[Smurf]

Absolutely SS,, CSIRO estimates 50 million tonnes of P to be locked up in our soils.

Perth region soil types

Perth Soils

They don't call us sandgropers for nothing. Western Australia and certainly Perth is very sandy. But there are sands and sands. If you are used to decent soils, you probably can't see much point in subdividing sands. Yet it does matter. Suppose you compare a soil with 2% water holding capacity with one with 6 %. They are both at the bottom of the scale but one has 3 times the capacity of the other.


1. Yellow: Soils of the youngest dunes. Usually very coarse sand with low water holding capacity. Pale yellow sub-soils, lime at some depth, tuart trees when far enough from the coastal winds

2. Orange: Soils of somewhat older dunes. Deep yellow sub-soil with fair water holding capacity often with lime. Tuart trees

3. Grey: Soils of the oldest dunes. Coarse sands, strongly leached with pale yellow sub-soils

4a. Green: Alluvial soils. A mixture, some with heavy texture and high water holding capacity.

4b. Maroon: Sandy surface soils overlying alluvial soils

5. Red: Soils of the Darling range and scarp, many with much pea-sized gravel

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Originally Posted by Smurf

Absolutely SS,, CSIRO estimates 50 million tonnes of P to be locked up in our soils.

Locked up ya say?

So its there but plants cant absorb??

Why is that do you know?

[EeJay]

I'd like further information on that locked out phosphorous too. What exactly doe that mean? Normally when talking about locked out nutrients, it refers to a pH issue. I get a feeling this is different, especially since the natural pH of soils around Australia will differ from location to location. Maybe it refers to phosphorous occuring much deeper underground. I'm not sure how significant 50 million tonnes even is when you consider the expanse of our land anyway.

Either way, a warning about the overuse of fertilisers high in phosphorous is a must in a thread about growing in Australia. Glad it was brought up.

Myself, I live in Sydney and am highly anticipating the start of my next grow, which should be in a bit over a month. I've grown in the same place a few times before and believe, with a bit of horticultural education to my name, I have a fairly good grasp of the conditions in my area.

For any Sydneysiders, i'll be more specific and state that my location is in the Hills District. It is sandstone country, therefore the natural soil found here is definitely on the sandy side. Probably a sandy loam. As Hills Disctrict indicates, there's hardly a naturally flat piece of land in the whole area, so any grow site will most likely be on an incline. This, together with the fairly coarse soils, generally translates into very poor water retention. This is good for preventing water logging (and diseases like root-rot) or over-watering, but can be quite tough when the temps exceed 40C, as the plants will need multiple waterings a day. Apart from ammending the soil to improve water-holding capacity (with either organic or inorganic particles), another option may be to find a site at the bottom of an incline, so there's less water run-off.

I don't encounter too many pests around here. The worst of them are probably caterpillar/moths, which actually eat into the buds and leaves. If you catch them quick, they'll do next to no damage, but the problem is sighting them in the first place, they can be quite hard to spot. A conspicuously curled leaf can be a giveaway, as the larvae are often nested in silk. I've found the most effective way of ridding them is a good and thorough eye, and just pick and kill. Else, you can always go with a B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis), which is an organic powder/spray, under the brand name Dipel. For something a bit harder, there's Carbaryl, but i'd advise against using it within a month of harvest.

Snails are the only other thing I really worry about, and generic snail-bait takes care of that easily.

The weather here is often hot and humid, so large and/or densely formed buds should be watched closely for mould. During January/February, we always get storms which have nearly wiped out two of my grows. There can be hail, but the strong winds and lengthy periods of constant rain are the most damaging. Plants should be well staked/supported to cope with the winds, and you should seriously consider an early harvest if the rain is constant for more than a few days. Harvesting a week or two early is a lot better than having the whole crop ruined by mould. Usually though, there is a day of sun and heat which will dry everything sufficiently enough to endure another couple days of constant rain.

I guess that's about all for now. I like the potential of this thread. I'll try to pull my own weight in here, and will hopefully have more to add during the upcoming grow season.

[Brushtail]

smurf , twenty and Eejay, i thank you so much for you adding to this. This is the sort of information that we need! At some point if you all don't mind, all the information you kind fold have contributed will be put into some format for better viewing! (oo i read up and saw smurf has said this already, silly me)

bt

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Yeah and that would be excellent for our first sticky

[Passenger]

Nice info guys. I can't wait any longer I want to grow must resist :(. Stupid wet weather

Something that could be of use to anyone up north.

The Use Of Earthworms To Convert Hardpan To Arable Soil, Without Mechanical Tillage, Followed By Cycling With Poultry For The Sustainable Production Of Food In The Dry Tropics
Bill Withers (Australia)

Spose I should post this here aswell
For your Australian weather forcasts.

[Passenger]

Are you moving them outside on the 20th due to 12 hours of daylight? Those charts are really nice. Extremely helpful