Horticulture

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode shows how to treat clay sub-soil before establishing a garden.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode demonstrates the best method for planting trees and shrubs.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode gives a few simple tips that will make all the difference in producing good compost.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode shows the importance of correct pH in gardens and potplants and takes the mystery out of measuring and correcting pH.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode explains the new Australian standard for potting mixes and how to choose the right mix.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode demonstrates how to set up an earthworm farm to turn kitchen scraps into compost where space is limited.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode discusses the importance of creating the best environment for your pot plants, including a demonstration of when and how to re-pot.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode shows how to use water most effectively in your garden.

"Down to Earth" was a series of thirteen segments shown on the ABC's "Gardening Australia" programme. In each episode, Kevin Handreck from CSIRO's Division of Soils offers information and advice on soil and gardening for the home gardener.
This episode shows how to avoid soil-borne diseases in gardens and pot plants.

Discover the many possibilities for framing your landscape with trees and shrubs. Ms. Myers provides you with ideas for landscapes of different sizes, and also shows you the importance of taking into consideration everything from flowers and fruit to texture and mature size when choosing trees and shrubs for your unique patch of land.

When used in the right way, trees and shrubs can perform a variety of useful functions. Learn how to tap into the power of this living framework to help you conserve energy, manage storm water, reduce pollution, create privacy, and mark your property lines - all while providing a rich, visually interesting landscape.

Many of us don't live under ideal growing conditions. Here, Ms. Myers shows you ways to adapt your trees and shrubs to compensate for challenging conditions. First, explore the different types of shade and learn some ideal plantings for each. Then, learn how to recognize and deal with both flooding challenges and drought challenges.

Once you've got an idea for your landscape, it's time to shop! Where are the best places to buy trees and shrubs? How do you spot a healthy and structurally sound tree? How should you care for your new purchases until it's planting time? Get all the answers here.

Just as important as choosing the right tree or shrub is planting it correctly. Here, Ms. Myers takes you step by step through the planting process. Learn how to dig the best holes, whether or not to stake your trees, when to fertilize (the answer may surprise you), proper watering methods, and more.

Now, focus on how to maintain the health of your plantings in spring and summer. First, explore the science behind water's impact on new plantings and ways to water more effectively. Then, get insider tips on mulching techniques that can protect trunks and stems. Finally, learn how to properly transplant trees or shrubs that have outgrown their space.

Using evergreens, new plantings, and borderline hardy plants, explore how to manage leaves with less stress; how to insulate plantings for winter with mulch, cloth, and more; how to make repellents to protect plants from animals; and how to mitigate the effects of salt damage.

Pruning is an important part of keeping young trees beautiful and healthy. View many live demonstrations of this essential (and often overlooked) gardening task. By the end of this lecture, you will know the tools, timing, techniques and tips for effective tree pruning for all times of the year.

Turn now to the art of pruning shrubs. Watching Ms. Myers demonstrate in the field and the studio, you'll learn the best times to prune different types of shrubs; different pruning methods, including thinning cuts and rejuvenation pruning; why shearing isn't always the best option for shrubs; and answers to commonly asked pruning questions.

What happens when your trees and shrubs fail to flourish? Welcome to the world of plant diagnostics. Ms. Myers shows you how to diagnose common growth problems with popular types of plants - just like an expert gardener. Along the way, you'll learn how to spot symptoms for everything from blight and dieback to chlorosis and invasive pests.

Learn how to implement a recovery plan to bring your landscape back to health from various threats. Is the problem actually worth treating? What kinds of insect traps should you use (and avoid)? How can adjusting the surrounding environment help? And why are black walnut trees often such a big problem?

Conclude this series with a look at some fun (and challenging) ways to enhance the ornamental appeal and space efficiency of trees and shrubs. Learn pruning methods that help create tunnels or help plantings grow flat against walls or fences; tips for shearing plants into interesting shapes; and growing trees and shrubs in containers, or from cuttings and seeds.

Ms. Myers gives you an overview of the step-by-step process for creating a garden, guiding you through the process of weeding old garden spaces; testing your soil; evaluating growing conditions; picking the best topsoil; using annuals, perennials, and biennials to best effect; and mapping out your garden with the space available.

Learn how to overcome the same challenges of light and space as you would in a larger garden area. Then, focus on getting the right plants to fit your garden. Which plants make strong focal points? Which plants tolerate shade better than others? What combinations will add depth and texture to your garden? How should you best move plants when you need to adjust to unforeseen situations?

Discover everything you need to know about soil and how to make it work for your dream garden. You'll learn how soil works, how to improve the soil in your garden space, the benefits of specific soil types, how composting and mulching can strengthen the health of your garden, how and when to fertilize your plants, and - most important - the best way to plant your garden and prepare it for spring.

Visit a small-space garden and investigate methods for solving common planting problems for stubborn areas such as deck edges, patios, and the spaces around air conditioners and gas meters. Find out some of the best choices for poorly lit areas, learn how to dodge common watering mistakes, and more - grounded in the basic science behind how light, water, and microclimates affect a garden.

Learn the tricks to effective garden maintenance throughout the season: growing more abundant harvests of fruits and vegetables, controlling pests in the most eco-friendly ways, locating the cause of discolored leaves, and more. Then, Ms. Myers takes you back to a small-space garden to gauge solutions to function, beauty, and accessibility challenges first tackled in the spring.

Explore some of the many ways you can extend your garden through fall and take advantage of the cool air and warm soil. You'll learn how to add bulbs for a splash of spring beauty, prune and protect your plants from a potentially harsh winter, install a lovely cool-season garden, harvest and store herbs, and learn from your experience to plan for an even better garden in the spring.

Japanese Garden Design. "Traditional to just the touch of the Orient". Some samples of "Before & After" landscape design and hardscapes. We are a full service landscape design company specializing in Japanese Garden designs.

Japanese Garden Design. "Traditional to just the touch of the Orient". Some samples of "Before & After" landscape design and hardscapes.

Highlights the influence of seven female landscape architects from California.

According to a Government document (developed by WorkSafe), slips, trips/falls, muscular stress while lifting and handling are the main ways that workers get hurt in the Nursery & Garden Industry. This video will help you avoid such injuries.

The chainsaw is of great assistance when fast cutting of timber is required. But, if the chainsaw is not properly maintained or is used incorrectly its potential for causing injury cannot be underestimated.

Every year too many accidents happen across all land-based industries. This video is aimed at providing new staff with an awareness of the many aspects of health and safety that should be considered before embarking on work at a horticultural holding.

A discussion about Health and Safety in the horticulture industry.

Essex Tech Sustainable Hort. Sophomores researched real incidents of workplace deaths in horticulture and acted them out, describing mistakes that were made and how to prevent them in the future!

This video will teach you the basics of ladder safety.

This video will help you avoid a potentially life-changing back injury.

The chainsaw can be an extremely dangerous tool if not operated correctly. This program looks at a range of operational and cutting procedures that are crucial for the safe and successful operation of the chainsaw in all situations.

How many of your horticultural practices are based on anecdotal evidence from your neighbor or grandmother, and how do you assess their validity? In the midst of an unregulated "Wild West" of gardening products and practices, you can learn to access science-based information to create your sustainable dream garden.

Many of us make our landscape choices based on plant aesthetics. Instead, learn to first identify your location's topography, prevailing winds, hydrology, soil type, and other environmental factors. Then you'll be able to choose a plant well-suited for the long term. And you'll avoid season after season of frustration.

Unless you live in a completely undeveloped area, chances are your home garden soil is not native. Learn what makes a "great" soil and how to determine your own approximate amounts of clay, silt, and sand; texture; nutrients; pH; and more - before you purchase that "must have" soil addition from the gardening store.

Just as humans cannot grow without our supportive microbiome, neither can plants. Plant roots, bacterial sheathes, and long filaments of fungus all function together to support the plant's growth, enhancing the uptake of water and nutrients and improving soil structure. But what happens to this crucial symbiosis when you add unnecessary fertilizers?

Native plants are always a better home-garden choice than non-natives, right? We know they are best suited to thrive in the soils and ecosystems of the area, and will create the best wildlife habitat. But does garden science support those "truths"? You might be surprised to learn how introduced species can enhance your garden and landscape biodiversity.

In addition to its aesthetic value, your landscaping can provide privacy, protect soils from erosion, moderate temperature, manage storm-water runoff, provide wildlife habitat, and more. Learn how to select the appropriate plants with respect to morphology, growth rates, and physiology to help achieve your specific goals for various locations on your property.

Half the battle of successful landscaping is starting with the healthiest specimens - not, as we sometimes prefer, the largest. Learn how to inspect nursery plants from the crown to the ground for evidence of quality and health, and how to estimate root health by checking for suckers on single-trunk trees, root flare, surface roots, and the "tippy test."

Don't plant before you fertilize! Chances are you've heard that admonishment more than once. But gardening science has revealed that many popular practices - including fertilizing every time you plant - are neither necessary nor sustainable. Learn about a more natural way to add organic material to your garden to protect soil structure and nourish your plants.

Learn about the wide variety of mulch types - from glass to wood to compost - and the science-based pros and cons of each. By considering your specific site conditions and personal aesthetics, you can blend a variety of mulches to transform a struggling landscape into one that's healthier and more sustainable.

Current research supports the need to radically change the way we've been planting trees for the past half century. Although considered controversial by nursery professionals, learn why plant science supports the "old" method of bare-root planting. This technique can improve tree survival because a vigorous root system will better support a healthy crown.

Once your new plant is in the ground, how should you take care of it? Learn the basics of watering, mulching, fertilizing, staking, and pruning newly transplanted trees or shrubs - and why this care might change in subsequent seasons when the plant is well established. Not sure if your newly planted tree is experiencing healthy root growth? Try the wiggle test.

The goal of fertilizing is to match your soil and plant needs - micro- and macronutrients, and other chemical requirements - with the appropriate sources of nutrition. By understanding your specific soil test results, you can determine which nutrients are deficient, which might already be present in toxic quantities, and whether or not to buy organic.

Have you ever seen a tree cut painted with tar or another sealant? Or seen a crown chopped completely bare? Both are common practices that we now know are harmful to the plant. Using applied plant physiology and science-based guidelines, learn the best timing and methods for pruning that will lead to healthy tree growth for the long term.

While it seems intuitive that vegetables grown in your home garden will be safer and healthier than those purchased at the supermarket, that could be a dangerous assumption. Does your garden soil contain elements of concern, especially cadmium or lead? If so, learn how to best respond - whether in plant choices or creative garden design.

Learn how to reduce water use and protect water quality using knowledge of plant biochemistry, transpiration, and photosynthesis. Designing garden modifications, choosing appropriate plants based on morphology and color, and incorporating shading and mulch to reduce evaporation are just some of the water-wise techniques that will help conserve water.

The most common cause of death for home garden plants is poor horticultural practices, not disease or pests. With this step-by-step guide to diagnosing plant problems, you'll learn how to appropriately remedy any problem - and when the plant will heal on its own. You'll also be able to identify the warning signs of future problems, so you can treat the issue before it's too late.

Take a virtual field trip to see examples of unhealthy plants and learn how to diagnose their problems based on the science of plant physiology. You'll see tree girdling, plants that become smaller instead of larger, scorched shrubs, and more. Once you understand the physiology behind these problems, you'll be better able to diagnose and treat any of your garden's plants that might be failing.

There is no lack of chemicals to get rid of the pests in your garden - whether that pest is a plant, insect, or other organism. But for long-term health, integrated pest management provides a better, systematic, science-based approach with a minimum of chemical inputs.

Yes, there can be an appropriate time for judicious use of chemical pesticides in your garden. Learn why you should always stick with those approved by the EPA and your state department of agriculture, and never use the home remedies promoted on the Internet or in non-science-based books. Are organics always safer ecologically than synthetics? You'll be surprised.

If you have a garden in the U.S., chances are you're familiar with the damage caused by English ivy, kudzu, purple loosestrife, and/or the tamarisk tree. Each of these hardy plants can quickly create a monoculture, driving out other plant species and limiting the availability of diverse animal habitat. Learn the best science-based mechanisms to control these plants.

Before you resort to chemical sprays - which can kill all insects, not just the pests you're targeting - learn how to manage insects by increasing plant diversity, establishing "trap" plants, and using repellents and tools including your basic garden hose. Understanding the life cycle and reproductive physiology of the insect will help you make the most effective management choices.

You could spend a lot of money trying to keep slugs, rats, moles, rabbits, squirrels, deer, and other herbivores out of your garden. But most of those purchases would have little, if any, value, especially if feeding pressure is high in the surrounding habitat. Learn about the few options that are both safe and effective. And remember, "man's best friend" might be your garden's best friend, too.

If you can't trust the Internet home remedy or the local gardening salesperson, whom can you trust? Make science-based gardening decisions by assessing the credibility, relevance, accuracy, and purpose of the information you read. Learn the role played by peer review, the crucial difference between correlation and causation, and how to watch out for over-extrapolation and misapplied science.

Two specific transformation stories - a wetlands restoration and a home garden project - reflect the benefit of science-based planning by considering soils, temperature, sunlight, moisture, water table, and likely pests. Learn how to become a citizen scientist and contribute to the field by asking the hard questions and knowing how to assess the strength of the answers.

To report sightings of alligator weed to Agriculture Victoria call the customer service centre on 136 186. Alligator weed is a State prohibited weed, the highest category of declared noxious weeds in Victoria, Australia.

To report sightings of hawkweed to Agriculture Victoria call the customer service centre on 136 186. Hawkweed is a State prohibited weed, the highest category of declared noxious weeds in Victoria, Australia.

To report sightings of horsetails to Agriculture Victoria call the customer service centre on 136 186. Horsetails is a State prohibited weed, the highest category of declared noxious weeds in Victoria, Australia. Under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act

To report sightings of knotweed to Agriculture Victoria call the customer service centre on 136 186. Knotweed is a State prohibited weed, the highest category of declared noxious weeds in Victoria, Australia. Under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act).

To report sightings of Mexican feather grass to Agriculture Victoria call the customer service center on 136 186. Mexican feather grass is a State prohibited weed, the highest category of declared noxious weeds in Victoria, Australia.

To report sightings of salvinia to Agriculture Victoria call the customer service center on 136 186. Salvinia is a State prohibited weed, the highest category of declared noxious weeds in Victoria, Australia.

To report sightings of water hyacinth to Agriculture Victoria call the customer service centre on 136 186.