In the garden again of green lawns

[happypalms]

I look at the photos of the green gardens and lush green lawns on palm talk and dream of such colour well I have the opposite brown manicured lawn instead thanks to the drought iam connecting irrigation daily just to help my garden it’s just to much to hand water 💦 

[Tyrone]

It sure looks dry there. At least no weeding. 
 

I flew through Sydney on Saturday back to Perth and it looked dry with spot fires all around. It was dry through the interior of nsw and into SA. It’s going to be a big long summer I reckon. My place has already seen a 34.7C day and it’s October. You sometimes have to wait for January for those sort of temps here. 
 

My place is starting to dry out which is good as it was too wet. Gotta get my irrigation repaired and fully into gear. I’ve got to sort out all the outlets and piping. The ground is still moist so the weeds have gone berserk. The grass remains green all year though without any irrigation. It slows down a bit in a dry summer which is great as it needs much less mowing. 

[KrisKupsch]

this current dry is culling the weakest of my Archontophoenix cunninghamiana that are in the gully below the house.

a gully usually wet. Strangely it's the local native Bangalow Palms that are snuffing it first. 

todays 34C in the shade with strong dry inland NW winds are just what things like Marojejya don't want. my smallest one has just gone funny today, others are fine with constant hose under them.

I think anywhere in Australia (except a couple of small places) if you want to grow weird tropical rainforest palms...you need irrigation otherwise you are mucking around.  

Edited October 16, 2023 by KrisKupsch

[WaianaeCrider]

Over the past 11 years I've averaged about 25" of rain a year.  NO LAWNS here.  That's just a waste of water that could be used growing palms.  LOL 

[happypalms]

57 minutes ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Over the past 11 years I've averaged about 25" of rain a year.  NO LAWNS here.  That's just a waste of water that could be used growing palms.  LOL 

 

57 minutes ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Over the past 11 years I've averaged about 25" of rain a year.  NO LAWNS here.  That's just a waste of water that could be used growing palms.  LOL 

Can’t stand lawns as soon as we are born we are committed to mowing lawns it’s the first thing that comes back after a drought look at the suburbs all mowing lawns and blower vacs on a Sunday that’s not my cup of tea give ‘em a hose and a palm but then they will plant a golden cane and pick up leaves every Sunday instead 

[happypalms]

On 10/16/2023 at 5:02 PM, KrisKupsch said:

this current dry is culling the weakest of my Archontophoenix cunninghamiana that are in the gully below the house.

a gully usually wet. Strangely it's the local native Bangalow Palms that are snuffing it first. 

todays 34C in the shade with strong dry inland NW winds are just what things like Marojejya don't want. my smallest one has just gone funny today, others are fine with constant hose under them.

I think anywhere in Australia (except a couple of small places) if you want to grow weird tropical rainforest palms...you need irrigation otherwise you are mucking around.  

Your not wrong about needing irrigation it’s just so unbearable watching rare palms die irrigation is the way of future gardening in such a climate if we want to grow all the new palm varieties available now bad news about your marojejya 

[Tyrone]

The last two days have been in the low to mid thirties. That’s extreme heat for a place on the southern ocean 35S in mid October. Last year we had the fire going constantly in October. It’s cooled down a bit now with westerlies high humidity and cloud cover, but no real rain is forecast for about 8 days which is extraordinary. 
 

I used to do landscaping in Perth and you wouldn’t dream of installing a garden without irrigation up there. You would have no garden without it. Even weeds struggle to live in mid summer up there. It’s not as critical down here, but even still if you want a good garden you need irrigation. 
 

When I came down to the south coast, the first thing I did was install around 200m of 50mm rural pipe to become my mainline, then branched off with manual valves to smaller pipe to each area. I then use 4mm line to each plant and use spectrum sprayers and pot jets at the base of each plant. You need to do a maintenance run over the whole system at the start of the growing season, but it works a treat. It’s not that hard to do and it can keep your palms thriving through the dry. 

[happypalms]

On 10/17/2023 at 11:31 PM, Tyrone said:

The last two days have been in the low to mid thirties. That’s extreme heat for a place on the southern ocean 35S in mid October. Last year we had the fire going constantly in October. It’s cooled down a bit now with westerlies high humidity and cloud cover, but no real rain is forecast for about 8 days which is extraordinary. 
 

I used to do landscaping in Perth and you wouldn’t dream of installing a garden without irrigation up there. You would have no garden without it. Even weeds struggle to live in mid summer up there. It’s not as critical down here, but even still if you want a good garden you need irrigation. 
 

When I came down to the south coast, the first thing I did was install around 200m of 50mm rural pipe to become my mainline, then branched off with manual valves to smaller pipe to each area. I then use 4mm line to each plant and use spectrum sprayers and pot jets at the base of each plant. You need to do a maintenance run over the whole system at the start of the growing season, but it works a treat. It’s not that hard to do and it can keep your palms thriving through the dry. 

Yes it easy to install irrigation I run one inch main line down to 19mm with riser sprinklers I have a bore that I transfer water to then gravity feed to a pump without irrigation my garden would simply not look as good it’s a must have next step is to install a dosatron system for fertiliser mainly fish emulsion and seaweed extract but I also have a job doing irrigation running up too 5 different systems all with computer control ph fertiliser injection ec measurements all on a computer program with solenoid valves so pretty spoilt for choice I have up to 25 taps in my garden doing a wonderful job of irrigating plus my best mate owns a pump irrigation shop which certainly helps but irrigation is the way of future for farming and gardening it is so much more efficient for growth irrigation is great on hot day but when it goes wrong on a hot day it’s called irritation the only days you get to relax with a irrigation job is when it rains 

[happypalms]

6 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Yes it easy to install irrigation I run one inch main line down to 19mm with riser sprinklers I have a bore that I transfer water to then gravity feed to a pump without irrigation my garden would simply not look as good it’s a must have next step is to install a dosatron system for fertiliser mainly fish emulsion and seaweed extract but I also have a job doing irrigation running up too 5 different systems all with computer control ph fertiliser injection ec measurements all on a computer program with solenoid valves so pretty spoilt for choice I have up to 25 taps in my garden doing a wonderful job of irrigating plus my best mate owns a pump irrigation shop which certainly helps but irrigation is the way of future for farming and gardening it is so much more efficient for growth irrigation is great on hot day but when it goes wrong on a hot day it’s called irritation the only days you get to relax with a irrigation job is when it rains 

We haven’t had any decent rain for up 4 months most water tanks are empty with just about every property that has a house on it most dams are that are being used for irrigation are getting very low and we are not even in summer yet one long hot dry  summer coming up delivered water is up to a three week wait plus about $200 iam one of the lucky people to have a bore plus a bushfire season around the corner am i worried not really what can you do a rain dance on the roof I would if it helped 

[Tyrone]

My system is run by a bore that pulls water through mostly clay at around 10l/min into a settlement tank that holds just over 23000L. I then pump it from the tank by a 300l/min pump into my 50mm main line. My soil profile is basicaly quartz rich clay down to around 13m where it hits solid granite. The water is rich in iron and magnesium so the settlement tank helps a lot with that. I’m not as high tech as you with the dosatron but it would be cool to add one. I’d be lost without my irrigation system. I have no mains water to my property, but I have a huge amount of underground water. 

[happypalms]

21 hours ago, Tyrone said:

My system is run by a bore that pulls water through mostly clay at around 10l/min into a settlement tank that holds just over 23000L. I then pump it from the tank by a 300l/min pump into my 50mm main line. My soil profile is basicaly quartz rich clay down to around 13m where it hits solid granite. The water is rich in iron and magnesium so the settlement tank helps a lot with that. I’m not as high tech as you with the dosatron but it would be cool to add one. I’d be lost without my irrigation system. I have no mains water to my property, but I have a huge amount of underground water. 

Yep without bore water you can’t rely on dams on small properties in certain areas try installing a filter it helps with the iron sediment 

[Tyrone]

On 10/20/2023 at 6:29 PM, happypalms said:

Yep without bore water you can’t rely on dams on small properties in certain areas try installing a filter it helps with the iron sediment 

One day I will climb into the tank and clean the sediment out. It’s rich with iron and manganese, much like the red soils in southern New Caledonia. I’m planning to use the material as a top dress around my New Caledonian palms which grow on that red  ultramafic soil. Maybe use it in the mix for any New Caledonian seedlings as well. 

[happypalms]

10 hours ago, Tyrone said:

One day I will climb into the tank and clean the sediment out. It’s rich with iron and manganese, much like the red soils in southern New Caledonia. I’m planning to use the material as a top dress around my New Caledonian palms which grow on that red  ultramafic soil. Maybe use it in the mix for any New Caledonian seedlings as well. 

Be careful of the gases in the tank I get a heap of iron in tank if you airate your water the iron  dissipates 

[peachy]

I survived the 5 year drought when I first moved to Qld. I had to put a bore down and was endlessly mucking with pumps and tanks and valves.  I swore I would never live anywhere without town water again. It was a nightmare. My lawn is lovely and green, it gets the overspray from the sprinkler on the garden but I have to give the verge a bit of a squirt by hand now and then. The last garden was all plants and no lawn and it just seemed to be missing that special look. Not much lawn out the back as yet and the front one is only the size of a table cloth but it is enough to compliment the garden beds. No rain here for many weeks and I am terrified of water restrictions coming back. This new house is on a main road, so no sneaky 2 am watering sessions this time, too many stickybeaks with insomnia driving around.

Peachy

[happypalms]

8 hours ago, peachy said:

I survived the 5 year drought when I first moved to Qld. I had to put a bore down and was endlessly mucking with pumps and tanks and valves.  I swore I would never live anywhere without town water again. It was a nightmare. My lawn is lovely and green, it gets the overspray from the sprinkler on the garden but I have to give the verge a bit of a squirt by hand now and then. The last garden was all plants and no lawn and it just seemed to be missing that special look. Not much lawn out the back as yet and the front one is only the size of a table cloth but it is enough to compliment the garden beds. No rain here for many weeks and I am terrified of water restrictions coming back. This new house is on a main road, so no sneaky 2 am watering sessions this time, too many stickybeaks with insomnia driving around.

Peachy

I can relate to your situation with water and pumps irritating irritation not irrigation I dream of a green lawn would trade a dozen mature kerriodoxas for a lush Hawaii green lawn but it is what it is for now no lawn go for garden instead and as for living in suburbia they would ban me from town to many people looking all the time give the privacy of a bush block  with no water fun police looking at me 

[Tyrone]

My lawn stays green all year round and I never water it. The advantages of living on a swamp. 

[happypalms]

7 hours ago, Tyrone said:

My lawn stays green all year round and I never water it. The advantages of living on a swamp. 

plant it with 1000 Johannesteijsmannia no regrets there in doing that 

[Tyrone]

I wish joeys would grow here. 

[peachy]

I would like to put down fake lawn if I could ever find some that looks realistic, like some of them in the USA.  No mowing, weeding or water needed.

Potentially plastic Peachy

[happypalms]

2 hours ago, peachy said:

I would like to put down fake lawn if I could ever find some that looks realistic, like some of them in the USA.  No mowing, weeding or water needed.

Potentially plastic Peachy

Peachy now you know plastic is bad for our environment but then again it has its place just not in landfill if it was feasible for me i would have a artificial lawn I have been on my property for 20 plus years and still no lawn it just won’t grow I have tried everything obviously not artificial grass yetbut  I have saved a fortune on mower blades plus lots of free Sundays to plant more palms 

[happypalms]

On 10/24/2023 at 9:16 AM, Tyrone said:

I wish joeys would grow here. 

You might get away with joeys they are in Sydney botanical gardens they are quite cold tolerant not frost but don’t be afraid of giving one a go they need warm feet in winter and lots of water in summer 

[Tyrone]

7 hours ago, happypalms said:

You might get away with joeys they are in Sydney botanical gardens they are quite cold tolerant not frost but don’t be afraid of giving one a go they need warm feet in winter and lots of water in summer 

Have they got Joeys in the outside gardens there? 

[happypalms]

9 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Have they got Joeys in the outside gardens there? 

They most certainly have behind the gift shop growing well the ones I have in the ground on my property get temperatures down to 2 degrees Celsius plus in my area they get down to minus 2 plus we do get the rare black frost that has killed the sugar cane near Grafton plant em if you can get em I have them for sale but import to WA a bit tricky 

[Tyrone]

2 hours ago, happypalms said:

They most certainly have behind the gift shop growing well the ones I have in the ground on my property get temperatures down to 2 degrees Celsius plus in my area they get down to minus 2 plus we do get the rare black frost that has killed the sugar cane near Grafton plant em if you can get em I have them for sale but import to WA a bit tricky 

That’s very interesting. Are they J altifrons? Sydney BG is in a very favourable microclimate for tropicals being right on the harbour which is really just a stones throw from the Tasman sea. Compared to my location, Sydney and coastal NSW is shielded from the worst of the winter cold fronts by the Great Dividing Range. Here on the south coast of WA there is nothing to shield us from the worst of the cold fronts that just slam us at full throttle. A big entire leaf species like a Joey which comes from deep sheltered humid dark valleys in Malaysia would be snapped in half at my place even in summer. There’s always a wind blowing from some direction here, sometimes multiple directions in a short period of time. If I had a decent sized hothouse I’d definitely try a couple though. I had a couple in my hothouse in Perth. 
 

just to get a grasp on your climate, are coconuts possible in Halfway Creek?

[happypalms]

55 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

That’s very interesting. Are they J altifrons? Sydney BG is in a very favourable microclimate for tropicals being right on the harbour which is really just a stones throw from the Tasman sea. Compared to my location, Sydney and coastal NSW is shielded from the worst of the winter cold fronts by the Great Dividing Range. Here on the south coast of WA there is nothing to shield us from the worst of the cold fronts that just slam us at full throttle. A big entire leaf species like a Joey which comes from deep sheltered humid dark valleys in Malaysia would be snapped in half at my place even in summer. There’s always a wind blowing from some direction here, sometimes multiple directions in a short period of time. If I had a decent sized hothouse I’d definitely try a couple though. I had a couple in my hothouse in Perth. 
 

just to get a grasp on your climate, are coconuts possible in Halfway Creek?

Hot dry wind and cold wet wind destroy tropical palms the only option is to creat a microclimate with artificial heating and water wind shelters and irrigation help create such an environment along with a hothouse the limits are endless and no coconuts won’t grow in my garden but as the crow flys they can ten kilometres away Iam only 15 minutes away from the beach we do get coconuts washing up on the beach and there growing on the coast here 

[peachy]

Malay dwarf coconuts grow okay around here and it can be filthy hot and down in the minuses cold.  I haven't tried an ordinary coconut as they want a fortune for them and I have never been lucky enough to find any on the beach (not that there are any beaches less than an hour away).

Peachy.