How we Harvest Sort and Pack our Seeds

How we harvest sort and pack our seeds

There is nothing that we do here that you can’t do yourself at home, but there are a couple of rules if you want a quality product that will store and germinate well. This may sound obvious but folks get impatient or greedy and stuff it up all the time! Select your best fruit from…

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Soil Mixtures Pros and Cons

Soil mixtures pros and cons

Our basic soil mix is exactly the same for every single plant species we grow. There are many reasons for this. The main one is that it worked consistently best for the widest range of species in our very extensive side by side trials. I germinated and grew 100’s of different species in a couple…

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Common Warm Weather Seed Germination

Large common or warm weather germination technique

With seeds that are not tiny, we already have numbers of in our collection, or are known to be easy germinators, or even if the weather is consistently warm and sunny, then this is the technique I use. Anything I have never grown before, or species that have tiny seeds, or if the weather is…

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Tiny Seeds and Cold Climate Germination

Tiny seeds or cold climate germination method

If the seeds are super small, the weather is cold but they like it hot and humid, or the species is new to my collection, then this is a method I always use in my trials. I also do other things like using the Large common or warm weather germination technique. Depending on the rarity…

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Germinating Nelumbo and Nucifera Lotus Seeds

Germinating Nelumbo and Nucifera Lotus seeds

Straight off the bat I will say that germination of aquatic seeds is not the same as germination of normal plants and vegetables. It is no harder to do, and the greenness of your thumbs is totally irrelevant, but there are rules and methods specific to each of them. If you don’t give the conditions…

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Seed Dormancy Scarification Germination Inhibitors

Seed Dormancy Scarification Germination Inhibitors

Some species have natural chemicals within them that prevent germination of the seeds. They are designed like that because in a particular environment just falling to the ground and sprouting immediately would mean death and extinction of the species. By delaying germination and not sprouting today, they increase their chance of survival tomorrow. This is…

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Are you Organic Certified

Are you organic certified

We are not Organic Certified for a few different reasons. The main one is I strongly believe it to be a bit of a scam that does little to benefit the growers or consumers, just lining the pockets of the middle man. For us to get certified would cost us ~1/3rd of our total yearly…

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Halopriming for Germination and Drought

Halopriming for enhanced germination and drought resistance

As unorthodox as it sounds, this is where you use Salts to increase germination rates and resulting plant vigour. While salt can definitely kill plants, and salting the earth is never a good idea, this really does work for a heap of different species. Once you wrap your head around the science it makes perfect…

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Weeds, what are they good for?

Weeds what are they good for

Weeds, what are they good for? I reckon the answer to that is everybloodything! Straight off the bat, I will say we don’t use synthetic herbicides as it’s just silly, and I talk about that in greater detail in the article Are you organic certified. “Weeds” are a valuable asset to us. They can be…

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Cutting Hormones Potions and Powders

Cutting hormones potions and powders

Willow water is very old and very well known method of rooting plant cuttings. Willow or Salix species naturally contain a mix of both Indolebutyric acid (IBA) and Salicylic acid (SA) and it’s effectiveness for assisting rooting plants is undeniable. There is also a multi-million dollar market for commercially produced powder or gel products, and…

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Aeroponic Cutting Cloner 55 Site Acrylic

Aeroponic Cutting Cloner 55 Site Acrylic

55 Site Acrylic Cutting Cloner Plans The idea behind this is bloody awesome, and they work really good for 1000’s of different species without the need to use any hormones or chemicals. I run mine just using rainwater, but tap water works fine too. It really surprises me that they are only really popular overseas…

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Bodgy DIY Tissue Culture Method

Bodgy DIY tissue culture method

This tissue culture media can be used for experiments with cuttings clones, or for seed germination. This is not how the professionals do it, but I figure you folks may still be interested in my low chemical, bodgy DIY method, that does the job well, and costs bugger all. I have used it for experiments…

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Insecticides Repellents and Poisons

Insecticides, repellants and poisons

Let’s start with basic safety rules about handling and storing insecticides! Don’t ever store in drink bottles or food containers as some doofus may drink it by mistake. It happens so commonly that in most places it is actually illegal and considered negligence. As in “negligent homicide”, something well worth avoiding… A much safer option…

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Dirty Muddy or Grey Water Irrigation Pump

Dirty muddy or grey water irrigation pump

Dirty muddy or grey water irrigation pump. Do you want to use liquid compost, tea, muddy water or grey water on your garden? Would it be nice to use a standard garden hose instead of a bucket to water your trees and stuff with less than crystal clear water? Does it frustrate you getting blockages…

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Greenhouses Hothouses and Structures

Greenhouses hot houses and structures

The Original DIY Greenhouse Saga. This project was not as easy as we first thought but it’s still doing the job all these years later. First of all let me point out, (if it isn’t really obvious by the quality of the finished product) that all our measurements were approximate, and we had no clear…

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Pots Buckets Tubs Tanks Rows and Raised Beds

Pots, buckets, tubs, tanks, rows and raised beds

There are major pros and cons with each of them, and every plant species is more or less suited depending on the set of circumstances they evolved in, or were selected for. Where you live and your own local conditions will help you decide what is best where you are. Everywhere is different, and trial…

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Bacterial Decomposition of Compost and Meat

Bacterial decomposition of liquid compost including meat

This is not Bokashi, but for our needs and budget, it’s even better! It is not reliant on continual purchases like Bokashi systems are, and it is also not reliant on strip mining minerals the way most commercial synthetic fertilisers are produced. This method works great and it provides a continual source of plant nutrition,…

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