Mummy Muddy Paws

MOB rants

Anyone on here want an Oracle/VB/Business Objects programmer?

Took the dog in today to have his toe sorted out after I accidentally stood on it (back in March - went to the vet's straight away, had antibiotics etc).  Over the weekend the toe swelled dramatically, vet today has tried to save it (massive infection in the bone we didn't realise), now he's on mega strong anti-biotics, painkillers & anti-inflammatories.  So that's £640 we've had to put on the flexible friend.  If they don't work between another £500-£800 for taking the toe off - obviously I want the dog to get better, but money was really tight anyway.

Short of swinging my beads on west street in town, anyone got any legal money making ideas?

Really, really don't want to go back to contracting in London, my little ones are only going to be little once, and I don't want to miss any of their antics - even though they drive me to distraction sometimes.  So, anyone want a programmer/organiser/adiminstrator?

Seer Rock dust

BrummieBen, that's really good to know.  Will have to try winning some B&Q vouchers now to pay for it!

Fidgetbones, the French are a law unto themselves I'm afraid.  Taken as individuals, they're great, but get a bunch of them together (especially the farmers) and they become, in my opinion, like stroppy teenagers that will throw a huge hissy fit if they don't get their way.  Sorry if I offend any francophiles, but you can keep them!

MOB rants

You don't actually need to see if you're a proper typist.  It really used to p*** the boys I worked with off, I could be turned half away from my computer, still typing, and talking to them at the same time.  Half of them are kids now who won't have a clue who Stevie Wonder is.  Just like I have no clue who half the 'celebrities' are that are on the tedious talent or 'I used to be a celebrity and hoping if I eat bulls dodahs on telly it will kickstart my career' type programmes.

GG, did you sort out the hideous cardigan cockup?

Off to get some ibuprofen.  Small child number 2 not well and fighting her big brother (and winning, she fights dirty) over the highchair.  Dog in vet tomorrow to have his infected claw seen too, anyone know where I can sell a kidney so I can fund it?

Seer Rock dust

It does look good, but surely if you have sandy soil you'd be better off not putting more dust in there!

Maybe dig it in with yet more of the FYM, to try to hold some moisture in (assuming we have a better summer than last year).

The jungle in my garden needs to go.

OK, Tony, I understand where you're coming from, mine looked like that when I started last summer.  I have ME/CFS, so what I can do is limited.  How I tackle it is:

1 Buy decent gloves.  Mine are the gold leaf tough touch ones, and, apart from the seams are bramble-proof.  You will need them as brambles, even when dead, are bloody lethal.

2. Doesn't really matter what you use to chop it down, I have trusty loppers and secatuers for chopping up the brambles, green bits go in the council green bin, dead woody bits go in dustbin incinerator type thing (aldi, £20 ish).  Chop down all stuff to about 6 ins/1ft.

3.  Dig out brambles.  They only go down a spade and a half, so aren't difficult to do.  If you have any other weeds, like bindweed, these are a different matter.

4.  Anything that dares poke it's head up after a week, use roundup or something similar.  Keep spraying, it will eventually get the message and turn it's roots up and die.

5.  For both yours and your Mums' sake, once that's done, put down weed supressing membrane, and cover with something like pea gravel.  It will look a lot nicer, I'm sure I'd be depressed looking out at that lot, and pea gravel might not be every one's choice, it's better, far better than what's there now.  The council can and do fine people (even if you own the house) for letting their gardens get out of hand, it only takes the next door neighbour one phone call to the council/councillor and they can get stroppy with your Mum - I wouldn't want that for anyone, especially not my Mum.

To answer your question, weedkiller takes between 4 and 6 weeks, and it needs to be dry for at least 4 hours after you spray it on, maybe more.  If you want instant improvement, go the gloves and loppers route, if you're lazy and/or have the time and money, then go down the weedkillers route.

Brambles only go down a spade and a half, so are quite easy to dig out, BUT, the tiniest bit of root will re-grow.

Once you've done it, please use the weed membrane and pea gravel, and then you won't have to do it again in a couple of years.  And a couple of years after that.

Your Mum should also be a lot happier and won't be nagging you to do something about that wilderness.  Very depressing.

Does anyone else..........

It was me that asked about wood ash (I am burning all of the brambles I'm chopping out).  It's good that I can add wood ash.

Someone pointed out that coal ash makes a good barrier that slugs won't cross, I know if will eventually get into the soil, but in small amounts I can't see it being too much of a problem, especially in a flower garden where it has no chance of getting into the food chain.

what is this thats killing all our hedge and what can i do

I would definitely improve the soil first.  I know that privacy is important, but is there any way you could remove the conifers (the dead ones at least), and put something cheap & cheerful in place?  I think willow screening is reasonably priced, and would allow you to improve the soil by digging in a mixture of sharp sand (to improve the drainage) and horse manure, preferably well rotted stuff, to improve the structure and the nutrient content of the soil.  You also need to know what the pH of the soil is (how acidic or alkaline it is), as this will dictate to a fair extent what will grow happily.  Look what other people in the area are growing, this will give you an indication of what else you can grow.

Rather than risk failure which will put you off gardening for life, I would wait, get rid of as much of the weed as you can (keep putting weedkiller on, it will eventually get the message and die), improve the soil and wait.  Patience is a virtue that gardeners cultivate along with their plants.

The daftest thing you've done in your garden

You can get multicoloured ones from ebay.  I've also seen bronze/ironwork ones for herbs, fairy reasonably priced. 

I always start the season using one coloured lable and co-ordinate the pot colours.  By the time I've finished sowing stuff, I'm left with a motley collection of odd coloured pots, from plants that didn't make it into the garden, ones left over as I've not sown enough seeds, and no co-ordinating labels.

I did a very daft thing the other day, as I'm new to growing some veg.  I put courgettes in the same windowsill propogator as pumpkins, thinking that the true leaves would let me know which was which, didn't realise they were the same family.  Now I'm going to have to wait until they form fruit to tell which is which.

Won't do that again!

what is this thats killing all our hedge and what can i do

Personally I would wait and make sure all of your weeds have gone before planting anything else.  The confiers may have died as they are greedy plants, and will take all of the moisture and nutrients from the soil.  If you have poor soil it may account for the conifers not surviving.

You need to know if the plant that is rife in your neighbour's gardens is something they've cultivated, it does look like ivy (I think the leaves are too big for it to be bindweed).  You don't want to get off on the wrong foot witlh the neighbours by killing anything they're culitvating!

If the neighbours regard it as a pest, then I'd use weedkiller to try and get rid of it, a weed is just a plant in the wrong place.  If it's something that they've cultivated, do not use weedkiller on it, just cut any off that comes over on to your side, and put it in the green bin if you have one, don't put it in the compost bin, it will just sprerad around your garden when you use the compost!

You need to know what type of soil you have, and how rich it is before planting anything else, otherwise you may well just be wasting your money.  The soil will need enriching to put back any nutrients taken away by the conifers.  By all means, remove the conifers, but you may want to think about putting in a fence rather than a hedge, until you have sorted out the soil.  Please don't just take out the conifers and leave no boundary - good fences make for good neighbours.

The daftest thing you've done in your garden

artjak, bonkers of course!!

TT, of course it was my fault!!

pH meter suggestions, please

Does anyone else..........

Getting rid of Bindweed

Got any 'ose?

Rowan Tree Propagation

Amateur Weatherman/woman

Gauntlet recommendations, please

Apple Tree Help needed

Bargains

Is there anything I can't compost?

Help with overwintering Strawberries, Please

Help - Massive Bramble problem

Unidentifed Raptor