I was having a couple of days off in the beautiful state of Western Australia recently and looking out the window there was this little native bird flying around the branches of a native tree called the Hakea Pincushion. It was having the time of its life.

The tree was growing in a bushland setting with no extra water or fertilizer other than what nature provides it. It got me thinking that maybe in our busy lives we try to hard to make our gardens into something truly spectacular and maybe we should be trying to make our gardens into something truly natural.

A natural garden is different from a native garden as it has no noticeable structure and it would not only include taller plants such as Grevilleas but most importantly it would include native grasses that the native birds can use for not only protection but also used for food, nest making, and protection as well.

In nature, seeds leave the parent plant and one in every 1000 or so will survive. This might be ok for the natural bushland but if you are buying your plants you will want a better outcome than that. When you make your selection of plants you will need to water and fertilize with a native fertilizer prior to planting, this will give your plants the best possible chance of survival.

The only real maintenance for a garden like this is to keep out the weeds, then let nature show you how it survives.

We have made it through another Summer, and it gave our plants a bit of a beating this year, but now we have been lucky enough to get some soaking rain, and it was good enough to water our plants right down to the bottom of the root system.

The soil is still warm from the summer and wet from the rain and the day time temperatures are beautiful, and for a gardener you can't get much better than this. Don't miss this opportunity to not only bring your plants back to health but also your soil.

Some good veggies to plant in your garden now, are Lettuce, Tomatoes, Beetroot, Capsicums, Chillies, Spring onions, Spinach, Silver beet, Rocket, Beans, and some great herbs like Thyme, Parsley and Basil.

There are some great flowers to plant as well such as Petunias, Snap dragons, Violas, just to name a few. You can also plant a few Marigolds in the veggie garden to help control pests.

Seed potatoes are also now available, plant your potatoes about 20cm below the ground and about 30cm apart.

If you are starting a new garden or revamping an old one, add some Searles 5 in 1 and Veggie Mate rock minerals and a good sprinkling of Katek Super growth chook pellets as a slow release fertilizer.

Mulch it all with some Sugar Cane to keep in the moisture, then water it all in well with some Seaweed fertilizer and then sit back and relax and watch them grow.

It has not only been a bit warm this summer, but so far we have had little rain and it is really starting to show in our gardens.

Plants in pots, especially terracotta pots, are prone to overheating, a good tip is to mulch your pots with some Sugar Cane Mulch, just like you do the rest of the garden. If the water is running straight through your potting mix, use a product such as Recharge and then add some Water Crystals to the mix, if you use both of these products your plants will have a lot less stress and so they will have a lot better chance of survival. If the pot is small enough give it a good soak in a bucket of water for a half an hour or so. If you can't move your plants from out of the sun, then spray them with a product called Envy, this is great to prevent sun damage.

The best time to water your garden is in the early morning, if you need to water in the afternoon, try to allow enough time for the leaves to dry out before the sun sets as water on the leaves encourages mildews and fungus to grow on your plant. Always water deeply and add some liquid Fish and Kelp foliar spray, this way the plant will absorb the nutrients through their leaves as well as the root system so they will have strong and vigorous growth when under the sun.

One of the most common questions I'm asked in the pet trade is 'What would make a good first pet for my child? A fish, a mouse, a guinea pig? The simple answer is, there is no simple answer. Although some animals are generally considered easier to look after than others and parents often seek to buy a low maintenance, inexpensive pet for their child's first experience with an animal, the fact is that no matter how much you pay for their first pet, there are inevitably unforseen costs involved that many people don't think to consider. While it's true that some animals are easier to care for.... all animals, whether dog, parrot or fish require certain things to not only survive, but more importantly to thrive. While it's possible to throw a goldfish into a bowl and throw in a pinch of food each day or to buy a mouse and throw it in a cage and watch it run around it's little wheel, it's important to realise that even the 'simplest' pets need many things like food, shelter, bedding, toys, chews, treats and more. People are often surprised that they pay $5 for a pet mouse and $105 for everything it needs to live a long, happy, healthy life. This is an inescapable reality of pet ownership, and applies to all pets regardless of their 'cost' or perceived value. One can easily argue that a goldfish has as much right to quality of life as a labrador and my hope is that when making that first foray into the wonderful world of pet ownership, you fully consider that each animal deserves the very best of care and the due diligence to give it everything it needs to live as long and happy a life as possible. -Shane

Mock Orange (Murraya paniculata) is a plant that is native to Southern China all the way down to Thailand. It has been a popular gardener’s choice in Queensland for hedging or as a specimen plant for many years. It gets its name from the white flowers that are about 15mm long and not only does it resemble a citrus flower but most importantly it has that wonderful citrus flower scent.

The Mock Orange has small glossy leaves and can be kept as a shrub,but if you let it grow naturally it will grow up about 3 or more metres tall. Planting them in a row about 1 metre or so apart will make a great hedge or screen but you will need to continually tip prune them until you get them to the height and width that you desire.

To keep your plant growing thick and strong, fertilize every 3 months with a natural slow release fertilizer such as Chook manure pellets and rock minerals. Even though your Mock Orange is drought tolerant,to keep it looking its best, give it a deep watering every couple of weeks.

Mock Orange likes to be planted in a rich humus soil or a quality potting mix if you wish to plant it into a pot. There are now a few varieties of Mock orange that have a different growth habits such as the tiny “Min a Min”,it grows to about 1metre tall which can make a great border plant or even ball topiary.

October is National Breast Cancer month and as Pink is their colour of choice why not plant some pink flowering plants and raise awareness of this great cause?

Petunias like it best in a sunny position, planted in a well drained soil or potting mix. They make a lovely border plant or you can put them in a pot or hanging basket. They will give you heaps of joy all year round.

Geraniums are a very hardy plant and "Pinktastic" is the plant of the month for Pohlmans. With its deep green leaves and a neat semi double flower, it is a great choice for those who want something hardy and will flower for most of the year.

Callistemon Pink Champagne is a bottle brush that flowers most of the year. It can make a very attractive hedge or specimen plant and the native birds love them.

Grevillea Pink Pixie is a hardy bush has a low spreading habit that grows to about 1 metre high. It flowers through winter and spring, it loves the sun and will tolerate a drier position in your garden. As with all natives fertilize them with a native fertilizer.

For the shady spot or for the special place indoors, there is the very lovely and very hardy Pink Begonia. They are very easy to grow they love rich well drained potting mix. Fertilize them every few weeks and add a little bit of Potash to keep them flowering and they will love you.

When you are about to grow a plant in a pot, a question that often comes up is, what is the best type of potting mix to put into the pot and can I use garden soil?

A quality garden soil is really good in a garden situation, but when you put it into a confined spot the properties of the soil can change. In the garden you have a ecosystem that tries to keep everything balanced including diseases, pests and weeds and in a confined space these can increase rapidly.

Also a quality garden soil will hold a lot more moisture that a quality potting mix. Your plant roots need a steady supply of both oxygen and water. They can go without one or the other but not for very long. If the soil they’re growing in is saturated, there will be no room for the oxygen. If it is left wet for too long, the plant roots will begin to rot and your soil will start to smell. For plants to remain healthy, water must move through the soil, making it damp but not waterlogged.

You also don’t want all the water to run right through the mix and out the drainage holes in your pot. A potting mix that dries out too quickly has you watering more regularly. The ideal soil mix drains freely but also retains some moisture. In most cases it is a quality potting mix for pots and the garden soil for the garden.

Lots of our friends have guinea pigs and they make wonderful, low maintenance pets that can be very rewarding, particularly for young children. It is important to know that guinea pigs have continually growing and erupting teeth. Generally speaking, this is rarely a problem for your pet, if it is fed a high quality mixed diet that allows them to gnaw, chew, and wear down their teeth while eating.

Guinea pigs have two top and two bottom incisor teeth. These are usually around 1-1.5 cm long. If your guinea pig is healthy and eating properly these teeth should be relatively even and meet each other in the middle of the mouth. This means your pig is naturally wearing down it's teeth at the appropriate rate.

Sometimes things happen to cause teeth to break. This could be for a number of reasons, including your pig chewing on wire or it's cage, or maybe beacuse it has taken a fall and chipped one or two on the way down. It is extremely important to check your guinea pigs teeth regularly for injury as uneven teeth can cause discomfort, pain, and eating problems, leading to a form of guinea pig 'anorexia'.

BACK TEETH

Guinea pigs also have a row of back teeth that are called 'cheek teeth'. These are usually quite far back and difficult to inspect. A vet will possibly flush the mouth out with water before using a depressor or dilator to properly assess the teeth.

Occassionally, guinea pigs will refuse to eat altogether and this could be because it is experiencing some dental pain. It is essential to get your guinea pig to a veterinarian to have them filed to an even plane again. Guinea pigs need a low calorie, high fibre diet and should be fed high quality hay and lots of fresh, clean grass every day.

Onions or sometimes called the common onions, are bulbs that are formed from the base of the onion leaves. They come in a variety of colours and shapes, the most common you see is the round to oval shaped and generally smaller than a cricket ball, but can be as small as a golf ball. You can also get a variety of other shapes, as well as a variety of colours including whites, browns, yellows and reds, and some that you can pickle.

Onions are grown around the world and are used in a variety of dishes, they can be eaten raw or cooked and they can sting your eyes when you are cutting them up.

For the best results onions like sunny, well drained, well fertilized soil, with a good mix of manures, rock minerals such as your Veggie Mate and compost. If you are growing them from a punnet, plant them 5 to 10 cm apart and about 30cm between rows. When growing onions from seed, plant then into the soil about 10mm deep and in their final position.

Onions can get a bit of downy mildew on the leaves so be watchful and spray with Mancozeb if it gets to be a problem.

Planting in early Winter and harvesting in early Summer is about right for most varieties, as it takes about 26 weeks for them to mature. If not harvested it can produce a flowering stalk and seeds that you can save and use next year.

The best way to control lawn grubs is to understand their lifecycle.

The adult lawn grub is a moth, brown to cream in colour which flies around your garden a

and lays its eggs in soft cocoons under the awnings of your house, or any other protected spot. You’re sure to have seen these before! These cocoons will then drop a tiny web in which the caterpillar will follow to the ground. The caterpillars or lawn grubs are the ones that do all the damage to your lawn - they live for about 3 weeks. The grub will then grow into the pupae stage, which will then become a moth and the cycle starts again.

Lawn grubs will feed off the leaf of your grass, just above the ground so your lawn looks dead, dry and crunchy to walk on. If you see a wasp with a long tail flying above your lawn, it’s a good indication that you have lawn grubs as these wasps lay their eggs into lawn grubs, which will then kill the grub itself.

To get rid lawn grubs you can lay a damp hessian bag on your lawn overnight - the grubs will think it is still night time and in the morning you can pick out the grubs.

A chemical spray or granule such as Searles Lawn Grub Killer is often the only way to get of your lawn grubs, so remember the life cycle and follow the directions on the container and you will have your lawn back in no time.

Healthy, organic soil is what supports life on this planet. To get your soil to a healthy, organic state you need to add compost and there is a few ways of doing this and one of those ways is a Bokashi Bin.

Bokashi Bins are an easy way to make compost and they are a practical size for the average family. You simply put the food waste into the bin and with a bit of Bokashi powder you can make a bucket of rich homemade compost that you can dig into your garden and give your plants and your soil a great boost.

The Bokashi Bin will also give you and litres and litres of organic juice full of micro – organisms. You can dilute the juice and water your plants, giving them a good dose of natural fertilizer.

Bokashi Bins are so good you can put in fish, citrus, egg, cooked and uncooked food including meat. They have an air tight lid to help with fermentation and they have virtually no unpleasant odours so you can keep them in your laundry or on the back patio.

There is another good reason for not throwing your organic waste into the waste bin and that is that organic waste makes up about 20-40% of the landfill space, so we can save there as well.

A Bokashi Bin are very easy to use and it is also fun to watch what you used to throw away, become an important part of the environment.

Betta splendens pH - 6 - 7 Temp - 23 - 25 C Size (max) - 6 cm Minimum tank size - 15 litres General Hardness - 7 - 9 dGH

Siamese Fighting fish are originally from the Mekong Basin region in Thailand. Though they may be found in shallow, wide bodies of water (such as rice paddies), they do not live in puddles as is often believed. Males are well known for their varieties of beautiful finnage and striking colours and are the most commonly sold. The Siamese Fighting fish earns the name due to the enthusiasm by which he will protect his territory or nest from other Siamese Fighting fish, though in other respects he is non-aggressive. In fact, Siamese Fighting fish will often be the ones to be bullied and stressed by other fish. Therefore great consideration needs to be taken before adding one to a community tank. Unfortunately, Siamese Fighting fish are often kept in very small containers. They are able to survive these oxygen depleted conditions because of the Labyrinth organ, which allows them to take in air from the atmosphere. However, the facts remain that any intelligent animal (they can be trained to do tricks!) should not be kept in such confinement and the smaller a body of water is, the more difficult it is to keep clean. Though they may be kept in small holding containers in the aquarium, at home their living quarters should be large enough to enable them to exercise and explore. Siamese Fighting fish come from a heavily vegetated environment so will benefit from aquascaping that allows them shelter when feeling exposed and correct filtration. For more information see: http://kb.rspca.org.au/How-should-I-keep-and-care-for-Siamese-fighting-fish_441.html

Whether you are designing your garden from scratch or you are just adding a few bits of colour from your local nursery there is something that you may need to take into consideration: is that plant safe for your family, and I mean all your family including your pets.

As with most things that we come across every day there is a degree of harm in it. As plants can have different degrees of toxicity and so these toxins have different effects on your pets and they can range from a mild skin irritation to the extreme where your pet will almost certainly die.

Brunfelsia, which is the Yesterday Today and Tomorrow plant, is a lovely addition to the garden but all parts of the plant, including the roots, are poisonous. There are many other plants that are poisonous in one way or another and they include such plants as the Oleander, Sago palms and Rhoeas just to name a few. Plants with high sap content are generally something to be wary of.

Watch your inquisitive puppy that it doesn’t eat the indoor plants, you may have to put a little fence around it (the plant that is) until it learns what it cannot eat.

Fertilizers such as Blood and Bone are really great for the garden but they are also very attractive to dogs, even though they cannot read the label their sense of smell is very good so they know what is in the bag. So put it into a solid and sealed container or even better dig it into the garden. In the garden it is still available for them to eat but it is in such small amounts it should not harm them but they will still love to roll in it.

Almost all fertilizers contain varying amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium but they may also contain such things as iron, copper, zinc, cobalt, boron, manganese and molybdenum, which as generally Ok when used as directed but it will not be good for your pet if it eats it.

Then there are the herbicides, pesticides, miticides, and fungicides which all end in the word “cide” which is a Latin word for killing. Which is great because this is what you bought these products for, but if you leave it where your pets can reach it you can find that these are products can be lethal to your pets without too much trouble at all.

The symptoms that your pet is sick can include, excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, tremor, hallucinations, delirium and all the way to seizures. If you feel that your pet is sick take a trip to the vet with whatever the pet has eaten so they can diagnose the problem and treat your pet.

This is not to scare; this is just to be aware.

Proper pet nutrition is extremely important. Gone are the days of simply feeding leftovers or scraps, or popping down to the supermarket to pick up the cheapest brand of dog food you can find. Proper pet nutrition has gained significant momentum over the last decade and millions of dollars have been spent by companies on research to uncover the absolute best way to provide your dog with all the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients that it needs to live the longest, happiest life possible. Think of humans for a moment. Over the last thousand years our life expectancy has climbed dramatically. This is due to a myriad of factors including better technology, medicine and research all geared towards helping us to live longer, healthier lives. Nutrition has played no small part in this as well, and the same principles ring true for our beloved four legged friends. Our dogs are living longer, and with a far better quality of life than previously possible.

No matter what food you decide on it is important to do a little research and speak to trained professionals about the pros and cons of each diet. Food can these days be broken down into a few categories. Of course there are dry and wet varieties, but there are now very different qualities of food available from supermarket quality, to premium and upwards to super premium. There are organic diets, and ‘All Natural’ choices. There are grain frees, hypoallergenic, skin and coat health foods, dental diets and the list goes on and on. This can be daunting when looking at a seemingly endless wall of different brands and types and can leave you feeling disoriented and overwhelmed by choice. Here are a few pointers to help you out.

There is little need to worry about the hundreds of different varieties available once you have made an educated choice on the type of food you will feed your dog. Personally, we at Caloundra Garden and Pet Supplies don’t really mind what kind of food you go for, but we would always prefer the high quality brands. They are definitely more expensive at first glance, but perhaps not as much as you think. Although a super premium food can retail for over $100 for 15-20 kilograms, it is important to note that the quality of these foods makes them much more nutrient dense than cheaper varieties. This means that you need to feed your dog much less than the supermarket alternative due to the much lower percentage of ‘filler’ ingredients such as cereals. This results in the better brands being utilised far more effectively by the dog and digested more easily and to a greater extent. Think about this… if a food is 90-95% digestible, than there is only a few percent left to come out the other end. This results in much smaller, firmer stools, with less mess and less smell. This is only one of the benefits. In almost all super premium foods the number one ingredient will be a high quality protein, rather than a random selection of available meats.

Next time you look at the ingredient list of your dog food, you may notice that one of the ingredients is ‘meat and meat by-products’. Then in brackets you will see a list of different meats contained within including chicken, beef, lamb, turkey etc. The problem is that you never know exactly which of these are contained within or how much percentage of each there is. Super premium diets on the other hand are generally speaking a set recipe bag after bag, which changes little or not at all. If it says chicken, it will always be chicken, and it will be a great source of quality protein. They are also complete diets, which means that, if you choose, you can feed these foods to your dog from the day it is weaned to the day (hopefully very far in the future) that it goes to that big dog kennel in the sky, and it will receive every nutrient, vitamin and mineral that it requires.

If this is the case and your dog is receiving excellent nutrition for it’s entire life, than one can reasonably expect that over the course of the dog’s life it will be healthier and stronger resulting in fewer vet bills and skin and digestion problems, which can also save you many thousands of dollars. These are all massive benefits. If you decide to go super premium, you will almost always notice an increase in skin and coat health and colour. This is a great visual indicator that the food you are giving is of a high quality.

Now all you have to do is decide which kind of super premium food you should buy, but it’s fairly simple when you know what to look for. Many brands will break food down into small and large breed varieties, for puppies and adults. Dental varieties will contain a larger biscuit size relying on a bigger ‘crunch’ to help wear away plaque and tartar build up. Skin and coat bags will often substitute chicken as a protein source in favour of lamb, or fish. And senior varieties will contain glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health and mobility as well as a lower fat and protein content. So talk to a staff member and decide which one suits you best and see the benefits almost immediately. It will be well worth it for you and for your four legged friend.

Winter grass is a weed that is, as the name implies, a weed that grows in your garden and lawn mainly in the winter months and lasts until December. It is bright green in colour and is soft when it is new but can be hard as it dies off in the summer. It is a clumping weed that grows to about 20cm high and has a flower spike that sits above the leaves and can be hard to mow.

The roots of the winter grass weed are very fine and it can find a home in any spare bit of soil or crack in the paving and if left alone will take over your lawn or garden.

You will need to get rid of the weed before it goes to seed as the little seed will sit on the ground ready to germinate and then reproduce very quickly. Spray the winter grass in the early part of the winter or as soon as you see it.

If you have winter grass in your lawn you will need a specialist weed killer as it is very hard to kill. The poison that you use does not react with the leaves of the plant, but in the root system, so after you spray your lawn give your lawn a light water to get the poison down onto the roots. Spray it again in about a week to make sure they are dead.

Too much of a good thing applies to many situations in life and nitrogen fertilizer for your garden is one of those things that can be a problem if you use too much.

Nitrogen or the letter ‘N’ as it is seen on your fertilizer bag is one of the three major nutrients in your soil. One of the main uses of nitrogen is to increase chlorophyll production which in turn creates more leaves and therefore a bigger plant.

Dowsing your garden with high nitrogen levels, however, will not improve plants growth and it can actually harm your plants. If you use a very high nitrogen fertilizer one of the things that will happen is that you will increase the soil's mineral salts which in turn will then hold moisture away from the plants.

As a result, the leaves take on a burnt look and the leaf edges become yellow and twisted and then they start to wilt. So when you see this problem do not think “Wow it needs some more fertilizer”, maybe it just needs a rest.

Also when you feed high doses of nitrogen, your plant will put all of its energy into leaf growth and flower and fruit growth will suffer.

So feed your plants a little bit of fertilizer on a more regular basis, say once a month instead of a heap of fertilizer once a year and your plants will be healthier happier. Then you can grow fruit, vegies and flowers that you can be proud of.

Making a garden from pallets is a fun, space saving and cheap way to have a vertical garden.

You can find pallets just about everywhere, at the council recycling depot or at the back of your local garden supply store. They come in different shapes and sizes and conditions so take the time to find a good one.

Check your pallet for any nails or splinters that may be sticking out ready to grab you. It’s a good idea to get a pair of garden gloves while you are working on this project.

You now need to cover the back of the pallet so the potting mix does not fall out. Lay the pallet face down on the ground and then with some core flute, ply wood or some landscaping fabric cover the back and the bottom of the pallet.

The front of the pallet will have boards that are about 100mm apart. This is the side that you put the plants in. To stop the potting mix from falling out, line the inside of the pallet with some landscaping fabric, shade cloth or even some hessian.

Take the pallet to where you want it to finish up as it will get heavy from here. Stand the pallet up and fill the pallet with a quality potting mix and stamp it down as you go. When the pallet is full you can cut little holes in fabric and plant your seedlings, whether it is vegies or flowers that you want, it works just as well.

We know that the pH level is important in your garden soils but why?

The pH is a chemical term, and it is how you measure the acidic or alkaline properties of your soil. Each substance that is tested is given a pH value on a scale that ranges from 0 to 14. Alkaline soils have pH values higher than 7.0 and acidic soils have a pH of below 7, so that makes 7 neutral.

Most plants like a pH level of 6 to 7, with some exceptions such as azaleas and camellias, which like the soil at 5 to 5.5 and plants like lavender from 6.5 to 7.5. If your soil is too acidic or too alkaline, your plants will have trouble in getting all the nutrients they need, no matter how much fertiliser you add.

Adding Lime or dolomite to your soil will raise the pH and adding powered sulfur will lower the pH, but you need to do it slowly as little of either can make a big difference to your soil. Test your soil every couple of months to keep it at the right level.

The first step in managing your soils is to measure the pH to confirm if it is acidic or alkaline or if it is spot on for the plants that you wish to grow. Go to your local Garden Supplies Store and get a pH kit or sensor or just take in some soil and they may test it for you.