Park

Notes from discussions with Simon Taylor – 7/10/21

 

Weed killer

-          Slasher working well

-          May want to change to using a wand brush on regrowth, as it will use a lot less.

-          Need to pull out dead grass by hand

-          Wandering Jew may need a cover of seagrass matting or hessian or similar compostable covering to subdue and kill off.

 

Fertilize:

-          Twice a year – end of winter, end of summer

-          Do some now, a bit late but still worth doing

-          Mix of

o   Gogo juice

o   Seasol - Seaweed

o   Charlie Carp

-          The above are high in nitrogen and low in phosphorus – banksia don’t like phosphorus

 

Mulch

-          Get mulch on to beds, after fertilizing and after using slasher on grass in beds

 

Grass to northern bank

-          This area has a wide leaf weed from it being too wet, and possibly getting too little sun in winter (angle of slope)

-          Decrease watering to this area

-          Mow grass higher to this area

-          Don’t use Weed and Feed as it may start impacting the trees to northern bed later if we use it regularly

 

New trees to Western bed

-          Buchan Blue Acacia

-          Tamarix

 

Extra plantings

-          Simon happy with Jacaranda, at one stage had considered them in the same location

-          happy with pig face to northern lower bed, thinks it’s a good idea

-          ok with peppercorn – and suggests we can prune it on the northern side so that it tend to grow to south, providing shade and not crowding out snow gums

-          not so happy about South African grasses that have snuck into the mix – should probably take them out. One in southern bed and one in north west bed

 

Pruning

-          Old Tamarix

o   This can be cut back severely to prevent it dying.

o   It is technically a shrub – from the Arab peninsula

o   Cut off the large rotting limb quite low

o   Cut off the top of the other main limb higher up

o   It will sprout from these points – “you might get another 100 years out of it”

-          Lilly Pilly hedge to driveway

o    Cut these off at the top, lower than it is currently cut

o   Taper back towards top – slope inwards rather than outwards

-          Lilly Pilly to path

o   Cut these off at the top to show plants behind

o   Taper back towards top – slope inwards rather than outwards

-          Lilly Pilly to footpath

o   Cut some of these off about a foot from the base and let them sprout to form a hedge. Some are already doing this. That way slope will be visible beyond.

o   The one at the entry to the park could instead be thinned at the based, prune thinner sprouts, to allow visibility through to the slope

o   Take out one of the limbs of one of the plumb trees

-          Dead/dying blackwoods

o   Cut down, replace with other acacias

o   Cut dead head off one to north

 

Compost

-          Coffee grounds are great to help revitalize soil, top of southern bank needs it. Sprinkle – like a dusting of icing sugar – not in lumps or a thick layer.

-          Sea grass is the bomb for a mulch / soil revitaliser

-          Sea weed is almost as good – collect it, let it dry out and put it on this southern bed

-          Compost in our compost bins needs 1:1 ratio of vegi scaps : “brown matter” – Brown matter is hay, pea straw, dried brown leaves, etc (it’s not grass clippings or anything still green)

o   So every time we put in a bucket of vegi scraps, we put in the same amount of brown matter

o   If we stick to this recipe, we will have sweet smelling compost in 6 weeks