Eco-sourcing seeds?

 Eco-Sourcing Seeds.

I am not entirely sure that I am always strictly eco-sourcing seeds but I really do enjoy collecting seeds from plants that are on our property or on nearby properties this has led us to make new friends and has shown us just how easy it is to do even though one might not initially be 100% sure of the exact sub species (or even species:>)

We have eco-sourced (in the strictest sense of the word) a lot of native seeds from both privately owned Native Bush (with the owners permission) as well as from public lands and are actually very surprised at what can be found within a very short distance of our property.

However what I enjoy the most is to collect seeds from within our property and we have recently collected Manuka, Kanuka and Akeake seeds. We also have Olearia's with seeds and Banksia's that we shall be collecting seeds from in the near future. As we increase, over the next couple of years, the number of different species on the property the range of available seeds will also greatly increase as will our knowledge and expertise in germinating and reproducing the plants. Exciting times:>)

Eco-sourcing Akeake seens?

Loads of seeds readily available although it is best to take seeds from the green Akeake as the reds are hybrids!

The result of and hours work, sourcing, and cleaning the seeds. Now to put in the fridge at 4 degrees centigrade for three weeks with some moist sand.

Improving the Protection of recently Planted Plants.

 Installation of new Plant Guards.

On our property we have a major problem with rabbits destroying our plants. It has become such a problem that we have had to install rabbit fencing around the vegetable garden and where we had planted trees around the property had installed plant guards. However the plant guards were of a very poor quality being made of very flimsy plastic and not sufficiently tall. The rabbits were both digging under the guards and ring barking the trees as well as topping them. Basically the plants guards weren't doing their job so we decided to up our game and make life a little more difficult for the bunnies and bought solid plant guards made of corflute (a corrugated plastic) 40cm high and far more robust.

Previously I had struggled to install the bamboo canes to support the flimsier plant guards (which required three canes per plant guard). Although the new plant guards required only one bamboo cane I didn't relish trying to pushing the cane into our soil which can be very stony. So I came up with the idea of hammering in the canes but with the canes being so flexible I was worried that they would break, so the solution was to drill a hole partially through a piece of wood which could be placed over the cane, providing some support to the cane and this hammer the piece of wood (a far easier target:>)

This system has worked very well with only a couple of canes having broken and the ones that didn't break have made for a FAR more stable plant guards that should give the bunnies more trouble to dig under or to top the plants. Just for good measure I have also added a square piece of weed mat under the plant guard. So far the system has worked very well with no rabbit damage to date, although it is still early times.

Plant planted with weed mat in place.

Bamboo Cane with drilled wood and mallet.

How it works. Simple but effective, the cane passes through the weed mat where it has been cut to fit around the plant.

The Plant Gaurds are very stable and should provide effective protection against rabbits (hopefully:>)