Horse Manure
I saw a post asking for horse manure and would like to show what can happen if you are not careful .
This is in no way saying all or any other manure is affected.
About 3 years ago I obtained some and used it in various sections of the garden. All the plants where it was used became twisted and distorted. It was identified as the result of a spray used to kill weeds , including clover.
My tomato and boysenberry plants, plus Magnolia which is still twisted, all suffered. I took all the tomatoes etc out but left the Boysenberry plants hoping they would grow out. They did not and I had to pull them all out as they were still twisted.
I planted some surplus Sunflowers in the spot where the boysenberries were, thinking it was the plant that was affected now, not the soil after 3 years.
The photos show two of the Sunflowers are fine and the other two are affected. All four are from the same heads of last year's flowers and the other 16 plants are not showing any signs of problems.
The last one is what it looked like pre-infected manure
This is a shout-out that if you are seeing strange shapes and distortions, it might well be a similar problem.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.5% A week before Christmas
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33.1% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.