FEATURE PLANT

Succulents

There are hundreds of varieties of succulents and they come in all shapes, sizes and colours, making them a fun addition to the garden. Being hardy and heat toughened, succulents are low maintenance whether grown indoors or out. 

Where to plant: Succulents like the sun and can handle a full sun position. Succulents have the cann ability to store moisture in their leaves and stems, which equips them for periods of dry weather.  They are great to plant in your garden where other plants may struggle, just ensure the soil is free draining as succulents do not like wet feet. When planting, mixing in perlite or sand to the soil or potting mix will improve drainage.

If planting indoors then a window position with good air circulation will keep them looking their best.  Over planting the pot can mean the roots will not have enough room, so you may need to divide plants if they become too large for the space. 

Watering: Succulents prefer to receive a drenching and then let them dry out as if they were in their natural desert surroundings. Overwatering is a mistake often made. It is best to check the soil is bone dry before watering which may be every couple of weeks over summer. In winter they will barely need watering.

Fertilising: As with most low maintenance plants they do not require too much fertiliser.  We recommend giving your succulents Super Growth during the growing and flowering periods like early Spring and early Summer to keep them looking lush.  An all purpose fertiliser like Super Growth will provide the essential and trace elements needed to ensure healthy growth.

Propogating: One of the great things about succulents is their ability to grow easily from a cutting or leaf.  This means you can go from one plant to twenty with a small amount of effort!  Start by snapping a leaf off your succulent close to the stem.  Leave the cutting for a couple of days until a callus forms over the end. Place the leaf onto the soil or lie it on top of the soil and wait.

Water the soil when the soil has dried out.  It does take time for the new rosettes to form on the leaves, generally at around 2-3 weeks.  Once they form, it will become important to keep the roots covered and ensure they don’t dry out completely.

January

Tasks in the Garden

Herbs: Continually harvest herbs to keep them trim and shapely and prevent fungal infections from humidity. A good dose of Blood & Bone Plus or Super Growth pellets will keep them healthy & producing good yields.

Weeding & Mulching: The garden will really benefit from a good weeding this month before things get too out of control! Re-mulch your garden beds if needed. The ideal depth is about 10cm deep to stop weeds growing through.  Not Just Mulch is perfect as it gives the plants a boost of nutrients as well as keeping moisture in!

Seaweed for overall plant health: Fruit trees, vegetables, ornamental plants will all benefit from a dose of seaweed concentrate to ensure healthy plant growth and build up resistance to pests and disease. Manage heat stress by giving plants a water with liquid seaweed every 2 -3 weeks. This will help strengthen cell walls.

Roses: Roses can have a good prune back now.  Fertilise with Rose & Flower to encourage new growth.

Watering: Keep up a regular watering regime when the weather is hot.  Watering early morning or late afternoon is more effective than in the heat of the day.

Lawns: Use a higher cutting height when mowing your lawn to provide extra shade for the soil and roots and avoid moisture loss.  An organic slow release fertiliser will be ok to use now as it will not burn the grass.

Fruits: Give citrus and fruit trees like Mango or Bananas a good feed of fertiliser like Citrus & Fruit.  Lightly trim passionfruit vines to encourage new growth and feed with Blood & Bone Plus.  Mulch around the base of your trees.

Dead Head Flowers: A good snip back of flower heads will help with new growth and increased blooms.

Herbs & Vegetables

Cool Climate/Temperate Climate Beans, beetroot, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, onion, parsnip, pumpkin, radish, silverbeet.

Sub-Tropical Climate Artichoke, beans, capsicum, celery, chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, watermelons, rockmelons, okra, onion, potato, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rosella, silver beet, spring onion, squash, sweetcorn, sweet potato, tomato.

Tropical Climate Artichoke, beetroot, capsicum, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, pumpkin, radish, shallots, spring onion, tomato.