Podcasts about ruud kleinpaste

A common problem in our homes, especially in the cooler areas of Aotearoa: gazillions of flies settling into your spare room, on the ceiling of a quiet place, or in the roof cavity. The flies arrive at your place in autumn and find a good spot to hibernate – just like they do in their countries of origin: Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, the UK, the USA, and Canada. Pollenia pediculata is the cluster fly species we discovered on the North Shore for the first time in 1984. It may have arrived in some containerised luggage or cargo (we were not sure when we found it), it's now well-spread, often in the cooler spots of our country. It is quite a gorgeous fly species, with golden hairs on its back – easy to spot as it often sits quietly. Flies have just one pair of wings whereas other insect orders usually have two pairs of wings in the adult stage. The second pair of wings is turned into small “halteres”: modified hind wings that provides stability when in flight. Flies are real acrobats: they can fly up-side-down onto the ceiling Our cluster fly lives a peculiar life as a parasite of earthworms. The female fly lays eggs in dense grass habitats (paddocks and lawns) and often near or in earthworm tunnels. The larvae (aka "maggots") hatch, find themselves some way of getting into the soil (gaps around plants or through established earthworm tunnels) and gain entry into the body of an earthworm. Inside the worm it feeds on the internal body fluids and organs. Gross? Yep! But these flies do minimal damage to earthworm population densities. Most animals on the planet have "parasites" that can cause damage (humans have parasites too). In spring and summer, I often see them pollinating flowers (the name “Pollenia” is a nice indicator!). When temperatures get cooler in autumn, the cluster flies usually look for a suitable hibernation place: holes in the ground, under bark of trees, under mulch layers, etc. But if there's a nice warm human house nearby, they will try to gain entry – by the thousands! They crawl through small holes (ill-fitting window frames, etc) and mark their entry by leaving a residue of pheromone scent – this means that other Pollenia flies simply follow the trail and join the others. The pheromone is rather sticky and smells somewhat of Buckwheat honey (hence the name buckwheat fly in the USA). Cluster flies are not of medicinal importance (like some blowflies) but are hard to remove due to their messy pheromones. Best “prevention” is to ensure there are no entrance holes around the home. A very residual aerosol can (available from SafeWorx – safety company) sprayed at the flies' entry and exit holes, will stop them from getting inside. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 3 May 2025, author Ben Macintyre joins Jack to discuss his expertise in espionage and latest non-fiction book ‘The Siege' ahead of his trip to NZ for the Writer's Festival. Jack reflects on dear memories. Nici Wickes serves up a recipe that can be whipped up in no time with ingredients you likely already have in the pantry. Now is the time to act to protect your stonefruit for next summer. Man-in-the-garden Ruud Kleinpaste discusses what to look out for and the importance of timing. Plus, Dave Dobbyn has announced a special show at Auckland's Town Hall. Estelle Clifford digs deep into his archive to take a punt at what the setlist may feature. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week we discussed the six-month hiatus between noticing troubles with stone fruit and the time of activating prevention. Peach leaf curl is a rather ugly fungal disease that commences 6 months from now – in spring the leaf curl starts to become obvious on the newly emerged leaves of your peach trees. Taphrina deformans is the name of the disease that targets peaches and nectarines. The infection begins in autumn when the leaves are falling to the ground – a double dose of copper (a few times, 3 or 4 weeks apart) will stop the fungi from settling on the dormant fruit trees. Follow up questions I got: Does the copper spray debilitate the peach and nectarine's buds? No worries! The buds are going to a dormant phase Another great example of important timing is winning battles from the Lemon Tree Borer. These borers are mainly found from Nelson-Blenheim north – they don't like it too cold. This rather cool, sizeable, long-horn beetle is a native of our country. It was well-established here thousands of years before Charlotte Kemp introduced oranges into Kerikeri in 1819. Originally lemon tree borers would tunnel into native trees – a wide range of species became host plants (Mahoe, Kowhai, Coprosma, Manuka, etc). Exotic trees are also targeted by lemon tree borer. I remember them getting into our olive trees and Wisteria in Auckland – Tamarillo, Elm, Chestnut, Gorse, Apple are just a few of the exotic hosts. The most important species targeted by this borer are the citrus varieties that are grown commercially and in the backyard, but apple, persimmon, almond, cherry, walnut, and grapes are just as much in danger of damage – these beetles are economic pests! A damaged branch or trunk is the ultimate spot to lay eggs in. Small nooks and crannies are where the female lemon tree borer would leave her eggs – especially in branches where the bark had been removed or in the pruning cuts. The small larvae emerge from these eggs and start chewing their way deeper and deeper into the wood. A year or two later these larvae will have grown to a serious size before changing into a pupa, ready to turn into an adult beetle. This is the importance of timing: adult beetles emerge in spring and are active till late summer. Avoid pruning from winter till early autumn. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm trying a different tack on Newstalk ZB. It's something I use with teachers and kids at school: the meaning of scientific names of living organisms helps to remind us how certain creatures operate or how they can be identified. Once you get that in your gardening vocabulary it becomes a lot easier to prevent or control the problem that's causing you regular troubles. Taphrina is the name of a parasitic fungi (belonging to the family Taphrinaceae) that produce asci in a superficial hymenium having an indeterminate margin and cause leaf curling and malformations like blisters on various vascular plants. It literally tells us it's a name of Rotter-Fungus that causes curling, malformation, and blisters. The second name (deformans) repeats the symptoms: it causes deformations. That tells us it is a real bummer to have on your plants (especially on stonefruit: peaches, nectarines, plums, peachcotts, peacherines, apricots, etc). Ladies and gentlemen: we're talking about leaf curl on peaches (and Bladder Plum/Plum Pocket on plums). Spring and summer are the main months of queries on our Gardening programs: how to deal with Taphrina deformans and, while we're at it, Taphrina pruni. Short answer: in spring and summer you're too late. Yes, the disease starts in spring, but you can't spray copious amounts of copper on the new and tender leaves – young leaves will burn! Right now, in the middle of Autumn you can avoid the infection. Around mid to late April, when the leaves are falling off the deciduous stone fruit trees, the new buds for the next season are formed. Taphrina deformans will then be invading those new buds and overwinter on those buds to infect the trees again in spring. First thing to do is to remove all fallen leaves from under the trees. That reduces infection chances. Next thing is to spray a double dose of copper spray (copper oxychloride, liquid copper, or copper-sulphur mixtures, available form garden centres) on the remaining leaves and on the branches/twigs of the tree. Use a “sticker” if you can to increase coverage and stickability. Do this again a few weeks or a month later and ensure good coverage of all parts of the tree. Some people use Lime sulphur. That's okay too as a winter clean-up – seeing as the trees are getting to dormancy, Lime Sulphur won't harm the leaves, but I think that lime may not be a great material for apricots as it has the ability to raise the pH levels. A last smack of Copper spray before budburst should “mop up” the last surviving spores before the flowering and fruiting season begins again. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A week ago I noticed one of those beautiful red toadstools in our garden – the classic red fungus with white dots all over the skin. Amanita muscaria or Fly agaric – there are a few different sub-species with different colourations (orange-red to yellow, and various colours of the “dots”). This is a Mycorrhizal fungus that is associated with a few common host trees: Birch, beech and pine trees. It's not very edible – in fact, it's better not to muck around with. Some young children have ended up being poisoned and some rather risky adults (trying to go on a Hallucinogenic journey) ended up in similar troubles. But they look great, and this was the first time I saw this species in our front garden, which surprised me. Of course, I never saw the 7-meter tall Betula which really need pruning away from electricity wires… Many species are doing a great job in recycling dead materials, fallen leaves, and dead branches, and also dead trunks in all shapes and sizes. These are some examples of fungi doing the recycling job in forests – small and large and colourful. Ear Fungus is often found on dead trunks of trees. This is a weird looking, feeling, and tasting mushroom that can hardly be misidentified: It looks like a human ear, it feels like an ear, and it even tastes like an ear! This edible fungus was the very first export article that was sent from New Zealand to China in the eighteen hundreds. The Chew Chong brothers in Taranaki were the first people to send container loads of these fungi by ship. Gardeners will encounter fungi that cause all sorts of problems in fruit (fruit rots), in roots (Phytophthora), and in stems and on leaves. Often preventative gardening will reduce the problems developing. Copper sprays tend to protect a plant from Spores settling on the developing fruit. Brown Rot on Apricot What I love to see is interaction between fungi and insects. Here is a stinkhorn fungus with a decent amount of smelly, brown liquid. Flies are keen to harvest that brown stinky stuff and in doing so, they get the brown spores on their body. Those spores are distributed through gardens and forests. Autumn is the time to go for a walk and just look at fungi; I reckon they actually run this planet! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Believe it or not, I did hear a cicada chirping just a few days ago. Must have been a Late-Comer Boy, trying to attract a female. The buzzing sound is made in the Tymbals (on the belly side of the insect). It literally is a quick clicking sound that creates a smooth buzzing. If you hear clapping as well, it will be smacking the wings on the abdomen. Egg-laying is very easy to spot: a characteristic “Herring bone” pattern on twigs with a thickness of a pencil. We're also not far away from the end of the Black Field Crickets' truuu truuuu truuu singing in the evening. The further north you go, the longer you'll hear those quite loud sounds in your lawn. They're male mating calls, attracting females who are laying eggs in soil to hatch next spring (November). Damage: eat a lot of grass from lawn/paddock. Easily attracted to lights, and noisy all night. A fabulous characteristic rasping sound can be heard during the nighttime, starting about 30 minutes after dark: the sound is made by both male and female tree weta. They communicate to keep in touch – Auckland and Wellington tree weta are rather social species. They live in harem-like communities with a dominant (large-headed) male and a couple of mature females, plus some juveniles. They shelter during the day in the same cavity. This is mating season and often you can hear frequent communications. Females lay eggs in soft soil, and young ones emerge in spring. Go outside into the garden with a torch and you'll find them – patience! In the afternoon to early evening, you can often hear a faint “Zzitssss” noise – often impossible to tell where it originates. It's usually a call with an irregular pattern, and it's unmistakable as Katydids. These orthopterans have the ability to “throw their voice” —like ventriloquists— to put off possible predators that may hunt by following the noise to its source. They chew buds of flowers and foliage and can do a bit of cosmetic damage to roses and dahlias in autumn (although Julie tends to disagree with that statement – she moves them on with force!). Generally speaking, the katydids overwinter as eggs and hatch again in springtime as “nymphs”: miniature versions of the adult insect. But I have seen a few of them going right through the winter, snacking of tasty leaves of Mistletoes in the garden. No doubt they shelter from the occasional frosts by staying deep within the host plants LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seeing as it's now autumn, a number of bulbs can be planted in the garden. Here's a few of them: Tulip A fabulous early spring colour. There's some historical stuff with the Dutch making heaps of money out of often virus-ridden “varieties” (early 1600-s AD) selling them for Fl 3000.00 per bulb (while the average yearly wage of a skilled craftsman was around Fl 300.00) – the bulb bubble burst in 1637 AD. These days they are a bit cheaper and more reliable. They grow well in South Island with very cool winters – up north they need winter chilling (taking out of the soil and put in fridge for 8 weeks). In mild climates it pays to plant later in the year, in May or June. But in South Island, planting the bulbs can start in a few weeks; order them now! Great bulb outlets: Bulbs direct Garden Post NZBulbs Fiesta Bulbs Hadstock Farm in Springston Work the soil to 20 cm deep in sunny to semi-shade positions(bulbs prefer well-drained soils). Plant 15 cm spaced and 15 cm deep – in warmer climates, plant them a bit deeper (20 cm deep). A bit of mulch over the planting site will keep weeds down. Bulb fertiliser is recommended and after flowering, some blood and bone will feed the green leaves. Do NOT cut those green leaves after flowering: they gather sunlight (photosynthesis) for re-stocking the food reserves inside the bulbs underground. Narcissus Daffodils Prep the soil to 40 cm or so – daffodils' roots go way down! Plant them 10 cm deep and spaced to 10 cm apart. Well-drained soils work best – perhaps under deciduous trees. Hagley Park is a great example. Planting them in full sun is okay too. Mass planting works well, and the bulbs will come up year after year. They are not as fussy as tulips in terms of cool winter soils. Apart from the far north, the whole of New Zealand is daffodil country. Bulbs will multiply. Crocus: the lovely smelling spring flowers Plant the corms in autumn a couple of centimetres deep and closely-spaced for best effect – they are best lifted after the foliage dies down. Of course, Saffron is a crocus, but it flowers in Autumn (March). Leucojum, also known as snowflake It has a special place in my heart: we used to have a rare and endangered native species in the wetlands where I used to roam as a nature nerd in the Netherlands. Many different varieties now – flowering in early spring, planting in early April. Bulbs in containers Most of these bulbs do well in containers. Picture a terracotta pot with these plants massed together – you can shift them inside when they flower to enjoy, or put them on the patio so you see them through the ranch-slider. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yep – it's getting cooler – it means that tomatoes - from now on – will slow down. Seeing bumblebees will also slow down and disappear it might be a good idea to harvest your own tomato seeds for next year's crop. Note: Do not expect any miracles from the seeds found in F1 Hybrid varieties! They are unlikely to come “True to type”. In fact: it will be surprising how different the off-spring can be! F1 Hybrids are cross-pollinated plants with two very different “parents”. F1-s are bred to get an incredible vigour and superior yield. If you like certain F1 Hybrids: just purchase them and you'll know what you're going to get next year. The so-called “Open-Pollinated” varieties are the ones that will give you a good chance of getting your favourites (such as Tigerella, Black Krim, Thessaloniki and all the “heirlooms”). This year I got some really nice tomatoes from a birding mate in Te Anau: It's called Gardeners Delight. Open-Pollinated, juicy and sweet and the size of a rather large cherry tomato This became my project for 2025-2026 season; First of all I will try to grow plants from my current harvest Second: I will buy a packet of Gardeners Delight from Kings Seeds as comparison with my own seed Thirdly – if you're lucky – I may send you some seeds as well, Jack! Cut the fully-ripe tomatoes open and scoop out the seeds. Put them on some kitchen paper to remove as much of the sticky pulp as possible “Fully Ripe” is NOW, before it gets too cold Chuck the seeds in a strainer/colander under cold water to get most of pulp off the seeds – and dry them all over night; I usually try to clean them again the next day to remove even more of the sticky stuff. Then dry the seeds for two days on paper towel (out of direct sunlight) Pack the seeds in paper envelopes and store in cool, dry area till sowing. If you are in an area with relative humidity, it might pay to add some Silica Gel in the envelope to absorb the moisture and keep the seeds viable for a few yearsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast for 23rd March 2025, Pete discusses recent building consent concerns, tackles RFI complications, and answers questions about roof-sealing and insulation. Town Planner Hamish Firth from Mt Hobson Group also shares his thoughts on the controversy surrounding councils delaying building applications. He deliberates on what could be done to improve the building process. Ruud Kleinpaste advises what to do about yellowing veggie gardens, caterpillars eating crops, and what plants grow best in Autumn. Get The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of weeks ago our Kiwi Trust (Save the Kiwi) visited Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (Waikato) – not just for a board meeting, but to see how a modern-day “muster” and translocation looks these days. It reminded me of a restoration exercise in a huge garden! Imagine having a sizeable territory of pretty cool forest, surrounded by a predator-proof fence. We're talking about 3400 Hectares of safe habitat for all sorts of New Zealand Native/endemic species from a couple of Kakapo to Takahe, stitchbird and saddleback as well as noisy kaka. And oh yes, there are more than 2000 North Island (Western) Brown Kiwi thriving in there as well. Thriving is the operative word. It certainly didn't always go that well in the past: the decline of North Island Brown Kiwi was about 2% per year, which triggered the then Prime Minister John Key suggest we should have a go at turning -2% into +2%. John MacLennan (Scientist and Trustee of Save the Kiwi) came up with the concept of Kohanga Kiwi. Imagine allowing a heap of kiwi to “do their thing” in such a forest and use that “Kohanga Kiwi” as a Nursery from which we can “harvest” plenty of birds to translocate to predator-controlled areas elsewhere – Capital Kiwi (Wellington), Tongariro Forest, Taranaki Mounga. Last year 222 birds were shifted to new and safe habitats in the North Island. This year it looks like there will be even more travellers in the Kohanga Kaupapa! Birds are caught during the day and at night with highly trained, muzzled kiwi dogs. The birds are tagged by bands or transponders, weighed and health-checked, before kept in a smaller forest enclosure. A day or so later, the birds are transported to their final destination: a forest that is protected from predators. The cool thing is that this Maungatautari Muster is taking place in the forest and in the local Pukeatua Primary school (Handy to have a spare classroom to assist in the kaupapa!). The kids follow what's happening with the Scientists and volunteers who catch the birds. They record the sizes, the weights, the age, and whether the birds are male or female. They also observe the health checks and note everything down on their own observation sheets. My goodness! I wish I was at such a primary school when I grew up, learning about the operations Manual of the Planet and how to restore our Ecological systems. HQ of Maungatautari Muster 2025 Kiwi out of forest and back to school Kiwi health check. Photo / Kim McGuire and the Maungatautari team This photo is a really good example of female vs male.  Gaia (left) is holding a sub adult female and Steven (right) a sub adult male. Both weigh just a little over 1.8kg, and yet you can see they carry that weight differently. The female has a longer body, flatter head, larger feet and curved bill. The male is a smaller bird, has a rounded head and much shorter body and smaller feet. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast for 16th March 2025, Pete tackles timber and water tank concerns, discusses who's liable for poor workmanship, and answers questions about windows, flooring, and insulation. Mike Olds from Resene Construction talks cladding systems, H1 changes, proactive maintenance, prolonging build-quality, water usage, and new developments in Christchurch. Ruud Kleinpaste shares advice on deterring birds, rabbits, and wasps, growing native trees, and what fruits need in this season. Get The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few months ago, we chatted about the bumblebee project started at Tekapo School. The kids and teachers created some raised beds full of flowers that attract bumblebees. We have four species here in Aotearoa. The big ones (Buff-tailed bumblebee) are the most common species and also the best pollinators we've got (kiwifruit, melons, blueberries, broad beans, etc). These insects are so important in our gardens! For me they are the crucial pollinators on my tomatoes (and capsicums) in the tunnel house. The irony is that tomatoes do not produce nectar (to attract pollinators), instead bumble bees are lured to tomatoes for the pollen they can dislodge by vibrating the flowers (a buzz-movement!). You could also pollinate your tomatoes by using an electric toothbrush that shakes the tomato flowers, but to be honest, I can't be bothered with that. Buzzing is achieved by vibrating the thoracic muscles very fast while leaving the wings in “neutral”. That same trick allows the hibernating queens to warm themselves up on the coldest mornings of winter. Bumblebees are different from Honeybees in a number of aspects: they do not have a “hive” and don't gather a lot of nectar. Their colony is usually small (≈100-150 individuals), and last no more than one summer. That's it! Now is the crucial time for the colony to look after the bumbles' next generation: you see the Gynes (next generation queens) mating with male bumblebees. The fertilised queens will then look for a suitable place to hibernate – a place that could become the nest site for next spring: dry and dark and able to be excavated. The kids at Tekapo school are inserting small holes in the steep banks around the playing field. Alternatively, they make some small wooden “nest sites” in sheltered areas, hoping that the fertilised queens use those as their winter abode. I reckon that gardeners could create suitable holes like that to attract these pollinators – under a tree trunk, in deep, dry mulch at the base of a sheltering tree. I am trialling a wooden bumblebee box in the shade of trees and shrubs; inside that box is a heap of botanical material from an old mouse-nest. I was told that the overwintering bumblebees seem to love the small of that old mouse nest and their poos. I suppose that's the way they find their shelter sites in Nature too. And here's hoping I get a new colony of bumblebees in the garden before winter, so that the queen boss can raise my pollinators for spring this year… LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast for 9th March 2025, Pete discusses what goes into building costs and why deposits are sometimes required, explains roofing maintenance and property longevity, and answers questions about drainage and stormwater. Reon Materoa from RSM Construction in Blenheim discusses his experience with the JNL J Frame, and Dr. David Welch from the University of Auckland tackles Pete's queries about hearing protection. Ruud Kleinpaste shares advice on growing fruits, curling leaves, and preventing rootstocks or other nasties from going everywhere. Get The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This last summer has seen a number of ZB talkback listeners complaining about scarlet runner beans mis-behaving. Two main types of troubles were reported: 1) suddenly no more bean pods were growing despite the plant getting to its normal height. 2) At the start of harvesting mature beans, the leaves begin to turn yellow – going down and down. Scarlet Runner Beans originate from Central America and they like well-drained soil (loam) in a sunny spot. Plant the seeds under a tall support to allow the plants grow up and up, the root systems will survive the winter for next year's crop. They are perennials!! These beans are Nitrogen Fixers. They don't need much Nitrogen (they make their own), but love Potash and Phosphate. They are long-Season growers with red flowers, pollinated by bees and bumblebees. Harvest the mature pods regularly and watering regularly to prevent them from drying out (not toooo wet, please!) What could cause the sudden troubles with the formation of bean pods? Lack of Pollination (not enough pollinators); Hot weather, especially when that happens at night – lack of water would make that worse. Bees sometimes “rob” the nectar from flowers by chewing them open. Leaving pods on the plant too long may reduce future seed production. I decided to contact my old friend and DSIR colleague from way back: Dr Keith Hammett, a well-known plant breeder and famous for creating amazing new varieties of sweet peas and… Dahlias (also a perennial plant!) He came up with some great stories and a possible solution to the yellowing and ill-thrift of Scarlet runners: In the UK these climbing beans were grown as annuals: plant new seeds every spring. If you'd leave the tubers in the soil they were more than likely killed by frost. (“as would Dahlias” said Keith) In New Zealand's warmer climate zones we can keep the tubers in the soil, so they will be able to successfully over-winter (they behave like Perennials). Interestingly, the perennial scarlet runners produce beans a little earlier than the sown scarlet runners. The comparison of Beans with Dahlias is quite interesting: We can leave Dahlia tubers in the soil for several growing seasons, but the performance of the older, perennial plants falls away. It is the build-up of previous year's growth that tends to choke the plants. Top Dahlia exhibitors would only ever grow plants grown from cuttings; “Youthful tissue and all that… with no old stuff in the way” Keith has three tripods of Scarlet Runners (third season) on the go in his garden. One of them is showing those debilitating features with yellowing leaves…. He attributes that to stress and an old tuber giving up the ghost For what it's worth… maybe a good idea to sow new seeds in spring?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast for 23rd Feb 2025, Pete answers questions about insulation, explains the benefits of staining, and discusses tile coating-and-sealing. Bryce McDermott from Resene tackles painting questions, and Charlotte McKeon talks about her successful initiative at One Tree Hill College that's giving students a clear pathway to trades. Ruud Kleinpaste shares advice on pest control, why certain fruits struggle to grow, and what fertilisers best suit your crops. Get The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are now in Autumn and that means some wonderful vegetables are needing to be sown or planted asap. Here in Canterbury, I germinated a row of seeds of French beans – a few weeks ago. They came up pretty quickly and hopefully our late summer will be better than our “summer summer” (which was pretty awful with lower temps and less sunshine than “average”). In the North Island Your final call for these beans is now. Well-drained soil, nice and moist and in a sunny warm spot, 10 cm separation and keep the weeds under control. Late summer is also great for peas. Honestly, these are going a lot better when it gets cooler, but seeing we have a longer day-length compared to the early winter situation, you'll be able to harvest them in large numbers. Mind you, Peas can be planted through autumn and early spring. Their seeds contain a lot of “reserves” to grow in the cooler months; well-drained soils, friable and with compost. Chuck some pea-straw over the soil to help them along. But I am trying to get ahead of schedule to get some early peas. Broad beans, similar gig! Plenty of growth potential and they might ripen quite early too These are good greens for the winter (if you like them) Broad beans with pretty crimson flowers Carrot seedlings will also germinate at lower temperatures; Remember to create a soil that is free of lumps and stones, so that the carrots keep straight and do not “fork”. An extra handful of Phosphate will give them the impetus to grow nice roots. I start early so we'll have carrots continuously for the next few months. Using the carrot “seed-tape” makes sense: they are nicely spaced and can be thinned when they take off, Julie seems to prefer the thinner, young carrots, whereas I cook the bigger ones as vegie strips in my Nasi Goreng. Broccoli is another suitable winter vegetable that can be planted now – in fact while there's still some temperature in the soil they'll grow well in the next few months – even if they slow down afterwards, you've got more than a month's worth of advance before they start taking it easy – slow ripening means that they don't all ripen at once, so pick the biggest ones as they mature. Most other cabbage varieties will also grow from now onSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast for 23rd Feb 2025, Pete discusses what triggers a building consent; explains necessary painting prep, and answers questions about insulation. Pete weighs the pros and cons of double-glazing, and tackles Graham's shower liner question. Ruud Kleinpaste shares advice on growing potatoes and what soil best suits your crops. Get The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of panic questions about Monarchs this year: in Auckland they are recorded as “pretty rare”, whereas in Christchurch I see them quite regularly and they're doing fine in my garden. There are always some troubles with wasps. These predators are quite keen to chew the monarch caterpillars to pieces and take the protein back to the wasp nest as food for their larvae. It sounds awful and it looks awful; the common-German wasps (and Paper wasps) are, after all, imported pests that don't belong here. Keep your plants with caterpillars under netting; the wasps can not access them. Another trick is to grow your swan plants in large pots, which can be moved to new sites when wasps discover the precious cargo; the wasp's GPS system is disrupted when you change the position of the swan plants. Running out of food is often bad news – caterpillars starving Always keep an extra plant or two under curtain netting, so female monarchs can't lay eggs on those spare food plants!! It also pays to reduce the number of eggs/caterpillars per plant (birth-control) I must confess: I had some trouble managing the number of caterpillars this year: they we sometimes eating the tops of the naked swanplants… and in pairs!! I tend to keep my caterpillars inside the tunnel house, so that the female monarchs couldn't get at them to lay more and more eggs “Go Fly to Auckland and Do something with your Life” is what I usually say… Sometimes caterpillars are found limp and dying This is often caused by predation by brown soldier bugs (Cermatulus nasalis) who stick their sucking tubes into the caterpillars and slowly such them dry. Look for the soldier bugs (brown version of the garden stink bug!!) and get rid of them! Accidents do happen, especially when the last instar caterpillar does its very last change from Caterpillar to Chrysalis. That in itself is a tricky manoeuvre: the caterpillar hangs from a small patch of silk while it takes its skin of. The trick is then to hook its chrysalis “claws” into the same white silken pad, so it can hang there as long as it takes to change into an adult butterfly. There are a few videos that capture the way a caterpillar becomes a chrysalis; have a look at how the caterpillar manages that without falling. But sometimes things go horribly wrong and if you discover a fallen chrysalis soon after the accident happened, you can carefully pick that very fragile creature up and literally hang it back where it needs to be… Very delicate “First Aid”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast for 16th Feb 2025, Pete discusses remedying cracks in concrete, explains uPVC windows' pros and cons, and answers questions about Code Compliance Certificates. Pete sorts through Marie's retaining wall woes, and speaks to retired building inspector Jimmy about ways to solve it. Ruud Kleinpaste gives his key tips on growing fruit, pest control, and what soil best suits your garden. Get The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, I came across one of my favourite Native trees: the Tree Fuchsia. Most people in the world that grow house plants know Fuchsia as an elegant producer of flowers. I took my Dutch Cousin to Banks Peninsula, and he simply thought I was taking the micky: how can you have a Fuchsia species that grows up to 12 meters? The flowers are beautiful and the bark is outstanding – literally. But the seeds are something else again, dark purple, soft and edible. Instead of eating these seeds raw or cooking them into a jam, I felt they were miniature purple plums that could be planted to become new Fuchsia seedlings, and that's what became my new harvesting project. These seeds are tricky to germinate, simply because they are so tiny. Soak them in water as soon as they are soft and ripe, try to remove the flesh or pulp, and spread the seeds on a good, wet seed-raising mix in a shady spot. When they germinate, put them into a lighter, warm, moist place and keep your fingers crossed. And just a few days ago I noticed our Damson Plums were ripening quickly (despite Canterbury's awful weather this “summer”). The plums were falling off the tree, so I reported this feature to my Gardener Supreme, and decided to harvest them right-away. Now, the “normal” way to harvest these beautiful plums is by going up a ladder and grabbing the fruits within reach, chucking them in a bag before going down the ladder and tossing them in a large bucket on the orchard floor, before climbing back up. The “Straight shoots” at the top often do not bear fruit – they are a waste of time climbing. After grabbing all the plums, way up high, you can start the process of creating one of the best Jams in the World (see recipe at the end). As many people know by now, it's best to prune stonefruit trees soon after harvest – it keeps the tree shorter and easier to manage next year and it opens the damson tree up to wind and space on the inside. I thought: “maybe it's a good idea to prune at the same time as harvesting!” Two birds with one stone and not too long on the ladder with arthritis, etc. So far, it's worked pretty well. Heaps of fruit and much quicker retrieval of the ripe fruits. Of course, when consulting Lynda Hallinan's book on Damsons, I discovered that I was certainly not the first one to come up with that idea. And you know what? The Jam that Julie chucked into the jars is absolutely amazing! Jam Recipe – a Mix of Lynda Hallinan's recommendations and Julie's moderations For a kilo of Damson plums: Boil them up in half a cup of water. Bring to a gentle simmer, until it's “red and pulpy”. Add 750 grams of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes… keep an eye on it so it doesn't get burnt. Take out all the stones with a slotted spoon or tongs (the reason is simple: those stones can break your teeth!!). Test the mixture for “setting” – not too tough, please! Chuck them into the sterilised jars. Now think about some croissants from Le Panier filled with damson plum jam! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast for 9th Feb 2025, Pete discusses flooring and tiling work, knowing when to repaint, and resolving ventilation woes. Mike Olds from Resene Construction talks about their use of INTEGRA aac lightweight concrete and explains its benefits. Ruud Kleinpaste gives his key tips on pest control, improving fruit quality, and how to store particular vegetables. Get The Resident Builder with Pete Wolfkamp Full Show Podcast every Sunday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm proud of Jack. His gardening skills are increasing, with useful observations every day. Last week it was Passionvine hoppers, and they are indeed showing an upward trend. The window for control ceased in Spring (spraying the tiny fluffy bums with a simple fly spray) but for now there is little you can do until March/April, when you look for the distinctive egg patterns laid on thin, woody twigs by adult female hoppers: In Autumn cut off those dead and dying twiglets with eggs and burn them in the fireplace. Saves you from a heap of fluffybums being born next spring. Something many gardeners don't often see early enough is the beginning of Powdery Mildew. White powdery fungal deposits on leaves of cucumbers, pumpkin, squash, oak trees, hydrangeas, beans, grapes, apples, pears, rose – it's on a lot of different plants. Most gardeners find the symptoms too late. If you keep your eyes open you can find it starting right now in small patches on the leaves. The cause: long-term moisture on surfaces of leaves/plants or a dry spell followed by relative humidity and dew. For instance, when you have warm days and cool nights, you get dew, condensation! The name says it all: “Powdery Mildew”. The small white patches are a dead give-away, and so is the presence of characteristic black-and-yellow ladybird beetles – they spread the fungal spores around. Preventative control: spray with Yates Natures Way Fungal spray (a mix of Copper and Sulphur that stops further spread). And then there are caterpillars (the juvenile stage of butterflies and moths). Up North the Fall Armyworm is invading the paddocks and vegetable gardens; in your cabbage patch the larva of white butterfly is having a go. In my tunnel house, the tomato fruitworm and green loopers plus a dash of other cutworms damage all sorts of crops and ornamentals. Luckily, we now have a few rather good and safe insecticides that will deal to caterpillars: Yates Success ULTRA is not toxic to beneficial creatures that naturally control caterpillars and other pests. It is also usable on edible crops. A new group is Diamide Insecticides such as Chlorantraniliprole. Lawn Grub Control, Turf Insecticides or Leafroller and Codling Moth sprays (Altacor). But the most important thing to do NOW is keeping your eyes open in the garden! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tiniest critters can be the biggest pain in the you-know-what when it comes to your body and your garden. The mere fact that they are sooo small does not help to discover them in time. That kind of goes for most of the members of the Order ACARI – a huge range of critters such as Bird mites, Follicle mites (we all have them in our eyelashes), chiggers, scabies mites, ticks and —of course— plant mites. A week or two ago I discovered the very first Acari on Julie's Frangipani bush in the glasshouse. Just a few innocent little acari, known as two-spotted spider mites with the elegant scientific name of Tetranychus urticae. Literally a couple of days ago I discovered this: Massive “spider webs” made from the smallest and softest silk on the planet. All strands very close together, keeping the inhabitants safe from whatever may be mite predators. Spider mites are often a real pain in the warmer areas of the garden – especially the glasshouse, tunnel house, and very sheltered areas with warm sunlight. Their trouble-making is very simple: damage the tiny cells on leaves by rasping, and remove the moisture inside those plant cells. That leaves the cells without their contents, and they simply dry out. The most important stuff they grab is the green chlorophyll that's inside those cells; those cells will be filled with air, thereby becoming bleached, light yellow and grey. Spider mites use the massive silken constructions as easy runways to get from leaf to leaf and partner to partner. Their numbers increase rapidly, and the damage follows… Once you have had a close look at the leaves, the silk and the runways, you'll find the little scrapers: 4 pairs of legs, a few dots on their body, and some movement. Once you spot them it pays to have a go at controlling these vast colonies before they really cause severe damage. Organic control can be achieved via Yates' fatty acid spray (NatraSoap). That stuff works on tiny critters with a sensitive skin. An alternative: Neem Oil or Conqueror Oil. Repeat sprays are recommended to catch the tiny babies after they come out of their eggs. Biological Control is another way to reduce the population. Phytoseiulus persimilis is available from BioForce Ltd, who sells the product Mite-E™. It's a parasitic mite that eats the eggs of the spider mites and even the juveniles and adults of that pest. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's show, Jase needs to know where the cicadas have gone, Mike's F'n and Jeff'n at a discounted rate and Keyzie's taking a new approach to his acting career. TIMESTAMPS (In A Way): (00:00) Intro - How good is warm, and Jase's surfer vibes (03:01) Mogey's having a bin debacle (08:45) Bin Chat, with the Fellas (12:06) Wow, huge tease from Jase (12:49) Intro - The Keyzie Hungover Special from Night 'n Day (14:40) Keyzie's next career stage (20:15) Jase has huge news for Keyzie (24:12) Where the hell are the cicadas? (28:13) Ruud Kleinpaste on cicadas (30:16) BB King Chat (30:57) Intro - The debacle that was today's Outro (33:26) Mike has BREAKING NEWS (37:05) What's On The Telly, With Mike Minogue (41:29) THE GOAT BABY (44:03) Farewell (45:12) Farewell! Follow The Big Show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haurakibigshow Subscribe to the podcast now on iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts! Featuring Jason Hoyte, Mike Minogue, and Keyzie, "The Big Show" drive you home weekdays from 4pm on Radio Hauraki. Providing a hilarious escape from reality for those ‘backbone’ New Zealanders with plenty of laughs and out-the-gate yarns. Download the full podcast here: iHeartRadio: www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-the-hauraki-big-show-71532051/?follow=true Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hauraki-big-show/id1531952388 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/20OF8YadmJmvzWa7TGRnDISee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our holiday on the West Coast of the South Island (Punakaiki) was just what we needed – weather in Christchurch was cold and wet, but on the West Coast sunny and warm. I re-discovered a tree I have missed since leaving Auckland 14 years ago: Rhopalostylis sapida is its name. Gardeners know it as the Nikau Palm. There are two species in the New Zealand Territories: R sapida is the common Nikau in North Island and South Island, occurring mostly on the coast from Okarito in the West and Banks Peninsula in the East. It also occurs on Chatham Island and Pitt Island and the variety that grow there is a lot more elegant, especially in the younger form: the fronds (leaves) have a more drooping attitude, a bit like the traditional palms in the tropics. I reckon we should have a taxonomic discussion about its identity (a different species?). The Nikau on the offshore Islands of the Hauraki Gulf show a similar elegance (Little Barrier, Great Barrier etc etc). I must say: I prefer those drooping forms over the tightly growing leaves pointing towards the sky. Flowering takes place in Spring and Summer and the colours are wonderful. The seeds that are formed a year later are one of the Kereru's favourite snacks. These birds' ecosystem service is to disperse the seeds through the forests – a lovely job! So… if you find Nikau seeds and want to have a go at germinating them: chuck them in water for a few days and take out the seeds; the flesh is easy to remove. Plant the seeds in good seed-raising mix (or even in a plastic bag!) until they germinate. Plant them in tall pots – keep them in shade. When they start to grow (My goodness… they are slow!) ensure that you give the palm's roots some space. When transplanting be careful not to damage the roots, especially the tap root! The second Native species in New Zealand occurs in Raoul Island (Kermadec Islands group). Its scientific name is Rhopalostylis baueri. This is a gorgeous form with large leaves and beautiful drooping habits. They are great to grow in large containers. I found some of these baueri (often called Rhopalostylis baueri var cheesemanii) as Christmas present for my local gardener at home. It's one of those finds that fills a space in my heart too and it gives us a few years of “advantage” to get that beauty growing. Plant in shade, out of frost sites and be very careful with the roots. In Punakaiki I learned exactly how much that time advantage is: Nikau take about 40 years to start forming a trunk They can grow to 15 meters tall Have “rings” around their trunk where old leaves were attached, so you can more-or-less guess how old the tree is: two or three rings per year Do the Maths! Too slow? Sorry to hear that. LEAVE YOUR LEGACY! IT'S WORTH IT LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of moaning early January 2025: coolness and wetness in many different places. Wellington and Christchurch were the biggest moaners in New Zealand – the West Coast was just lovely. Canterbury (after a few good weeks in spring) started getting wetter and colder as Summer commenced. In the garden there was no amazing speed of growth, but that rainwater reminded me of a transplantation trick to get tomatoes, lettuce, spring onions, and other vegetables really taking root! Transplanting in a dry garden is tricky – you would have to water the young tomato plants twice a day to allow them to survive. That in itself is really tricky to execute. Too little water and the patch of soil is not wet enough to make the plants spread its roots. The young plants simply struggle to develop. Too much watering makes the young plants far too wet around the roots, causing all sorts of trouble, especially fungal diseases before the plants are even 30 centimetres tall. This year's cool and wet weather pattern showed me the trick to avoid transplants woes: Soak your soil well before you plant the small vegetables. That literally makes the soil nice and moist on a large scale, rather than dryish in-between the spots where you dig in the young plants. This year no problems with a regular watering from the heavens – we could even have a Holiday without anybody needing to climb over the fence to water our vegetable plants! A rather wet summer does have its problems, especially with early ripening fruits such as peaches and —in our case— apricots! Regular wetness on these developing fruits often causes fungal diseases that can ruin and rot your crop in a matter of a few days. Brown rot is the obvious disease that moves rapidly through your tree(s). If you are quick enough you can harvest that fruit and cut off the brown patches and somehow “save the day”. But once that Brown Rot (aka Monilinia fructicola) is in the system you'll be too late to keep it under control. Prevention is the best tactic: thin out the tree after fruiting by removing branches, allowing a lot more space for next season – it will be sunnier and quicker drying too! When you still get some brown rot, a preventative spray with copper-based fungicides, (organic, by the way!) especially after flowering, will reduce infection as the copper will kill the fungal spores the moment these land on the tiny developing fruit. Follow these sprays up every 2 or 3 weeks and the Brown Rot will start to moan about the brilliant weather that still doesn't result in rotten fruit LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Pete and Ruud answer your questions about keeping your garden in the best shape it can be this season! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Pete and Ruud answer your questions about keeping your garden in the best shape it can be this season! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yep – I realise this is a weird and busy time – running around with presents and Family and kids that hunt for the elf on the shelf. Seeing Family members is the moment to re-connect. But deep down inside I am looking forward to checking up on my last few babies of the “little Owl”. A creature introduced from Europe. I remember it well: making a nest in hollow Willow Trees along the rivers of the Netherlands. Often visible during the day, sitting on posts along the farm fences. They – literally – are little owls; about half the size of ruru. We created nest boxes for them and they love living in those apartments. These owls feed on introduced birds, large insects, flies and moths. All we do is find them in their nesting boxes and tag them with some rings around their legs – each ring has its own number and we can keep track of them when we catch them again. Gorgeous birds – especially when they make that wonderful “Wheeeew” noise outside my bedroom at night. They tend to be late breeders, starting mid October or early November, with the young birds fledging just before Christmas. Look out for them in the South Island – Cute little owls! A real treat. Pohutukawa and other members of the iron-hearted trees (Metrosideros) These are best trees in NZ – great for the north (where pohutukawa is naturally distributed from N-Cape to a line east –west from Hawkes Bay to Taranaki). Yes, they do occur further south (as people took them everywhere) but here we should look for their close relatives the Rata Trees. In flower – right now – they'll be attracting the widest variety of pollinators … not just honey-bees. Bumble bees, a huge number of Native bee species and Houseflies, blowflies, flesh flies and Bibionid flies (Blossom Flies) as well as pollinating beetles (carpet beetles!!). Carpet beetle on pohutukawa flower stalk – pollinating our native tree. We usually consider these beetles as domestic pest, but eating our carpets and woollen clothes is merely the job they've always done on our planet: recycling the hair and wool of dead animals. I love going out at night with a torch in the garden. You'll find stuff you never see! One step further: get a UV Torch and light up the world around you. The UV light changes all the colours you think you know… Insects see their world through UV light; Now you can see what bugs see! Flowers change colours with UV and lichens (On tree trunks) can be totally weird! Here is a segment of a tree trunk with various lichens on the bark: On the left the original colours you see in ordinary torch light – On the right through UV light Note the yellow lichens turn Red! Why? No Idea; but it fascinates me toobserve and find out about that colour reflection And while we're looking around, see if you can spot one of our 13 species of Pseudoscorpions, also known as the “false scorpions". Kind-of related to the real and venomous scorpions that scare the living daylight out of Humans: they belong to the group of Arachnids: 8 legs etc etc and pincers that stick out and make them impossible to mis-identify. They catch other invertebrates for food (caterpillars, small critters, larvae and all sorts of tasty critters. Often seen near compost bins where their prey is numerous. Tiny things (a few millimetres or so) and using flies as their private Uber taxis to get from one place to another. They simply grab the legs of house flies and hitch a ride to the next compost bin – the same destination that flies are looking for Christmas is a fabulous time look around – you might find creatures you never knew we had in our country. Enjoy! LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No-Mow November started a few weeks ago. For me it started on the grounds of Tekapo Primary School, where we had a decent discussion about pollinators… especially bumblebees! Mating season! The kids love bumblebees! They are gentle and very active – even in the coldest months of the year. They can warm themselves up through wing-beating action while having the wings set to “neutral”. I told the kids that we have four different species of Bumblebee in New Zealand – all four imported from the UK (in the 1800s), to help with the pollination of plants, crops and trees from all sorts of parts of the world. Mostly to do with the various lengths of their tongues, which pollinate different sized flowers. Three of the four species are quite easy to find in New Zealand, but the fourth (the short-haired Bumblebee – Bombus subterraneus) is quite rare. It occurs largely in the Mackenzie country and in a few patches of inland of Otago. When I told the kids that Tekapo Region is where they are found every now and then, the kids pricked up their ears. They wanted to know what it looks like and what sort of flowering plants it gets its nectar and pollen from. But when I revealed that this bumblebee is now considered extinct in the UK, the interest grew a notch or two. And so did the development of serious questions… Can we grow the favourite plants in the school grounds? Could we raise their population density in the Tekapo area? And if that is successful: can we ship some fertile queens back to the UK to translocate them to their country and habitat of origin? A few weeks ago we dug some gardens on the edge of the school grounds and playing field. We sowed some seeds – lots of seeds, provided by the New Zealand Bumblebee Conservation Trust and specialist seed merchants such as Kings Seeds. Most Gardeners will know these names… Wild Flower World and Geoff and Liz Brunsden… there was an army of support Zonda sent them a live Bumblebee hive, just to get the kids completely engaged with the Bumbles and the Bees, in anticipation of luring this rare species back to the Mackenzie country – HeadQuarters: Tekapo Primary school! The Zonda Live BumbleBee hive – my goodness they really have a go at pollinating tomatoes! The kids learned how to get rid of weeds, fertilise the soil and sow the seeds in patches for the future of these pollinators. There was talk about creating a huge edge around the Sports Field where the grass would be taken off the field and replaced by a colourful melange of flowering plants for the bumble bee whanau. Now, THAT reminded me of the No-Mow-November we talked about many times before: A monocultural grassland replaced by a colourful meadow of wildflowers for our nectar and pollen eating invertebrates! There's even a list of students signing up for the watering duty during the summer Holidays… I bet Simon (the principal), Maria, Libby, Angela, and Jane will be chuffed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the moment when adult Huhu Beetles emerge from their rotting logs. If you are nearby a forest (especially a pine forest) you will be familiar with the sharp collision noises on your kitchen window when preparing dinner. Those huhu beetles fly towards the light and crash audibly. They've spent a few years as huhu grubs in dead wood, where they help with the decomposition – ashes to ashes, dust to dust! The grubs, of course, are a famous New Zealand delicacy: massive bits of protein can be quickly fried in a pan with a bit of salt and pepper (or even other fancy condiments). Just be prepared to prick a few holes in the body of this massive grub so that you won't get any exploding internal body segments! Happened to me – just look at my kitchen ceiling! Some kids would be keen to help you out in the kitchen – it's practical curricular topic to discuss the necessary search for alternative proteins in our country. Talking about alternative proteins: Slugs and Snails are a real pest in the garden at this time of the year – moisture and new plant growth encourages them, and eggshell barriers don't work at all Control measures that work: Weed control will expose them to predators (thrushes). Give your local song thrush (which might be nesting in or near your garden) an “anvil” to smack the shells of snails on – a large flat (decorative!) rock is perfect. Using Bait pellets in a pottle dug into soil. A take-away container with lid on and bait inside, with holes cut in the side of the container to let slugs and snails in but prevent dogs and cats from getting at the bait. An alternative version is to use some off cuts (15-30 cm long) of plastic wastepipe with a diameter of 50 to 75mm, which allows access to slugs and snails, but not to birds. Put some bait in the pipes and anchor them down with a heavy brick. They also love to hide in half grapefruit skins (upside-down). Encourage Carabid beetles (Ground beetles) – they often feed on slugs and snail juveniles and eggs. “Hunt-and-kill evening” with the kids (at full moon?) – always a good excursion after dinner. Grab a headlight torch and a bucket to collect them in… night sleuthing! Remember: these hermaphrodites can produce a few hundred eggs each, so reducing populations now makes good sense. Trapping under cloth, planks, and other artificial cover. Slugs and snails love that cover as it increases relative humidity and stops them from drying out. Around the wooden outside of raised beds, put a strip of copper foil, almost all the way around, plus a sizeable 6 Volt battery providing power to both ends of the copper strip. This creates a nice current that they are reluctant to cross, and it protects your vegies/seedlings. But... why not eat them? In France, the brown garden snail (originally from North Africa) is the second-preferred species of escargot for human consumption. Collect the fattest ones and eat them! That will make you an invasivore! Escargot - pourquoi pas? Cantareus aspersus is, to us, an exotic species of snail. It is commonly accepted that it was introduced to New Zealand by the French around the early 1860s. The reason for this is really simple: the brown garden snail is highly prized as escargot in the Mediterranean region. In fact, it has always been the preferred back-up for the slightly larger, but closely related vineyard snail (Helix pomatia). Recently I read that European populations of Cantareus have become depleted as a result of non-sustainable over-harvesting of wild specimens. These days the species is the subject of heliciculture, the captive rearing of these delicacies, also known as snail farming. I suppose there may be a few people out there who can set aside the horrific idea of eating invertebrates (quelle horreur!) and who would like to be part of the latest ecological craze of harvesting a truly wonderful resource that yields fat-free, cholesterol-free protein from the comfort of your own back yard. I have tried this recipe many times and demonstrated it on live television with consenting adults (Good Morning show) and absolutely wildly enthusiastic kids (What Now?). Snail control á la Gourmet involves collecting the finest, fittest and fattest garden snails from the threatened garden areas. Put them in big jars and "starve" them for 4 to 5 days on old white bread. This "starving" is an important procedure. As you will undoubtedly remember from experiments, carried out at your primary school's nature table, the snails have a habit of excreting dark, stringy poopy-plops. I think it's time to inform you of the fact that these dark, stringy poopy-plops will have to be evacuated from the snail's gut system before cooking, simply because they taste like… yes, they taste rather bad! White bread will slowly replace the dark excrement, and it improves the taste of the final escargot beyond belief! Put a big pot of water on to boil and chuck all these "starved" snails into the boiling water. Simmer them for about 3 minutes (boil the water first before launching the snails - do not over-cook the snails, for they will turn out tasting like rubber bands!). Take the snails out, leave them to cool off (otherwise you'll burn your hands). Remove the bodies from their long-term residence with eyebrow tweezers or entomological forceps. This is known in the trade as a "forceps delivery". Then fry them for perhaps 4 to 5 minutes in some simple garlic butter. Do not fry too long, because they will turn out like garlic-flavoured rubber bands. Recently, Allyson Gofton made a very helpful suggestion to even further improve the culinary effort of our pest control: "starve" the snails on garlic bread, so that they are automatically marinated while alive! Voilá, this is my recipe for the Bugman's Escargot. You can serve them in their own shells (remember to make a mental note of which snail came from which shell, otherwise fights may break out). In any case I can recommend them with a 1965 Chateau Tahbilk - they go well together Bon Appetit! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

White fluffy pests – Mealybugs One of the rottenest pests gardeners can get on their plants are Pseudococcuslongispinus, or any of its close relatives. Longispinusis derived from the word meaning “with a long spine or tail” – so we're talking about the Long-Tailed Mealybug. To identify these insects, you'll need good eyesight. The way to start your identification is to look for dense, white patches of silkall over your plants, especially over the leaves and on the stems. If you scrape off the fluffy white deposits, you'll get to the insects hiding underneath that fluff. Big ones and smaller ones all living together out of the rain and out of the sun. 1-4mm in size. They eat a massive range of plants, both edibles and ornamentals. The spines and tails give the game away – there are also droplets of honeydew in amongst the mix. These insects feed by plumbing their mouthparts into the veins of the plants where they extract honeydew, a sweet sap that contains Nitrogen which makes the young bugs grow. Ah! Yes … the group of sap-sucking bugs is the only invertebrate cohort that can be called “Bugs” in the naming game of Entomology! They ingest the sap and poop out honeydew. But their numbers and activities on your plants are debilitating for the plants, causing yellowing and ill-thrift, plus black sooty mould all over the place. Control is difficult: the white, fluffy, silky stuff makes the bugs waterproof. Water-based sprays cannot penetrate through their skin, unless you use some systemic insecticide that is taken up by the plants. Groventive is such a systemic spray but read the label and you find it cannot be used on edible crops! Conquerer Oil and Neem Oil are non-systemic treatments that will give the immature Mealybugs a run for their money (suffocation and inhabit their feeding from the plant). But it will require regular spraying (once a week) until all bugs have starved to death or suffocated. Thoroughly cover the infested plant – and don't forget the underside of the leaves too!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A moth or so ago I was walking around the Halswell Quarry, looking for native bees. We have about 28 species of these bees in New Zealand, and the unfortunate thing is that we know very little about these creatures. A new book by Rachel Weston described how these tiny bees make holes in the ground where their larvae (babies) are raised. The air space around those tunnels is quite busy, with bees coming and going constantly; some air traffic control could well be a useful asset to these tiny habitats! I didn't just find a heap of native bees but also a few holes of significant size: conically shaped holes with a diameter of at least 30 millimetres, situated in a dry bit of soil, protected from regular rain fall. It reminded me of the holes I used to have under the eaves of our old open car port. In the pit of these holes live a very clever Neuropteran insects, known as Antlions. The cool thing is that this extraordinary species is the only “antlion” endemic to New Zealand – it's ours and it lives nowhere else in the world. The fully-grown adult is a sizeable lacewing with beautiful wings, shaped by a multitude of fine veins. It's not a strong flyer, but elegant when it climbs up the vegetation around the area where it grew up. This insect feeds on pollen and small insects, but it is not very long-lived. The larvae (young versions) of these antlions are the ones that create those magnificent holes in the soil through clever movement of their bodies. Excavation is a fine art. They are predators, meat eaters, and the holes are their traps. These predators are equipped with a mean set of jaws. When an insect ventures into the realm of these antlion babies, they will tumble down the steepish slope, down to the bottom in the centre. That's where the antlion larva is waiting to grab its prey with impressive, sharp mouthparts that look like pincers. Their diet is any invertebrate that is small enough to be subdued: crawling caterpillars, small beetles, native bees, ants that made navigation errors, etc. The coolest part of the antlion's arsenal is the tactic of making the potential prey lose their footing! As soon as an ant tumbles down the slope and dislodges some sand or bits of soil, the antlion baby starts tossing some soil, throwing sand uphill in the direction of the prey to make it lose its balance! And of course I can't help fuelling the fight by dropping some soil particles into the antlion's clever trap – now this is a fight to watch! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isn't it just wonderful to suddenly get wind of a perfect idea that makes soooo much sense? On my departure for Tauranga to do Nature Nerd stuff at the Bay of Plenty Garden and Arts Festival, I received a fabulous email from Laura, who runs the Envirohub Bay of Plenty. Space for Nature. This is the picture: Nature doesn't just belong in our National Parks, our rural areas and wild, open spaces. If we use our spades and our plants, we can create a Biodiverse area around our homes as well. In cities and villages, in the centre of towns, all the way to the outskirts of those sterile new subdivisions. It's a matter of creating the right kind of habitat which will attract lizards, insects, birds, and magnificent fungi in autumn. Your garden could become an important corridor of Native species nearby, allowing them to move deeper and further into your “hood”. Trapping pest species is another way to add to the Biodiversity of your Quarter Acre Paradise. Imagine becoming part of such a community that links us all together for the same generous reasons: creating a much better and enjoyable ecosystem, which will be making bird song a regular concert of the Neighbourhood. There are many ways you can go about creating your own little Paradise: join a restoration team in your area (planting, trapping, weed removal, etc) and learn what works well in your district to get Biodiversity back in the backyard. You can also go for a walk in your local forest and identify what native trees, shrub, and plant species do well – identification is pretty easy when you use iNaturalist (an app on your smart phone). You can also visit your local Botanic garden and learn from the professional Botanists! Envirohub Bay of Plenty came up with another grand idea: sign the pledge to make Space for Nature in your Backyard and you'll receive advice and resources to help you in your journey – plus a sign for your gate or letterbox (“We're Providing Space for Nature”). Plus, a Native Tree and a Trap to get rid of the unwanted critters Such a simple idea. Thank you Laura! You made my day. For more information, visit their website here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seeing as Jack's in the US (and we are home in NZ) it might be nice to just grab a few plants, structures, and colours that belong in our hearts and minds. If I remember well, America has some stunning trees, shrubs, and plants that knock the eyeballs out of your head. What I remember well are the dogwoods, known here by their Genus name of Cornus. This is a brilliant tree from Athens (Georgia): Just so you know: we can grow these here too – flowering in spring and often deep autumn colours too. Easy in full sun and part shade with fertile, well-drained soils Julie would also go with “white” and “America”. Some years ago, she took some cuttings from an ancient plant that grew around a very ancient building, here in the Halswell Quarry – that building is now history, but the cuttings are not! The Philadelphus (also known as a Mock Orange) hails from the American New World, is easy to grow and known for its magnificent, sweet scent. Juuls grows it on a fence – you can also grow it as a shrub or even a wobbly hedge. It loves sunlight and well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Don't let it dry out too much – water every now and then but don't make it too wet. Mulch is useful, as is some general fertiliser every now and then plus some potash before it flowers in spring. Take cuttings in Autumn… Easy! I am a fan of spectacular colours. And you simply can't get past dense blues. A Meconopsis was “born” in South-East Asia and there are many, many species. Unfortunately, they have quite a few negative ‘habits'. They are tricky to grow and often short-lived. Very difficult to successfully sow as seeds (sow them in late summer) and are very sensitive when you want to split them up by diversion to plant them in early spring. Part shade, and no full sun, and a nice mulch of rotten manure or compost – it feels like spoilt brat. Despite all this, it's a plant known as “Blue Poppy” and belongs to the Papaver Family We've managed a couple of successes, and it makes me go down the garden when they flower. This is what I call “Spectacular”. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guess what – last week I found my first gorgeous Tineola bisselliella moths of the season. A pretty yellow-brown, tiny moth with an orange hairdo. I remember this critter from the Netherlands all those years ago, and it has reached New Zealand not terribly long ago, as far as I can see. This cosmopolitan moth is becoming more and more common in the Christchurch region. Although it's spreading to a few New Zealand Centres: Wellington, Napier and who knows where else. This attractive moth has a very descriptive vernacular name: Webbing Clothes Moth. Its larvae (also known as caterpillars) chew on woollen materials, as well as taxidermied skins and feathers. From now on they'll be on the wing at my place, laying eggs in our woollen rugs and woollen carpets, chewing holes in all those natural products that keep us warm. It really hacks me off if I find them in my taxidermied pheasant or kiwi. They also destroy feathers! But when Julie finds evidence in her fancy clothes cupboard, I will be severely questioned “when is the last time you sprayed their favourite habitat?” “Do something!” And off I go to my mates at Safeworx, a company that stocks the most effective Pyrethroid insecticide aerosols on the planet – I should know, because in the days when I was a real entomologist (and working for the Ministry of Agriculture) we developed these insecticides for aircraft quarantine reasons, so that no nasty interlopers would enter Aotearoa: creatures such as Mosquitoes that transmit human diseases, Malaria, Dengue, Ross River Virus etc, etc. This was a long time ago: the nineteen eighties! Spraying the walls, ceiling and floor of Aircraft holds to measure the efficacy of the Synthetic pyrethroid on flies, mosquitoes, moths, and beetles… Those were the fun days! Ask the folks at Safeworx for a few aerosol cans of the residual aircraft hold spray – I'm sure they'll find the right one. Spray the surfaces where the damage is found; aim at a distance of around 60 centimetres and move over the woollen materials in a brisk tempo. The spray dries relatively fast and will be killing insects for at least 8 weeks (and much longer if the treated areas are out of direct sunlight). This spray formulation works very well on most insect species and its residual activity is suitably long. If you have trouble with house borer (another cosmopolitan pest that causes damage in New Zealand), a quick spray over the timber, furniture and wooden antiques will knock the borer beetles out as they emerge from their timber “homes” where they developed over the past year or so. Timing is everything! The beetles usually emerge early December to mate and lay eggs, if you spray the infested timber in the last week of November the beetles will not survive this part of their life cycle. It's worth a try. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Passionvine Hoppers came up in conversation a week or so ago: a nuisance for gardeners, especially in the warmer north (but more and more a pain-in-the-South as well!). I also remember that Aucklanders often called them lacy-winged moths. Shows you that entomological knowledge has always been slow to sink in up there in the North Island. They are certainly not moths, these critters belong to a totally different insect order: the Homoptera, or sap-sucking bugs. Yes, these are some of the insects you can legitimately call “bugs” in entomological parlance. LIFE CYCLE: Eggs hatch in October – the timing relates to warmth in spring. The tiny fluffy bums (“nymphs”) suck sap from a wide variety of host plants and slowly grow bigger and bigger. They also become nimbler and can hop greater distances as they grow larger in spring. Late in spring (December onwards) the Fluffy Bums will moult their last moult and turn into a winged adult Passionvine Hopper. One nymph of passion vine hopper (fluffy bum) and three winged adults in summer. They will still suck sap from your favourite plants – they will also continue excreting sticky honeydew all over the plants and leaves below. (And as we all know, honeydew is a perfect place for sooty mould to grow – black, ugly fungal material that looks as if a miniature fire has burnt your plants). This is also the time for mating and female Passionvine Bugs will lay eggs in the autumn. They prefer to insert the eggs in thin branches, leaving a patterned oviposition site, which keeps the eggs in good nick during the winter months CONTROL and PREVENTION: Keep an eye on the new fluffy bums hatching in your garden right now! Those tiny nymphs often congregate in large flocks at the ends of new growth; they are still very feeble in their movement and won't be able to escape a cloud of fly-spray aimed at them on a wind-still morning. Small, young nymphs Spray these young passionvine hoppers in October with a good dose of fly-spray. In autumn there is a second chance for control: spot the new egg-sites on thin twigs and tendrils, cut these off and burn them in the fireplace (Fried Eggs!). Eggs laid in thin twigs and curly tendrils LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are three reactions to the concept of “feeding your plants”: 1) Plants feed themselves through Photosynthesis (you don't need to feed your plants!) 2) They'll pick up elements in the soil that they need for growth and development, nobody feeds the plants in a native forest. 3) What's scientifically needed for our gardens is a soil test that indicates which chemical elements are lacking in soil. This is about the Science of Fertilisers. This is the time of the year when soil temperatures are great for plant growth. Roots work over-time to extract minerals, dissolve them in water and transport them through the phloem bundles to the leaves of plants, where photosynthesis puts it all together and creates carbohydrates and chemicals that allow cell-elongation (growth). Plants use three main elements for bulk growth “food”: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and potassium (K), which are generally known as NPK (their chemical symbols). N is used to make the green stuff: leaves and chlorophyll (LAWNS, LETTUCE, SPINACH, HEDGES). P is good for root development and plant health (CARROTS, PARSNIPS, POTATOES, etc). K (potash) is for sex: flowers and fruits (TOMATOES, APPLES, STRAWBERRIES, FLOWERING PLANTS). Other elements needed for plant functioning are needed in much smaller quantities: Mg (Magnesium), S (Sulphur), Ca (Calcium), Cu (Copper), Fe (Iron), Zn (Zinc), Mn (Manganese), and a heap more of those minor “trace elements”. There are a few different types of fertilisers: 1) “General” Fertiliser – for general growth: usually something like N-P-K 7-3-6 or 12-4-13 (note how Phosphorus is usually less than the N and K). 2) Potato fertiliser: N-P-K 3-9-6, also good for carrots and parsnips. 3) Tomato or rose fertiliser - usually higher in potash (K): N-P-K 3-4-9. This helps to stimulate flower and fruit growth. Of course, you can always use the general fertiliser (which tends to be highest in Nitrogen) and simply add a few handfuls of Superphosphate (P) if you grow root crops, or handfuls of Sulphate of Potash (K) if you want to up the dose of K (potash) for flowers and fruit. Organic fertilisers usually have lower concentrations of elements, and they are often less prone to fertiliser run-off into water courses. Chicken poo (a “Natural” organic fertiliser) has a high content of Nitrogen which can burn plants – I would always send it through a cycle of composting before use. These are very general comments on how to use fertilisers; some plants require a bit more detailed knowledge or would benefit from changing fertiliser regimes in different times of the year (Cymbidium orchids have a green-growth phase to make leaves in spring and summer – followed by a flower bud initiation in autumn and flowering in winter). I use General fertiliser on my young tomatoes to get them growing up and create a strong climbing vine, before the flower buds are formed. Once they start flowering, I assist the plants with more potash to keep on making fruit – I just switch to a higher potash fertiliser such as Wet&Forget's Seaweed Tea. Dog Pee fertiliser Most homeowners let their dogs use the backyard as their own personal toilet. Urine is very high in Nitrogen. Too much nitrogen will burn the grass and create yellow patches after sensational, dark green growth (a dog will usually come back to the same patch – territorial “marking”). The concentration of nitrogen in the dog's urine depends on the type of dog, its sex, and what the animal eats. Larger dogs will pee more and cause more damage. Female dogs also tend to cause more damage than males because they squat and urinate in one concentrated patch whereas the males spray their urine over a larger area and in much smaller doses each time. Finally, diets high in protein can increase the concentration of nitrogen in the urine since protein breaks down to release nitrogen compounds. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's already getting dry in Canterbury, and I still need to do a lot of planting in order to save us from starvation. Juuls has planted Christmas spuds. Seed potatoes: “chitted” (meaning the “eyes” have started to run out) and the plants are doing well – shooting up in their large tubs on the deck. Every week or so we carefully add some soil on top of the stuff that's already there, so that the main stem will produce more and more potatoes. This is Julie's “spud race” for the spring challenge at her work. Potato fertiliser always has a bit more “P” (Phosphate) in it to encourage root growth and tuber growth. Jersey Bennes and such early varieties are probably the best to use before Christmas. Potato-Tomato Psyllid I don't want to play Russian Roulette with this pest: it damages potatoes and tomatoes, so I prefer to keep potatoes well away from my tomato tunnelhouse. It's called Biosecurity! Tomatoes Should have been sown now in seed-raising mix and transplanted outside when the frost danger is over; in the tunnelhouse I don't have that problem, so can bang them in as soon as they are 20cm tall with good roots. I've got my favourite line up: Tigerella, Sweet 100, Black Krim, Artisan Blush, etc, plus some new stuff I uplifted from the Kings Seed Catalogue. Initially feed them with general fertiliser and start using tomato/Rose fertiliser when flowers develop the new fruit – Seaweed Tea (Wet&Forget) Broad beans are another must in our garden – I was lucky to have them survive the winter and self-seeded in the coldest months of the year The related French beans need to be sown too – do a row every month or so, so keep the supply coming during summer and into autumn! If you've never tried growing Witlof (endive) try sowing it now. During spring and summer, you grow the root system sturdy and large. In late autumn harvest the roots and bury them in a tub with sandy soil in a dark spot (under the house). The roots will sprout these white and delicious chicons which taste wonderful and bitter; recipes everywhere! Even the French like them. I usually keep up with my lettuce (COS!) and spring onions but will need to plonk in the peas and beans ASAP before the summer sun creates havoc. These crops have a habit to grow in just about any soil condition. As long as they have good light and are not kept too dry. Liquid fertiliser seems to be the best way to keep 'em happy, and when I chuck Seafood Soup and Seaweed Tea on them they shoot up with vapour trails LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 5 October 2024, award-winning actress Rena Owen joins Jack to discuss the 30-year anniversary of Once Were Warriors, gearing up for the live action Moana, and the role of Māori theatre throughout her career. Jack shares his love for maps and the remote, extreme, curious places he's drawn to when studying them. He considers the chances of a visit to Diego Garcia following the news that sovereignty of the island will be passed to Mauritius. Sally Rooney's highly anticipated fourth novel is Booktok's latest obsession – with influencers vying for advance copies and the book becoming something of a commodity. Book reviewer Catherine Raynes shares her thoughts on Intermezzo's literary merit. How does Joker: Folie à Deux match up to the critical and commercial juggernaut of the first Joker film? Film reviewer Francesca Rudkin delivers her verdict. And man-in-the-garden Ruud Kleinpaste joins Jack in studio to chat planting before the dry season sets in - plus, brings a special guest. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Planting from now on is becoming a much better idea. The chances of frost have diminished, but there will be still possibilities of “Spring Snow”, if you get my drift. If you've had a look at the plants in your local botanic Garden, you'll find what will grow well at your place. In many frost-free areas I'm thinking of Ngutu Kaka (Kaka Beak). This is a native plant that will look red and just amazing. It's one of those plants I have always wanted to grow, simply because it looks stunning with those flowers, and it attracts the nectivorous birds. As an old Trustee of “Project Crimson” (do you remember that organisation?) I am certainly a proponent of the Genus Metrosideros, which is the group of trees, shrubs and plants related to pohutukawa. Metrosideros carminea is one of those native gems that will wake you up in spring. Just look at that colour! Just inhale the smell, and look at the insects associated with this native gem. And then there are the not-so-native Vireya. They are Rhododendrons of tropical origin. They smell and love warm climates. My favourite one is Vireya tuba. Originally from the mountains of Papua New Guinea, it grows up to 2 meters high and needs protection from frosts (grew well for us in Auckland and will do fine on the frost-free port hills). And its smell is just divine! Winter flowerings. Bright and beautiful, but a native beetle has woken up too: Lemon Tree Borer (Oemona hirta) will be on the wing soon. Laying eggs on damaged citrus branches or on pruned wood of citrus and many other native shrubs and trees. The beetle grubs will create tunnels and cause a heap of damage! No more pruning and keep an eye on those grubs that will create havoc on citrus and other host plants. And then there is our codling moth (which arrived all the way from Europe, many, many years ago). Moths lay eggs after flowering of the apple trees (and crab apples, and walnuts!) Out of those eggs hatch very hungry codling moth caterpillars that will tunnel into the developing apple fruits, spoiling them. Control and prevention: There is a cool spray called Madex3, used by commercial apple growers that value organic treatments. This Madex3 is a virus that should be sprayed a week or so after apple flowering (in the next week or two!). The virus will only kill Codling moth – very targeted! And may need a second spray a month or so later. It's available from some of the more switched-on suppliers in NZ: Farmlands, Horticentre Hawkes Bay and Richmond, GoodtoGrownz.co.nz, just look for Madex3. It's not a cheap pest control material, but it will last for years in your freezer. And if you cleverly share a 100 ml bottle with your neighbour or friend it is the best and safest method of keeping the caterpillars out of your pip fruit. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A week or so ago, a wonderful kids book couriered its way to my front door. It's a book about our native bees in Aotearoa, written by Rachel Weston. It's titled “Kiwi Bees have tiny knees”.  How refreshing to finally read a book about our native bees, not the introduced pollinator from Tropical Africa which migrated through Europe and all the way to Asia. Our native bees are from Aotearoa and there are 28 species in our land, most of which have not been studied well at all!  After Spring has started this year (that will be from tomorrow morning 12:43 am onwards) I shall come back to this magnificent book in detail, simply because it deserves a lot more entomological attention.  For now, I will alert you to page 21: Clever little bees: Pollinating Mistletoe.  That simple line grabbed my attention immediately, and on the day I received the book I started a complete week of Mistletoe frenzy; and it is all to do with Gardening!  Our tiny bees pollinate mistletoe? For Real?  Rachel's book has a QR Code on page 21 which allows you to see them at work, check out the video here.  A Leioproctus native bee (pretty small insect!) chews open the red mistletoe's flower and harvests nectar and pollen. When it does the same trick with the next flower of the bunch, the pollen will fertilise that neighbouring flower.  Bellbirds and tui are probably the main pollinators of these mistletoes, but those tiny bees also contribute to the reproductive system. That is just as well, seeing our native birds might be locally under pressure from predators etc – so if bees can take over some of that pollination job from the birds, the mistletoe might have better chances for survival.  We have 8 species of Mistletoe in New Zealand (number 9 is presumed to be extinct), but browsing by possums and loss of habitat or host trees puts the species under pressure. Mistletoes are “parasitic” plants that live on their hosts and extract nutritious liquids from these host plants. This doesn't seem to harm the host plants or trees in a major way.  Once the mistletoe started flowering (some have very small flowers, other species have beautifully coloured flowers that stand out!) the pollinators will be attracted and do their job. That leads to the formation of fertile mistletoe fruit (seed inside the small, juicy berry) that will draw in the bird species that enjoy those fruits.  As soon as they pick off their snacks, the birds may suddenly realise that the seed is surrounded by a seriously sticky glue. Some birds try to take the glue off their beaks by wiping the fruit and the seed over the branches of the host plant on which the mistletoe grew.  Some birds will have a go at swallowing the fruit and seed regardless, ending up defecating a very sticky poo that the bird will wipe off its “bottom feathers”, usually on the same branches that grew the mistletoe. And that is how Nature distributes the mistletoe through the landscape.  As gardeners, what can we learn from that?  A few years ago, I managed to adhere some green mistletoe seeds on a native host plant: kowhai!   It hasn't flowered or seeded as yet but my neighbour is a few years ahead of the game and I got some seeds off him – now it's all on!  Ileostylus micranthus seeds in abundance. The tiny green bits of growth are the flowers on this species.  I have stuck heaps of seeds all over the neighbourhood in an attempt to find out what kind of trees would work as hosts of this green mistletoe (Ileostylus micranthus). So far we know kowhai and divaricating Coprosmas (C. virescens), as well as apple, pear, peach, and plum!   The way to attach the sticky seeds is no surprise: the sticky seeds are squeezed out of the fruit and positioned on the "collar" of the branch. Tag it with some colourful wool or something like that, to keep an eye on progress for the next few years. I reckon this is the way to spread our native mistletoes back into their original habitat. There's quite a bit of info on these plants on our internet: here and here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've been pretty busy in the garden, tunnel house, and grassy building site. That always seem to happen with me just before spring emerges – it's a frantic time.    Spades  When you're digging out flax or any plant, tree, shrub for that matter, some soil types make it difficult to get into with a regular spade. We had a rather dry late winter period with soil becoming pretty hard to open up.  My best investment for these conditions is my trenching spade:  A long and tapering blade that ends up with just 10 centimetres of bottom edge, easy to drive into the soil and allowing you to tackle the hard clay with a minimum amount of effort.  I tried to dig out large, old flax plants and the only way to do that is with a trenching spade – no contest!  Of course, as the name suggests, trenching spades were invented to create long narrow trenches for power lines of water pipes.   Why dig our more than you need to?    Weeding implements  We all know what a hoe is; a push or pull device that can cut plants off their roots. I am really simplifying the various hoes in existence – there are many different varieties, but the system is quite simple: you either push the blade through the top-layers of the soil, or you pull.  My favourite hoe is the one created by a Dutchman Jaap Sneeboer. I think he calls it “the Royal Hoe” – how Dutch is that!  It has a double attack ability: a regular pull hoe that is made from very sturdy metal, and a three-tine fork that can go deeper to remove rather sturdy roots. That fork is also brilliant for aerating the soil.  It's a tall, and solid hoe that will do a multitude of jobs before you start sowing new seeds or planting new veges.    Cutting Flax leaves  Always a real pain in the bum. Flax leaves are so resistant to secateurs and knives.  I have them on the sides of our driveway and you can literally imagine how these long and resistant leaves always grow out over the drive...  The “knife” that works well is the Niwashi Flax knife and the Maruyoshi flax cutter (there are all kinds of models on the NZ market now). Make sure that you get a sturdy one that lasts for years.  It's a mean tool! The curved blade has extremely sharp teeth that will go through flax leaves without any trouble at all. The teeth are angled towards the bottom and therefore will always work in a downward motion. Of course, they will also cut the leaves of Cabbage trees.     A Cultivator  This thing weeds, pulls out roots, and cuts out all the undesirables from within the rows of edibles and ornamentals, without accidentally hitting the desirables!  The Clark Cultivator was designed in Christchurch and is used as a hand-tool. The main blade emerges in a 90 degree angle and is super sharp.  It rips roots off the weeds and the pointy end can be manoeuvred with incredible accuracy. That pointy end is also very useful if you want to quickly dig a hole to transplant anything that needs a new position. It even allows you to create a perfectly straight line to sow some seeds  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacob Anderson is an old mate from Sir Peter Blake Trust (Blake Inspire), who's finally got his PhD and moved to the USA, taking up a job working on Climate Change.  These observations are about the effect of climate change and how critters adapt to the cold.    The Greenland wolf  The Greenland wolf is a subspecies of the grey wolf, and their population is sitting at around 200. Their range is in the ice-free areas of northeast Greenland. Their main prey are hares, but they also eat the calves of musk oxen and seals.  In the late early 1900's a population in east Greenland was poisoned to extinction. But they were not considered high economic value due to their low abundance, compared to the fur trade of the Arctic fox.  They have small pack sizes – usually only 3 or 4 members.  Greenland wolf spoor.    Arctic mosquito   Arctic mosquitoes serve as an important food source to other animals. They are notorious for their role as pests to humans and wildlife, including caribou, whose populations can be affected by their attacks. They primarily feed on the blood of caribou.  These mosquitoes spend most of their lives in an aquatic environment in shallow, tundra ponds. Their eggs become frozen in the winter and hatch into larvae when the ponds melt in the spring. Arctic mosquitoes spend about two to three weeks in the larval stage before they develop into pupa and then adults.  They're most prevalent after a hatch, with the mosquito population spiking late June through July, and again, briefly, at the beginning of August. They can't fly in a light breeze. In fact, we only really had them annoy us for a warm (above freezing) day with no wind. The rest of the time we didn't see them or have any land on us.  As temperatures warm in the Arctic, mosquitoes emerge earlier, grow faster, and survive as winged pests even longer.  Aedes Mosquito Hatching. Photo / Jacob Anderson    My observations came from Alaska.    Nosebot Maggots  Caribou not only feed mosquitoes, but they also feed huge maggots of the Nosebot Fly (also known as Nasal Fly or caribou warble fly). These maggots are rather large and gain access into the caribou's nostrils when their mum literally hovers near the caribou and sprays her babies into that nice, cosy nose environment (This adult fly does not lay eggs! Skipping that life-stage saves time for the life cycle).  “Heavily infested caribou may be tormented by the irritating presence of the parasites and be thinner than other caribou, but the caribou meat is still OK to eat”, according to caribou hunters.   The frozen Woodfrog (Rana silvestris)  Here is an arctic creature that knows how to over-winter (-20 degrees). This frog simply freezes in the winter cold but manages to restrict the damage inside the body cells by increasing the amount of sugars inside the cells. Crystals in-between the cells allow the ice to form where the damage is very minimal.  When the frog thaws, it slowly gathers enough warmth to move on with its life – no doubt mumbling to itself ”That was a heavy frost!!”   (It reminds me of our unique mountain stone weta).    Ice worms on the glaciers in Alaska  These species only live in Alaska and are a relic of the old ice-ages.  Small, dark worms (2 cm long) that live and crawl in the icy glaciers, their food is algae and pollen, as well as certain invertebrates that land on the glacier (I've seen small moths being “pushed-up” by weather conditions at lower elevations).  The worms simply clean up the glacier's surfaces.  They can live in temperatures below zero, but will die when the temperatures go higher than +4.4 degrees centigrade.    LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago we talked about an “early Spring”, simply because I thought some of my plants were flowering a lot sooner than expected. Especially the Clematis paniculata one of the seven native species of Clematis in Aotearoa.  Picture taken on Sunday 25 August, 2024  This is one of my favourite Native, New Zealand Climbers, also known as puawānanga, (flower of the skies). It belongs to the Family Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family – it always surprises me how something like Clematis paniculata belongs to the buttercup group, but then again, our plant taxonomy often has little to do with “resemblance”.  I planted our Clematis some 6 years ago near the base of a dying old Birch tree. That birch literally karked it in the next six months, so it was the perfect tree for the climber to climb on.  “Flower of the skies” needs to grow into the light, that's where the flower buds will develop. The more exposed to sunlight, the better the buds develop.  Another important consideration is that the roots of the Clematis need to be in moist, cool soils, according to all the old horticulture books. Gardeners translate this to “cool, moist, shady roots and flowers in warm, dry and bright, sunny places”. (I have always questioned the “cool, moist shady roots” bit as when you buy the plants from garden centres, they'll often be in black, warm and dry plastic pots!)  Having said that: the soil in which roots grow in gardens tends to be cooler than the conditions in which plants are kept on the Garden centre's shelves…   Ever since our Clematis grew up on the old, dead birch tree, the number of flowers increased dramatically. Spring-time flowering is spectacular, and I can't control myself at this time of the year: always taking pictures as soon as the flower buds begin to adorn the (by now) decaying old trunk.  Trouble ahead: This old Birch is nearing its last few years of strength. There will come a time when the Clematis will encounter serious struggles as a result of a collapsing, dead Birch! I am already thinking about another site for Clematis: some of the common Ozzie hardwood trees (Eucalyptus, Acacia, wattle, etc) are very tough and long-lasting structures even after death. This may well be a great (and long-lasting) climbing rack for our native Clematis.  The good thing about training them up a dead tree is the abundance of warm sunlight for the buds.  A few days ago I browsed through my collection of Clematis pictures on the computer. That's when I found some pics (and dates) of flowering. All were starting the show in the third week of August.  And right now – as this program goes to air, they always look like this:  It looks as if Clematis the Climber is regular as clockwork!  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, after that yucky and cold spell in the middle of winter, I was checking my mistletoe to see how it had been coping under those chilly and frosty conditions.  Looked okay, but there were a few bite marks on the leaves. Hmmm… nothing worrying about though.  Ileostylus micranthus is the green mistletoe I “planted” on my kowhai bush a few years ago now.   The sticky seeds should be adhered to the twigs of the host plant and with a bit of luck the mistletoe will settle itself on that host plant by sending its “roots” (haustoria) into the host plant. The Mistletoe can then draw its nutrients from the host.  That makes it a “parasite”.  Under normal circumstances, the sticky seeds are “planted” by birds. They simply try to eat the seeds but often end up wiping their bill clean on the host plant.  Clever plant!  My neighbour across the road also has a green mistletoe, but his specimen is situated on a Coprosma virescens bush known by its Māori name as “Mingimingi”. A gorgeous native shrub with a divaricating growth; tangled branches of orange colours and rather small leaflets.  I decided to see how his green mistletoe was doing after the very cold nights.  The leaves were chewed significantly – huge chunks eaten out of the edges. The last time I saw that plant it was in great condition, but this winter something or somebody must have had a real go at it.  A thorough investigation revealed the culprit: an adult Katydid was hiding in the tangled branches of the Mingimingi, sitting very still and using its green camouflage.  This in itself is quite a weird phenomenon, as I usually see Katydids in summer and autumn but not in winter.  This native chewer-of-leaves must have found enough shelter inside the Mingimingi to survive the winter conditions and chew away at the parasitic Mistletoe!  A Vandal Katydid on a Green Mistletoe on a Mingimingi. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blackcurrants pruning  Oh… good old Ribes nigrum! It's one of our favourite fruits – Juuls makes pretty mean jam out of those dark berries. You can eat them raw off the plant, but honestly… jam is the way to go as far as I'm concerned.  They hail from the temperate areas of Central and Northern Europe and Asia – yep, they can deal with frosts.  Blackcurrants are usually grown as multi-stemmed plants, with an open structure of 6–10 upright stems growing from the base.   Established bushes (aged four years or older) are best pruned every winter to keep them fruiting strongly. This is a simple process – cut out up to a third of the oldest stems down at the base, create some space in the middle. The younger stems will then rise up to produce fruit for the next few years.   Red Currants pruning is slightly different from Blackcurrants.  From late winter to early spring – prune all forms of red and white currants annually while the plants are still dormant, before any signs of growth appear.  Red and white currants will fruit at the base of shoots, these are known as 'laterals', that grow out from the main branches, especially the younger branches!   Young = new, narrower and lighter-coloured stems; old = thicker and darker stems  Prune in winter to leave between eight and ten healthy, strong main branches each year. On one-year-old bushes, prune back new shoots by half. Leave the branch with an outward-facing bud at the top.  Some folk grow them as “cordons”: a bit like climbers, up a wire structure in the form of one or two main branches. The side-shoots that come off those main stems will carry the red currents.  In mid-summer – prune cordons and fans to restrict growth and maintain their shape.    Gooseberries pruning   Just as a warning: they are prickly rascals – wear good gloves!  First of all: get rid of dead branches – cut them off as low as you can.  Cut out the really old branches (especially more than 5 years old) and open the inside up a bit (not too much, mind you). But if you haven't pruned your gooseberries for a long time, they may need a bit more surgery to open that bush up again.  Old branches are thick and dark in colour.  Taking these old sturdy, dark branches out makes the plant grow new juvenile growth that will do the job for the next few years.  The idea is to replace the older stuff with newer (much more productive) growth.  The younger branches (lighter in colour and thinner) can be cut back a bit (from the top) to get the plant to set up new spurs, which will produce new fruit.  The whole idea is to create a nice series of fruiting areas in the inside of the plant; not too high but certainly accessible when you want to harvest the berries.  Late winter is a good time to fertilise the berries with some general fertiliser, followed by a hand-full of Sulphate of Potash to remind the plants that it's time to think of flowers and setting fruit!    My good mate Mike (Scottish, a builder and handy guy to have as a friend) hadn't done any of his pruning for quite a few years and asked me to help him out restoring the Blackcurrants and Gooseberries.  He had made a pretty “cage” in his garden to stop the birds vandalizing the berries, and it took us about two hours to get the job done.  This is what it looked like, before and after:  Dense Blackcurrants before and after pruning.  Gooseberries lethal and dense, versus Gooseberries taken apart by Mike; lots of air and space.  Sometimes it pays to be ruthless!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most people have probably never heard of “Collembola”, but I reckon they are the most important critter on the planet as their “job” is often simply recycling.  Your garden wouldn't stand a chance without them, and nor does our planet. The circular economy starts with Collembola and ends with “Zero Waste”.  A large number feed on bacteria, fungi, and rotting plant materials; some go for living plants (and can be a pest on some crops). Others devour algae and some even prey on insects.  Collembola are no longer considered to be “insects” although they still belong to the group of “hexapods” (six-legged creatures).  Oh, by the way, the name of this group (Collembola) comes from two features: “Colla” which means glue, and “embolon” which is a “peg”, or a “piston” (referring to a structure on the underside of the body).  At last count there are some 6000 species on our planet, but what do we know? There could be as many as 40,000 taxa!  If you climb a tree in New Zealand, you are like to find them near the top where branches emerge from the main trunk, it's usually full of decaying old plant materials; great habitat for our Collembola!  When examining the contents of your compost bin it quickly becomes clear they are the most numerous invertebrates.  Collembola working on a juicy stalk of rhubarb  You may think they are quite boring in their appearance, and indeed a lot of them are tiny (a few millimetres in size) and just one low-key colour. But some are quite attractive: Holacantella is endemic to New Zealand and is often on dead timber and bark, especially in wet conditions.  And look at that weird body armour – or are they different species?  For some reason our Collembola love living in moist (and warm) environments. But then again, some species are restricted to cooler climates (think Antarctica! Minus 60 degrees is just not too cold for them).  The craziest thing you can see at this time of the year is a rather elegant deep blue species that seems to enjoy a spot of “rafting” or “drifting” in slow-moving water courses. Every year I see them, here on the Port Hills of Canterbury. After all these years I have not been able to identify these species with certainty.  They swim in puddles, and jump around in sheep troughs.   Those pistons (or “pegs”) I described from the word ‘embolon' are literally the tools that make the jumping (and dispersal) possible, even in water.  No wonder that their common name in horticulture, agriculture and garden nomenclature is... SPRING TAILS    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a few weeks of really misty, cold, and awful weather, I needed to get out of bed and find some inspiration for the garden. A “pick-me-up” if you like.  But where to go?  Yep – Hagley Park is always a good place, but so are the garden Centres!  The difference is quite obvious: The Botanical Gardens will show you stuff that was planted many decades ago. It's the picture of the future – a glimpse into your garden the children will enjoy after you've moved on.   How about the “now” – or maybe the next 10 years or so?  Impatient? Perhaps…  So I went to Oderings to have a look for some quick colour, tincture, complexion, some colōris, or, as the Spanish Language so elegantly describes: el color.  Start with the Letter A: Acer Known here as Maple.  Acer senkaki is obviously a Japanese maple. It glows red in Winter (and it's quite pretty as a summer tree too).  You don't have to wait for it – you can buy it right now to cheer you up.  The next Acer is A. griseum (the paper bark maple) a Chinese species that is actually quite rare in nature, but reasonably common in gardens owned by observant gardeners. Don't be fooled by the species name “griseum” (meaning grey) – it refers to the underside of the leaves.  The peeling cinnamon-coloured bark is what gives me hope: hope for a speedy springtime and hope that some young gardeners will see the beauty of back-lit leaves from a low-angled sun.  You want some weird Pink to cheer you up?  Here's an Erica, simply because I kind-of grew up with plants like that in the Netherlands. Heather, Heaths (“de Hei”), and such plants belong to the Ericacea with almost 1000 described species. They're tough and flower colours are often spectacular; great tucker for insects like pollinators.  But the coolest thing is that a good number of these Ericaceae have a habit of flowering in the middle of winter, and that can be brilliant!   And then there are Daphne and Hellebores and the fabulous scent of Osmanthus.  But perhaps it's a good opportunity to highlight some Native winter jewels, like Libertia peregrinans.  Or the range of Corokias (Geenty's Ghost and Frosted Chocolat). These last two make fab hedges!!  We also have weirdly bright Cabbage Trees (Cordyline) and strangely dark Flaxes, small and tall.  No doubt all found as unexpected genetic morphs or cross-bred entities; mind you, I must say that the dark “background” flaxes really fit well in many gardens and the nectar feeding birds are still keen to visit the flowers in late spring.  One native shrub that always bowls me over (when visiting the Catlins) is the relatively slow growing Pseudowintera colorata, also known as Horopito. This shrub is totally unexpectedly beautiful as just about every specimen has a different colour-ratio, live and in nature.  Now that's a shrub worth investing in, especially as you can eat the leaves, not just in Māori dishes, but also in Indonesian delicacies.  It tastes just the way it looks: On fire!  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of weeks ago we talked about feeding birds in your garden. In view of a decent week off, Jack was training his birds to do without food – slowly getting them used to going and finding food elsewhere for the next week or so.  I realised that this requires some scientific back-up with observations from the distant past and very recent past, to see if the Tauhoa are really going to be affected by a week or so of no fodder.  About 18 years ago (I was living in Auckland – before I saw the light) my office was looking out over a trained citrus bush, right outside my window. From time to time flocks of silvereyes would visit in winter to look for scale insects and mealybugs, aphids and other delicacies.  I love this biological control and kept an eye on these birds – always been interested in birds, even more so later in life.  When the flocks kept on returning regularly, in spring I decided to take a look at what they were after and discovered a decent but unwanted population of scale insects that were causing quite a bit of pressure on my lemon (they also attract ants that feed on “honeydew” excreted by scale insects).  Luckily, a good flock of Tauhou descended and started working away at eating scales. Pictures show that this removed more than 50% of the sap-sucking plant pests.  Before helpers. 5 minutes after help arrived!  Not only were those little birds a great indicator of certain damaging garden pests, they were actually part of the Biological Control Squad.  In summer, they kept on coming back to the citrus to decimate the scale population.  In our current garden we feed the Tauhou with those meatballs from the Mad Butcher. I also make lard blocks, presented to them in small, metal cages.  Up to 40 birds at a time of census!!   So… I stopped feeding them for 5 days, just to see what would happen.  They were not impressed at all!! Kept on flying into their tree where the food parcels used to hang. Making lots of noise – “bad mood Bear”.  Other species were also returning to the food cart (sparrows, Green finches, Starlings and chaffinches).  It slowly tapered off to a dozen or fewer than that – but they always flew over the site for a check-up.  And in the end a couple would sit in their food tree for a bit of preening.  I discovered that Silvereyes have a routine of visiting the local feeding stations in people's garden. I reckon they have a circular trajectory from our place to Jan's next door, 50 meters east, then across the road and another one (or two) west, and as far as 200 meters away, before returning to our side of the road via neighbours a few houses down (north-west);   I reckon they usually fly clock-wise.  When I hung up a fresh ball and timed the return, this morning, after 5 days of no food, it took 3 minutes before 19 Tauhou were gorging themselves – this grew to the usual congestion and fights 5 minutes later.  One other little experiment took place this year by banding a good number of silvereyes in our garden in autumn and winter: it was total of 81 individuals (73 newly banded and 8 “recaptures” – older birds).  In the past week I attempted to count feeding flocks of around 30 birds – the average number of banded silvereyes was around 2 and a half (2.5) of those 30.  I know… It's pretty hard to count those fast-moving birds! And you never know if you've missed a banded individual when you quickly count the chaos before you.  If 1/12th of the birds you see are banded, (and you have 81 banded individuals in the population) you can guestimate that there must be 972 birds regularly in your garden flocks – give-or-take.  Almost a thousand of these little blighters passing through your garden on a regular basis… every day in winter!  And I reckon they'll know exactly who's got the food cart in the garden…  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.