Yours Australia — Issue 97 2017

Do you have a gardening question? Charlie can’t wait to answer it!

4 Can you please tell me how to

permanently get rid of winter

grass? Carolyn, Wyee, NSW

Winter grass is a massive pain! You

need to invest a little time in winter

digging up these tufts of grass,

removing roots and all, before they

go to seed and spread. Manual

removal is the best option as it’s

the most effective and guarantees

Ask CHARLIE

4 Hi Charlie. I live in South Australia and have a sad fig tree. It looks healthy

with lots of green leaves and fruit; only problem is the fruit grows to about

6cm and no more. When the leaves fall off, so does the fruit. What can I do?

I don’t want to remove the tree as it’s about three metres tall – and my

chooks and ducks love sheltering under it. Thanks for all of your fabulous

s and advice. Marlene, via email

gs drop their fruit when they’re small for

ew reasons. It may be water stress, so

sure you keep them well watered when they

art to flower. The next thing to check for

a nematode infestation in the root system.

though unlikely, this can be treated with

good watering and mulching (it won’t get

d of the worms but it should make the fruit

mature to a larger size). The issue might also

e pollination issue – if the flowers are not

ollinated properly they have no reason to

get bigger, so just drop off the plant. Try to ID

your variety and find out if it

needs a partner or if yo

need to entice more

nsects into the garden

Do you have a gardening issue or question for

Charlie? Email us at [email protected]

ut if it

ou

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steady dripping

rainfall effect.

4

The ergonomics

of the handle

also need to be

considered as you’ll

be reaching and

tipping it a lot,

so make sure the

handle is flexible

with multiple

gripping areas. My

favourite watering

can is a Burgon

& Ball one which

features the handle

curves all the way

around from top to

bottom for real ease

of use.

these problems crop up:

AIron and magnesium

deficiencies show up as yellowing

leaves, either as a noticeable “V”

at the base or in a yellow veining

throughout. If you get these and

you’re fertilising, check your pH

as the nutrients may be there but

aren’t able to be taken up by the

plants. If you have these problems

and don’t fertilise, slow-release

fertilise for long-term effects,

using liquid for an immediate

short-term result.

B Citrus gall wasp buries into the

stems, causing unsightly growths

that blight the plant. Remove

the affected stems and bag the

cuttings, sending them off into

the rubbish bin, not the compost.

C Citrus leaf miner is often seen

as a white trail on

the foliage and

this is actually

a moth grub

eating the inside

of the leaf. Small

infestations can

be controlled by

removing the

affected leaves;

bigger problems

can be treated

with traps and by

spraying eco-oil to

stop egg laying.

enwiththebestofcare,

The issues...

tip

Fig

afe

en

sta

is

Al

ag

ri

m b p g y n n i

Unhealthy trees

drop small fruit

Give a fig

Get tough on tufts

A

B

C

you break the lifecycle of the plant.