tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849427743103205586.post6000448842047264067..comments2023-08-11T00:48:09.154-07:00Comments on Living In The Land Of Oz: Ants and Aphids - You Scratch my Back and I'll Scratch Yours Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12605358521258969537noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849427743103205586.post-81475821235882366572013-07-25T23:57:18.306-07:002013-07-25T23:57:18.306-07:00Hey there Lynda D, what a great blog! I particular...Hey there Lynda D, what a great blog! I particularly enjoyed this post....mainly because I'm in it! I thought it best to post a bit of follow up on the post here and the comments. Your reader is correct - gypsum doesn't work on all clay soils, only sodic clay soils. But how do we know a soil is sodic? And why would I recommend gypsum to be applied to clay soils if they haven't been tested for sodicity? Well, first things first - if you need to know whether your soil is "sodic" or not, and whether it will be responsive to gypsum, there is a very simple backyard test we can do.<br />1: Grab some dry clay soil from various areas of the garden - don't just use the surface, dig down a little bit (about 15cm)<br />2: These aggregates of soil need to be about 5mm to 1cm in diameter<br />3:Pop 50ml of either rain water, distilled or bottled water gently into clean, dry, individual trays.<br />4:Gently place one aggregate into the centre of tray or container and allow to stand for 24 hours without disturbance. 5:Have a look at how the clay has behaved, because 3 reactions are possible. If the clay particles float up into the water making it cloudy – they are repelling each other and this is dispersion. If the water remains clear but the aggregates collapse in a heap- this is known as slaking. Thirdly, the aggregate remains as it is – this is a ‘good’ clay for the garden. <br /> <br />Dispersive soils are sodic (about 30 - 35% of Oz soils) - treat these with gypsum. Soils that slake should be treated with organic matter (think composts, straw mulches etc). The third type - keep these maintained with organic matter.<br /><br />What about those soils that aren't sodic and have a bit of gypsum? Gypsum stills adds value as it adds calcium to the soil, which is a super essential nutrient in the healthy form and function of fruits. It also helps prevent a number of disorders, like Blossom End Rot. I love the stuff - it's pH neutral, full of good stuff, and works a treat over time on sodic clay.<br /><br />As for the ants, powdery mildew and aphids "threesome" mentioned in a previous comment - I reckon the 3 of them hanging out in your garden together are a coincidence more than a tryst. Ants and aphids are completly symbiotic - manage the ants, you'll minimise the aphids. The powdery mildew on the other hand is a fungal issue, caused by poor air circulation, moisture on foilage, and particular air temperatures. I reckon if you are seeing all 3 at once, it's an environmental/plant stress thing, rather than a group love-in.<br /><br />Oh, and if you're looking for Tansy.....let me know!<br />Helen Thttp://www.soilworx.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849427743103205586.post-32096750026922811562013-07-10T16:16:05.842-07:002013-07-10T16:16:05.842-07:00Thanks Narf7 for feedback. I wish i had Helen'...Thanks Narf7 for feedback. I wish i had Helen's email for feedback response but alas she was but a dream. I was actually going to do a post of gypsum because she raves about it so maybe i will try and find her. She was one of those people that you instantly like and wouldnt mind spending more time with. She lives in a court in West Footscray and they have take down fences and combined front gardens, providing for each other. One person has chooks etc etc. Sound pretty cool doesnt it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12605358521258969537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849427743103205586.post-49973305859310920442013-07-10T16:13:16.048-07:002013-07-10T16:13:16.048-07:00I shall have to look for the ents in the greenhous...I shall have to look for the ents in the greenhouse then as aphids on broccoli I have a plenty. I did give it all a good fertilising water the other day though but it's all well due for another water. It's just been hard when the hose is frozen solid every morning. ;)<br />Great post and thanks for the info. :) And as for the big green warehouse, thier nursery is pretty pathetic. If you don't want to grow from seed (you can get the seeds from Diggers or even eBay) then I'd check a real nursery in the herbs section. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849427743103205586.post-49275368450125410022013-07-10T11:30:01.061-07:002013-07-10T11:30:01.061-07:00Gypsum is only useful for certain types of clay to...Gypsum is only useful for certain types of clay to be honest. Massive clay, like ours, isn't fooled by it. 200mm down we have massive yellow clay that sucks up the water and heaves the houses around like so much flotsum and jetsam if you don't keep the immediate vicinity watered. Water is too precious to be wasted willy nilly and the idea of building worm water wicked garden beds is a good one to limit the amount of water being used to produce our food. The downside is that they are a lot more expensive to build. Sometimes this food production gives you a headache...and those ants and aphids have a third mate...it's called Powdery Mildew and they are a threesome that can really get under your skin if you don't remove one of the triangle and render them less dangerous. My money is on the aphids as they are the main problem! Once they are out of the picture, the ants and the powdery mildew seem to head off to greener (more lush) pastures ;). You can get tansy seed, if you grow it yourself you can share the love :). You can blast aphids off your foliage with a hose. Aphids suck but they can't hang on all that well so you get the last laugh if you are vigilant. The possums eat all of the tender shoots before the aphids can get to them so I suppose that's a benefit to possums? By the way, our possums could care less about blood and bone, Lapsang souchong (although why are you giving it to the possums, it's delicious!) or anything really. I could hang dead possums all over the place and they would still come in the night to wreak their havoc. The 13 feral cats that are in various stages of starvation do their best to cull them but still they come...just like the Martians from war of the worlds...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com