Welcome to Spring!  We're in Djilba - the first season of spring in the Noongar calendar, when things are waking up from winter and the bush comes alive with flowers and newborn animals.  It's the time of year where we can have all kinds of weather!  Warm days; then more rain and cold!  Instinctively we know it's time get busy in the garden and "help" nature in our backyards...  not that nature really needs helping - but I guess when we're talking highly ornamental or food gardens, we do need to work with nature to get her to bend a little to our will, in order to achieve the outcomes we're aiming for!

It's a busy time of year - from now on things seem to speed up heading to Christmas.  Eek!  Things at Green Life are gearing up for a busy season; so come on in and let us help you with your garden plans.

The Kalamunda Garden Festival was held on Sunday, 1st September (and Happy Fathers' Day by the way, to all the Dads & father figures out there!) - it was a great day, although I was feeling somewhat under the weather with a cold - but we got through it (photographic evidence below)!  The speakers are always amazing - so many varied topics, and so much fantastic knowledge shared.  The next Festival is on the first Sunday in December - so mark your calendars now & we'll see you there!

A number of the talks at the Festival revolved around 'Firewise Gardening' - particularly important for people that live in the hills, but areas of Perth with bushland nearby also need to consider the potential risks over our summers.  It's important to retain our valuable trees, but plan gardens and manage them to minimise the risks.  DFES have produced a very informative and useful book "Firewise Gardening in Western Australia" - and we were given a box of books to give away to customers.  So come on into store and pick up your free copy, and use Spring to get prepared.

September is National Biodiversity Month - there are a number of workshops & special events during the school holidays that revolve around environmental education, activities and biodiversity topics.  The Kings Park Festival is on, Araluen Tulips are on display & other activities are organised around Perth.  Have a look online for an event near you - click here to start your research!

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

It's the King's Birthday Public Holiday Monday, September 23rd. 
Green Life Soil Co WILL BE CLOSED on the Monday. 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to make the decision to close on the public holiday. We apologise for any inconveniences this might cause.

so get your garden projects planned ahead! If you're looking for a bulk delivery, it would be wise to book ahead for the week before the long weekend to make sure you don't miss out.

Organic Seedlings

I know a lot of our customers were sad to hear that Wild Gaia were no longer doing organic seedlings.  While we've stocked conventionally grown seedlings since, we're pleased to say that Leesa from The Greenhouse Organic is going to start supplying seedlings again soon - we'll have more details to follow; keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram for the announcement once we know when stock will be available.

We hope you enjoy this newsletter & remember we're always open to your suggestions and feedback regarding topics we cover.

Until next time - we hope to see you soon...

Linda & The Team @ The Green Life Soil Co

In this newsletter:

Jobs to do in the September Garden

• Feed your soil! (this in turn feeds your plants!) NOW is the time to fertilise your fruit trees; they'll be waking up from winter dormancy (deciduous trees) and putting on their spring flush (deciduous and evergreen trees). Compost, aged manure, a balanced slow release, rock dust - or our general concentrate (which contains a whole range of goodies); feed up your plants NOW.  See our fact sheet on Soil Fertility here.
• Prepare your soil. Now's the time to replenish garden beds with compost, aged manure - or our vegetable concentrate (which has everything you need already in it!). Dig it through, and leave for a couple of weeks ideally before planting out your spring seedlings. In a hurry? You can plant out straight away, providing the materials are well aged.
• Start off your spring/summer vegie seeds. NOW is the time to start off a huge range of summer crops. We have a great range of non-hybrid & organically grown seed available (arguably the biggest range in Perth!) with more stock coming in all the time - so come in and have a browse!  (Due to ever-changing stock levels, we can't keep a full list online of what's available - but you're welcome to call up, we can run through your wish-list and pick, and we can arrange postage.)  Download our free when to sow guide for Perth here!
• Check your citrus trees for the Citrus Gall Wasp.  As the weather warms up, adults will be emerging from the galls, ready to mate and lay eggs for the next breeding cycle.  Cut off any galls you see, and make sure you solarise them, bag & freeze, shred/mulch them finely, or burn them.  Composting or simply chucking in the bin won't kill them.  If tiny holes are visible in the galls, you're already too late - they've emerged.  Now and through early summer is the time to spray the tree with Clay Spray barrier (see below for our VIP special this month!).  We also now have in stock 'Tree Guard' - a horticultural glue.  The Ag Department is suggesting thickly smearing existing galls with this before the adults emerge can break the cycle.  It's something I'm going to be trialing myself.
• Feed & prune your passionfruit vine. September is about the time to do this - if possible, time it between harvesting any winter crops & before your vine is in full flower again in Spring. Cut back by up to a third, feed and mulch heavily. Passionfruit are hungry plants - so don't be stingy!
• Repot your indoor plants. If you haven't done so already, repot and tidy up your indoor & patio plants. They'll respond to the TLC and the warmer weather with healthy new growth. Try our Indoor Potting Mix - formulated with additional biochar and DE to assist with odor and fungus gnat prevention.
• Weeds. Yep - not glamorous but this is the time of year you can't turn your back on weeds. If you can't get time to pull them, make sure you slash them before they set seed. Obviously they'll try to send out more flowers (seed heads in the making); but every successive whippersnip will take vitality from the plant and you'll end up with less seed to spread, for sure. We also carry Slasher weed killer (certified organic alternative to glyphosate).
• Brassicas are coming to an end now; if your broccoli are still sending up side shoots for harvest and are not yet spent, keep feeding them every 1-2 weeks with a light liquid feed to help them keep on producing. Have you had great results from one plant? Leave it to set seed (assuming it's non hybrid, and not too close to other flowering brassicas because they do cross pollinate and can hybridise) & save some for next year. As the weather warms up, be on the look out for increased pests. We do carry insect netting which can help.
• Plant flowers. Besides giving your spring/summer garden some colour, you'll be bringing in the pollinators and assisting with biodiversity in your backyard. Edible flowers (click here for our free fact sheet) make a lovely addition to summer salads or to freeze into ice blocks for your cooling summer beverage of choice!
• Love your lawn!  Here's tips from lawn expert Nick Bell on what you should be doing now to get your lawn into tip-top shape prior to summer:  "Progressively lower height of grass to 8-12mm depending on variety by close mowing. First cut remove 1/3 of the grass, then remove another 1/3 and finally remove a further 1/3 double cutting up and down the same swathe. Then comb through the lawn without touching soil with a Mowmaster grooming reel, and remove clippings and all debris. Evenly spread 10Kg Neutrog Blade Runner organic lawn fertiliser per 100m2 (* = 10/100 x .02 = 2g Nm2). Restore smooth firm even surface by top dressing a 5mm depth of Green Life Soil's Lawn-Topdress."

What to Plant NOW

It's SPRING - so there are soooooo many things that you can plant at the moment!  The trick is always timing - the weather will still be unpredictable for a while, with some rainy days & cool nights still in the mix...  If you're growing from seed, remember temperature of the SOIL is key - so it is still quite early to be planting out many summer crops.  If you're wanting to grow from seed, I'd recommend planting out in trays or punnets at the moment - so you can move them around and molly-coddle them.  Start off a few seeds every couple of weeks (rather than planting out a whole packet at once!) - that way you hedge your bets and will jag the right time eventually.

Here's some ideas as to what you can plant now (remember to see our FREE downloadable guides on our website - click here!)

Asparagus, Artichokes Jerusalem and Globe, Asian greens, Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli*, Capsicum, Chilli, Carrots, Celery, Chives, Corn, Cucumber, Dill, Eggplant, Fennel, Kale*, Lettuce, Onion, Parsnip, Peas, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rhubarb, Rocket, Silverbeet, Snow pea, Spring onion, Strawberries, Sweet corn, Tomato, Turnip, Zucchini. (Check out our extensive info on growing various vegies and herbs in Perth here.)

* Brassicas will grow in Perth into Spring/Summer, provided conditions are suitable. Be aware increased pest pressure over the warmer months is likely; are you prepared to net your vegies or deal with cabbage butterflies, for example?  If you can't cope with the pests, it's better to plant in season vegies that will withstand the conditions.

Start spring seeds off in a good quality seed raising mix (like our Certified Organic one!). It's fine to re-use recycled pots and punnets. Ideally, soak them in warm water with a dash of household bleach, give them a good scrub to remove any dirt, and allow them to dry in the sun. Keep your sown seeds in a warm spot, making sure the soil's surface doesn't dry out completely.  Top tip - use a fine layer of vermiculite sprinkled over your seeds to help keep them moist.

We've got a free fact sheet on growing from seed - so check it out for more tips & tricks for success. Like it? Please share it!

We've still got Ever-Red Rhubarb crowns available and Mary Washington Asparagus crowns too - they're selling quickly, and starting to sprout.  They're dying to get into your garden (well, not 'dying' as in turning up their toes!) - so come on in and pick some up soon.  Ever Red is a true red stemmed variety of rhubarb - which people prefer because it looks so pretty!  It looks (and taste) amazing.  Not sure where to put one?  Rhubarb do well in a large pot or planter bag - and the advantage of this is you can move them with the seasons.  Rhubarb don't like our harsh summers so do need shade; while in our winter they do just fine in full sun.

Here's our growing tips on Asparagus & Rhubarb (click on the link to take you to the fact sheet).

Growing Luffa

Most of us have seen Luffa in the shops (also known as loofah Luffa aegyptiaca) - we're familiar with using them in the shower or bathtub, but did you know you can easily grow them at home? Some people think they're a type of sea sponge, but they're actually a type of plant - in the same family as cucumbers and zucchini.  

They can be grown easily from seed.  They can be carefully transplanted, or (ideally) direct seeded into the garden.   They're vigorous climbing vines, so do need a trellis. Because they're a seasonal vine, they're a good option to grow up a pergola or somewhere they can provide a bit of summer shade for you or another part of your garden.  Like other vegetable crops, they'll do well planted into improved soil to get them off to a great start.  Our vegetable mix (or vegie concentrate added to your existing garden bed) is ideal. 

The vine will produce bright yellow flowers in 2-3 months, and if pollinated, will grow cucumber-like fruit.  While it's small, it is edible - either raw or cooked.  Be aware that the plants can contain a high amount of cucurbitacin - a natural compound used by the plant to deter predators.  It can cause food poisoning in humans - so if the young fruit taste bitter, then DON'T eat them!  However, as the fruit grows, it will create a very fibrous internal structure - making them inedible!  But this is the part of the plant that is used.  Personally, I would grow things like zucchini and squash for edible crops - leave your luffa as an ornamental.

Allow the fruit to grow to full maturity and turn yellow - a process that may take another 2 months.  As they age, they will dehydrate and feel lighter, and as you shake them, you'll hear the seeds come loose.  Give them a light tap to help with this.  As they age the skin will crack.  Carefully cut or break at the blossom end to release the seeds (you can keep them to plant again next year!) and peel back the hard, papery skin. If any bits are too stubborn - soak them in water for a while to soften the skin.  Once peeled, use a bread knife to cut into sections (depending on how you're going to use the luffa!), removing any stuck seeds & dried flesh.  Give them a rinse out, allow to dry and you're good to go!

Luffa can be used in the bath or shower, use them for scrubbing dishes, cleaning the bathroom - anything!  And the best part?  When they're done with, they're completely compostable.

Luffa Growing Contest!

Lesley, one of the Green Life team, successfully grew Luffa last year and has saved a heap of seeds - so much so that she has some to give away, and thought it would be fun to run a competition over Spring/Summer to see who can grow luffa - and record the journey!  If you've got kids, bring them in (or collect on their behalf) some luffa seeds when you come in to store over the school holidays - FREE luffa seeds will be available (while stocks last) for the school holidays (21st Sept - 6th October).  So get them planting - we'll be running a competition this summer to see who can grow the biggest luffa, or the weirdest luffa - for a bit of fun!  Encourage the kids to get out there, take photos or do drawings of their plants and we'll publish some in our newsletters.  We'll have some gardening prizes for them along the way.

Compost Activators - Do I need one??

Has your compost slowed down over the cooler months?  Are you anxious to get it 'finished' and out to use in your Spring garden?  

Making compost is a very practical way to get rid of green waste and kitchen scraps, while making a valuable additive to use in your garden. We have a fact sheet on making compost here - if you'd like to read more.  Compost making is jokingly referred to as a "dark art" - because there seems to be a bit of magic (or is it sheer luck?) involved with the process at times.  The trick to making good compost involves the volume you can make at a time (a hot compost needs to be at least 1m3 in volume), and getting the carbon/nitrogen ratio right, and keeping the moisture levels right.  These things can be tricky because there's never two compost piles the same - the waste materials will vary with the seasons, and the temperature will affect the moisture content - so if you're wanting to hot compost, it can be a little time consuming.

The alternative is 'cold composting' - which simply means leaving the compost for long enough - sometimes a year or so - before it has naturally decomposed to a level that the original ingredients are no longer recogniseable and you have lovely, dark and rich looking matter to use.  The typical 'dalek' type bins - pictured here - are used for cold composting, due to the volume they can contain.  It's a good idea to have at least two to cycle between to allow contents to mature undisturbed.

You may have seen 'compost activators' on the market, and wondered whether they'd be useful.  It seems the answer is yes.  And no.  From what I can research, many compost activators will include additional nitrogen which may be helpful to boost composting bacteria numbers.  But if you already have a high amount of nitrogen rich sources in the pile; adding extra won't be much help.  Should you feel your nitrogen may be lacking, adding a few handfuls of blood and bone, a shovel or two of animal manure, green grass clippings and human urine can be helpful.  (Side note - at one of it's large UK National Trust properties, a long 'pee bale' bank of straw is used by male employees to wee on - this straw is then added to their compost which is utilised over 400 acres of gardens.)

Cooking oil has been found to speed up the hot composting process too - and reportedly, the compost retains about 20% more nitrogen than piles made without the added oil, and reaches higher temperatures while composting.  However, adding oil to cold compost piles is of no benefit.

The other type of activators contain microbes - and the jury seems to be out on the effectiveness of these.  Again, it depends on the microbial mix, and what ingredients you already have in your pile - because most of them will already be teeming with some kind of bacteria or another.  It does seem a fair assumption that adding microbes to your compost would increase the numbers and varieties of microbes you'd be putting out in your garden in the finished compost.

One of the BEST activators to add microbes (and possibly worm eggs?) to a new compost pile is a good shovel full (or two) of mature compost. We can also see benefit in adding small amounts of rock dust to provide trace elements (which require microbial activity to make them plant available - so putting it through your compost speeds up this process). Adding small volumes of Cassies Clay (kaolin clay) will also help the compost last longer, holding nutrients in the soil. Biochar (Charlie Charcoal) can be helpful for this reason too, and for helping with odour control - if that's an issue for you. There are studies that claim biochar works as an accelerator too - its porous structure allows better airflow, and aids microbial activity. One study claimed that adding 3% biochar speeded up composting by 20%. Additionally, by soaking (or 'pre-charging') your biochar with a liquid fertiliser or microbial mix - you can get these elements into the compost pile as you go.

So in conclusion, adding activators isn't going to hurt, but isn't essential.  If your compost is lacking nitrogen then adding extra will definitely speed up the decomposition of the waste.

Let us know your experience - have you used a compost activator and noticed the benefit?  Any great composting tips to share with Green Lifers?  We'd love to hear them!

Photo Competition

Thanks to EVERYONE who sent in photos in the past few weeks - I'm pleased to say we received quite a few.  Remember to keep them coming - we draw a winner at random every month and there's a good chance you'll be a winner if you're sending in photos regularly.

This month, congratulations go to Amanda F.  who has won a $50 store credit to spend with us.  This is what she had to say:-

My garden is in South Lake and I grew my radishes with help from Ben the French backpacker. He mixed my compost into three grow beds with the dried off radishes that went to seed. The winter rain and good nutrients from the compost made them sprout and grow very happily. Unfortunately Ben left Australia before he could share the feast! I roasted the radishes with garlic and sage I also grew. Served with silver perch from my aquaponics system!

Cheers, Amanda 

Amanda's photo of her "messy radishes" represents a decent harvest.  While personally, I prefer to pick my radishes small (because I like them sweeter!) did you know that radishes - and even larger ones you might have discovered hiding in the corner of your garden - can be cooked?  They are in the same family as turnips, so can be boiled, grilled, and cooked almost anyway you can think of! Lesley here at Green Life likes to roast hers and add some garlic and butter.  You can pickle radish, grate them and use in sauerkraut - and even the green tops are edible!  The spicy part of the radish is the skin - so if you prefer them milder, peel before eating or cooking.

One of the best things about radish is the speed they grow!  They're great to plant with kids because you'll see them germinate within days, and be harvesting within a few weeks.  This makes them a great crop to grow in between slower growing vegetables too.  So next time you're in, grab a packet of radish seeds and try growing some.  Whether you pick them before they reach the size of a golf ball or whether you allow them to grow larger (and there are some very HUGE growing varieties out there!) - it's up to you.  It sounds like Amanda had a very delicious meal indeed - full of self sown & home grown goodness.  Does it get much better than that?!

VIP Special Offer

September is around the time that adult Citrus Gall Wasps will emerge from galls, ready to mate and begin the cycle again.  If you're interested in trialing Clay Spray as a preventative, we have a special offer for our VIP's this month.

We sell Clay Spray in a small 200gm pack, a 500gm pack and also a 2.5kg tub for those of you with a number of citrus trees.

This month's special is a 500gm pack (normally selling at $9.95) for $7.50.  

Clay Spray should be applied from now through to about December; because it will wash off with rain, when the coverage seems to be compromised, repeat spray.  You may need to apply every couple of weeks, depending on the weather.

The spray dries to form a coating on the branches, making them less attractive for the females to lay eggs inside the bark.  The clay will clog up the ovipositor of any insect, and will also help to deter chewing insects (eg. grasshoppers) for the same reason, and also sap sucking insects like scale or stink bugs.  Clay Spray is something that may help reduce the number of galls that form, meaning you'll have to butcher your trees a whole lot less next year.

So come on in - offer is valid up until close of business, Monday 30th September, while stocks last.

Online customers - you must log into the VIP section of the website in order to see and obtain the special pricing.

For more information on Citrus Gall Wasp - click here to go to the Ag Department's website.

Retailer Update

Please support your local independent retailer who supports us! The specialist retailers listed here will be happy to give you gardening advice and help you with our products - please call to check what lines they carry as they can't stock all of our products (but may be willing to get stock in for a custom order - if you ask nicely!). Some of these fabulous retailers also offer a home delivery service (marked with *) - so why not go local?  (Please contact the store directly for details.)  Pictured is Guildford Town Garden Centre's recent delivery of bare root trees - go see what they've got!

Bar Botanik - North Perth 9227 6758 (Indoor Potting Mix & Aroid Mix only)
Daisy Field Organics - Fremantle 0450 793 720
Garden Elegance - Subiaco 9381 2197
Guildford Town Garden Centre* - Guildford 9279 8645
Harbour Plants*- South Fremantle 0439 967 034 (Pictured)
Hydroponics Guru (Living Soil only) - Wangara 0430527575
Kambarang Garden Centre* - Bentley 9458 5944
Lighthouse Fruit Tree Nursery - Parkwood 0411 166 034
Miaflora - Inglewood 9343 6334
Newstead Outdoors* - Greenwood 9334 6334
Nibali Stockfeed* - Hamilton Hill 9433 2211
Richo's 4 Hydro - Joondalup 9301 4462
Stanbee Stockfeeds* - Barragup 9581 2390 
Supreme Plants - West Swan 0499 887 275 
Swan Valley Station - Swan Valley 0427 371 001
Tass1 Trees - Middle Swan 0419 988 344
Urban Revolution* - Victoria Park 6102 1068
Utopia Nursery - Bullsbrook 0455 659 622
Waldecks Kingsley* - 9309 5088
Waldecks Melville* - 6317 0939
Waldecks Stirling* - 9254 6730
Zanthorrea Nursery - Maida Vale 9454 6260

All Things Stock (Muchea) 0480 740 638  |
Ardess Nursery (Albany) 9842 9952
Australind Landscaping Supplies 9796 1720
Boyup Brook Co-op (Boyup Brook) 9765 1001
Extracts Landscaping Supplies (Toodyay) 0417 202 718
Great Northern Rural Services (Geraldton) 9964 1274
Handy Hands Nursery (Karratha) 9413 1801
Hillview Garden Centre (Bridgetown) 9761 1672
Margaret River - Nutrient Ag Solutions 9758 7677 (Premium Potting Mix & Compost)
Mitre 10 Margaret River 9757 2455 (Square Foot Mix & Veg Concentrate)
Naturaliste Landscape Supplies (Busselton) 9754 8081
Soils Ain't Soils (Busselton & Dunsborough) 9751 5322 

THANK YOU for being part of our Green Life family!  We hope to see you in store soon.  Check out our newsletter next month & stay up to date with our Facebook and Instagram pages for announcements, stock arrivals and general good gardening vibes!