mineral balance needs to be in keeping throughoutpete said:
roughbarked said:Sorry to leave a big quote in, but firstly I will try the back off the fertiliser as the broccoli get big, but cause I have ALL my veges in pots does this mean I should do the same for all? I am too new at this to know any other way to fert a pot then liquid. So advice pls. I do actually, by chance remember when my neighbour had good broccoli heads cause he gave me a couple of broccoli a few days before my eldest grandkids birthday – 09/02 (that was a very unusual event, hence my memory). That was a couple of years ago and they have not had good broccoli since but nothing has been done to the soil since first crop and I kinda thought that maybe the soil might be a bit depleted and will not respond well to a second/third crop without some tendering? Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
N rich with P during leaf stage
K rich with P and traces.. during flowering
keeping in mind that soil Ph and mineral balance needs to be in keeping throughout
Yes. Timing is always important. this is what makes farmers good at what they do.
pete said:
Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
Packing down of the soil is always a problem and there are two answers the latter is the better
dig it a lot or emply worms to work at your whim.Cheese my keyboard needs a clean..
>Cheese my keyboard needs a clean..
Remember what your time is worth to you and what the cleaning stuff is worth if you have to buy it..
Then consider a NEW k/b costs < $20.
Worth considering.
pete said:
Sorry to leave a big quote in, but firstly I will try the back off the fertiliser as the broccoli get big, but cause I have ALL my veges in pots does this mean I should do the same for all? I am too new at this to know any other way to fert a pot then liquid. So advice pls. I do actually, by chance remember when my neighbour had good broccoli heads cause he gave me a couple of broccoli a few days before my eldest grandkids birthday – 09/02 (that was a very unusual event, hence my memory). That was a couple of years ago and they have not had good broccoli since but nothing has been done to the soil since first crop and I kinda thought that maybe the soil might be a bit depleted and will not respond well to a second/third crop without some tendering? Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
Unfortunately, the gardening stores or nurseries don’t always have our gardens in their thoughts, and they can often sell things that are marginally out of season.
Now back to your Grandkids Birthday a couple of years back. Was the weather different that particular year? Any early rain or late or a even a cold spell? Anything odd? Did you need to get a cardigan on while celebrating the juniors special day?
And yes, the sandy soils to tend to leach nutrients pretty quickly, and organic material will help this.
pete said:
pain master said:
pete said:
Pain master. Just wondering if you think the fert fortnightly should be full or half strength. As in, week 1 giving a full strength seasol then the next a fert but should it be a half or full strength? Also wondering how nitrogen increases leaf production but inhibits broccoli and.or other head production?
The way you have been going about it, I mean half dose weekly is prolly doing the same as a full dose fortnightly, so its really about time issues for me. Doing the job fortnightly saves me time in the long run. Now I see the liquid fert as being a bit like the sugared lolly water the athletes drink; the fert is a good pick-me-up for the plant with a good range of minerals in it, however, the real long term goodies (the athletes would call this the proteins and carbs) for the plants are in the ground.
Now the general consumer wants results for his cash, so the manufacturers make sure that there is an adequate available supply of nitrogen (a real building block for plants) in their liquid ferts because this can be easily taken in my the plant and used straight away. So liquid fert one day, greener new growth the next, means more use of said product.
Now back to the broccoli, the leafs are easy to make, hell, any plant can do that! So you give the plant a quick dose of fert re:nitrogen (doesn’t matter the amount) and the plant will just keep on pumping out the leafs. Here I stress: it doesn’t matter how much nitrogen is in your liquid fert, a little percentage or a lot, it is easy to use by the plant and will therefore be gobbled up straight away. But building a nice flower and a reproduction unit takes some skill, and a wide variety of all the goodies in the ground, air, water.
My theory with broccoli has always been to fert regularly early on, and then back the fert off a bit as the plant gets bigger and hope the goodies in the ground are adequate.
pete said:
Also roughbarked mentioned it is the wrong temp for broccoli but my neighbour has huge broccoli heads each year in Jan/Feb (in Perth mind). Whats happening with that? The only reason I picked up the broccoli was that they were seedlings in Bunnings so I thought I would give it a go. Interesting – I just hope I do get some broccoli out of it in the long run.
Sorry, not wanting to be a party-pooper but did you write it down and document in your diary the times your neighbour’s broccoli was ready? I have a good friend, nice guy who says that Townsville got 2 metres of rainfall in January alone last year and another metre in February! While I grant you it was wet, I know of at least 12 Townsvillians who write down their weather obs every day and all of them just got over 2metres for the year, and none of them got 3 metres in the first two months. My good friend, has a rain gauge and a daily diary for his work purposes but never wrote the numbers down. So what starts off as a reliable statement soon loses impact.
Now I don’t doubt that you are correct in saying your neighbour has good broccoli heads in Jan/Feb. Have they got some out there today? And please ask them what is their tips for good production??? I find you can get broccoli to head in the warmer months but you need to eat them on the day of harvest, the heads will quickly yellow off and lose any of its tightness. A good tight long lasting head needs a bit of chill in the air.
Sorry to leave a big quote in, but firstly I will try the back off the fertiliser as the broccoli get big, but cause I have ALL my veges in pots does this mean I should do the same for all? I am too new at this to know any other way to fert a pot then liquid. So advice pls. I do actually, by chance remember when my neighbour had good broccoli heads cause he gave me a couple of broccoli a few days before my eldest grandkids birthday – 09/02 (that was a very unusual event, hence my memory). That was a couple of years ago and they have not had good broccoli since but nothing has been done to the soil since first crop and I kinda thought that maybe the soil might be a bit depleted and will not respond well to a second/third crop without some tendering? Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
Pete, don’t get sucked in by the seedlings nurseries have in stock. For the most part they may be well timed but there are always those left over from an older and now mostly sold variety. See if you can find a planting chart for your Perth climate. Someone on here will be able to point you in the right direction. I’ve been caught by garden centres on lots of things and not only vegetables.
pain master said:
pete said:
Sorry to leave a big quote in, but firstly I will try the back off the fertiliser as the broccoli get big, but cause I have ALL my veges in pots does this mean I should do the same for all? I am too new at this to know any other way to fert a pot then liquid. So advice pls. I do actually, by chance remember when my neighbour had good broccoli heads cause he gave me a couple of broccoli a few days before my eldest grandkids birthday – 09/02 (that was a very unusual event, hence my memory). That was a couple of years ago and they have not had good broccoli since but nothing has been done to the soil since first crop and I kinda thought that maybe the soil might be a bit depleted and will not respond well to a second/third crop without some tendering? Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
Unfortunately, the gardening stores or nurseries don’t always have our gardens in their thoughts, and they can often sell things that are marginally out of season.
Now back to your Grandkids Birthday a couple of years back. Was the weather different that particular year? Any early rain or late or a even a cold spell? Anything odd? Did you need to get a cardigan on while celebrating the juniors special day?
And yes, the sandy soils to tend to leach nutrients pretty quickly, and organic material will help this.
Unfortunately, the gardening stores or nurseries don’t always have our gardens in their thoughts, and they can often sell things that are marginally out of season………………………..That’s what I was trying to say but you did it better..
pete said:
AnneS said:
pete said:I am just looking forward to learning more about plant stuff and the fact that my grandaughters come over and immediately run out to see whats happening with my plants is such a joy. Thats what got me into plants in the first place.
One of the best reasons of all pete. Not to mention the sheer pleasure of being able to say “I grew that!”. Both my kids are keen gardeners and my granddaughter is often outside in the garden with her Mum (who although keen is still learning). Granddaughter is only just starting to take a few tentative stpes, but once she is walking properly she’ll be having a great time in the garden. Can’t wait to take her around my garden when she comes to visit in a couple of weeks timeDead right Anne. Although my eldest grandchild did ask after I said “we grew that” she asked why I cant grow hair on my head – out of the mouths of babes!
LOL Mine might say something like that too one day. Sounds like you have the same hairstyle as MrS
pete said:
Sorry to leave a big quote in, but firstly I will try the back off the fertiliser as the broccoli get big, but cause I have ALL my veges in pots does this mean I should do the same for all? I am too new at this to know any other way to fert a pot then liquid. So advice pls. I do actually, by chance remember when my neighbour had good broccoli heads cause he gave me a couple of broccoli a few days before my eldest grandkids birthday – 09/02 (that was a very unusual event, hence my memory). That was a couple of years ago and they have not had good broccoli since but nothing has been done to the soil since first crop and I kinda thought that maybe the soil might be a bit depleted and will not respond well to a second/third crop without some tendering? Soil where I live is just sandy so maybe nutrients are leached from it quickly? Also I am confused cause a didn’t know broccoli were not necessarily a warm month grower – the fact that I found the seedlings in nurseries at this time of year lead me to believe they were appropriate for this time of year, again I am just pitching in the dark, no real idea at all.
firstly Pete, do not place your trust in the presence of seedlings in retailers. They will put on sale anything that they think will sell, whether it is timely or not! Also big chains like the Big Green Shed will distribute their stock all over this big land of ours seedlings that may be OK for one part of Australia and not another. Some plants can be grown all year round, but will do best in certain seasons. Tomatoes for example are best grown in summer in the southern climates but in winter in the northern, tropical climates.
secondly, fertilsers are made up of different elements. Nitrogen is good for leaf growth and leafy greens will thrive. But for flowers and fruit you need less nitrogen and more potassium, which is also good for general health of the plant and disease resistance. Phosphorus is good for root growth and development of flowers and fruit also. These are the macro-nutrients. Then there are the micro or trace elements which are required in minute amounts for general health and vary from plant to plant.
If you read the pack on fertilisers then you will find an N:P:K analysis with tells you what ration of these three nutrients is contained in that fertliser. It will be different for different types of fertlisers depending on their use.
So for broccoli, lots nitrogen will cause great growth in leaves, but to produce flower heads (the bit we eat) an emphasis on potassium and phosphorus is needed. However for spinach, silverbeet, lettuce, etc. where the part we eat is the leaf, you are good to go with lots of nitrogen based feeds.
As a general rule I think we tend to over fertilise than under fertlise, but in pots and sandy soils you need to give more than say in loamy or clay soils.
pomolo said:
See if you can find a planting chart for your Perth climate. Someone on here will be able to point you in the right direction.
I subscribe to a monthly email from http://www.gardenate.com/ you pick your climate zone and it lists what is good to grow for that month. It also has links to how to grow the selected plant.
pete said:
AnneS said:
pete said:I am just looking forward to learning more about plant stuff and the fact that my grandaughters come over and immediately run out to see whats happening with my plants is such a joy. Thats what got me into plants in the first place.
One of the best reasons of all pete. Not to mention the sheer pleasure of being able to say “I grew that!”. Both my kids are keen gardeners and my granddaughter is often outside in the garden with her Mum (who although keen is still learning). Granddaughter is only just starting to take a few tentative stpes, but once she is walking properly she’ll be having a great time in the garden. Can’t wait to take her around my garden when she comes to visit in a couple of weeks timeDead right Anne. Although my eldest grandchild did ask after I said “we grew that” she asked why I cant grow hair on my head – out of the mouths of babes!
By the way in the above ref my grandaugther was referring to my head not hers (the above didn’t come out very succinctly)
You must be looking forward to introducing your new little one to the garden once she is more mobile.
You know I had literally no interest in gardening when my daughter grew up but now, (in the last few months) I have, and I regret that my daughter was not introduced to plants by me. She watches on with almost amusement when my grandaughters check out the plants with me but i bet she becomes more involved – my son-in-law already has.
I have been thinking of using him as a watering slave. He wont catch on for at least a couple of weeks if I persuade him he is demonstrating watering techniques to his daughters!! Shouldn’t mock him really – great dad and great provider. Still – he provides a source of fun for me, but however, I am always aware he will get me back in relation to any practical joke I play on him. Good bloke!pete said:
pete said:
AnneS said:One of the best reasons of all pete. Not to mention the sheer pleasure of being able to say “I grew that!”. Both my kids are keen gardeners and my granddaughter is often outside in the garden with her Mum (who although keen is still learning). Granddaughter is only just starting to take a few tentative stpes, but once she is walking properly she’ll be having a great time in the garden. Can’t wait to take her around my garden when she comes to visit in a couple of weeks time
Dead right Anne. Although my eldest grandchild did ask after I said “we grew that” she asked why I cant grow hair on my head – out of the mouths of babes!
By the way in the above ref my grandaugther was referring to my head not hers (the above didn’t come out very succinctly)
You must be looking forward to introducing your new little one to the garden once she is more mobile.
You know I had literally no interest in gardening when my daughter grew up but now, (in the last few months) I have, and I regret that my daughter was not introduced to plants by me. She watches on with almost amusement when my grandaughters check out the plants with me but i bet she becomes more involved – my son-in-law already has.
I have been thinking of using him as a watering slave. He wont catch on for at least a couple of weeks if I persuade him he is demonstrating watering techniques to his daughters!! Shouldn’t mock him really – great dad and great provider. Still – he provides a source of fun for me, but however, I am always aware he will get me back in relation to any practical joke I play on him. Good bloke!
I knew exactly what you meant pete about the growing of hair!
When they were kids, it was mostly my son who was into the gardening, but we didn’t have much of a patch in those days because we owned the general store which was open 7 days from 6:00am-7:00pm. Although our house was at the back of the shop there wasn’t much time for gardening. On weekends one of us could disappear for short stints when we weren’t running the kids around.
pain master said:
pete said:Now back to your Grandkids Birthday a couple of years back. Was the weather different that particular year? Any early rain or late or a even a cold spell? Anything odd? Did you need to get a cardigan on while celebrating the juniors special day?
And yes, the sandy soils to tend to leach nutrients pretty quickly, and organic material will help this.
Actually PM I think the weather was different. As I recall we didn’t have a hugely hot summer at all. We didn’t have a really hot summer for a couple of years. I may recall incorrectly but I don’t think so in that year.
bluegreen said:
pomolo said:
See if you can find a planting chart for your Perth climate. Someone on here will be able to point you in the right direction.I subscribe to a monthly email from http://www.gardenate.com/ you pick your climate zone and it lists what is good to grow for that month. It also has links to how to grow the selected plant.
Everyone, I have to thank you all for the amazing amount of info you have sent me via the “guys I love a bit of fun” link and others. It is taking me some time to process it all. I tonight asked a question about tomatoes and I guess I will have the same wonderful problem of processing good answers. Thanks all for your help. It’s like having access to a living encyclopedia on line. I will, I hope, eventually be able to contribute back. Cheers
pain master said:
pete said:
,Now back to your Grandkids Birthday a couple of years back. Was the weather different that particular year? Any early rain or late or a even a cold spell? Anything odd? Did you need to get a cardigan on while celebrating the juniors special day?
And yes, the sandy soils to tend to leach nutrients pretty quickly, and organic material will help this.
Yes I think you are right PM. WA has gone throught some really changeable summers. I am sure we had a really mild (in general terms) summer that year. I bet that had something to do with it!
Anything odd? Did you need to get a cardigan on while celebrating the juniors special day?
++++++++++++++
Yep.
Getting a cardigan on sounds pretty odd!
Longy said:
Anything odd? Did you need to get a cardigan on while celebrating the juniors special day?
++++++++++++++
Yep.
Getting a cardigan on sounds pretty odd!
We now live in a new part of Towntown, so we went to the new Stupidmarket yesterday. The staff were wearing jackets and some had woolen mittens on, because the temp inside the shop was freezing, even in the can goods aisles. I said to GF, might have to invest in a Cardigan for shopping days?