Tom and Anne's garden

Amorphophallus titanum

2012-02-01T20:22:00.000+10:00

Last week Anne had an email about this aroid type plant coming into flower in a garden near Beenleigh. We went to have a look and even though it was still not completely "out" it was still spectacular. This is the first time this plant has flowered - it is about 8yrs old apparently. When opened out properly the skirt part drops out like a fan around the central portion.

Info : http://www.nurseriesonline.com.au/Articles/Amorphophallus-titanum.html

Although impressive I'm not tempted to have one of these in our garden. I prefer the native plants although Anne has more diverse botanical likes.

Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

2012-01-25T21:18:00.000+10:00

With the wet weather it has been frog heaven again with a delightful chorus at night.

I have been collecting toads again - I have picked up and dispatched about 100 in the last week. I wonder where they keep coming from - they must move quite some distances each night to keep repopulating our property.

Here is a photo of a small and very active spotted marsh frog that I spotted tonight whilst out toad hunting:

proper name is :   Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

My ID of this is not 100% certain and I could be wrong! He was released of course after the photo shoot.

ref for Brisbane frogs :   http://frogs.org.au/frogs/ofQld/Around_Brisbane

Birds, Frogs and Butterflies are a real pleasure to have share our property.

Wet weather

2012-01-25T08:59:00.000+10:00

Heavy rain past two days - the rain gauge was overflowing this morning so we had at least 185mm in the past 24hrs as I had already emptied it at 65mm. Fortunately we do not have any problems with flooding here. My aquaponics systems this morning were dead electrically ( fish all ok) - problem was moisture in a power board from the heavy rain. Even though the electrics are well covered there is still splashing of water that can get into the electrics from underneath. The power board was removed and replaced and all is now functioning normally. I need to rethink my waterproofing system after this rain system has gone.

Noticed some large mushrooms had erupted in the northern chook pen :

but I wouldn't dare pick them for eating as I know next to nothing on which types of mushrooms are edible or not.

Also I have recently made another pond in the back of our property using a large fibreglass tray that I had left over from when I set up the Aquaponics - I lined it as it had several holes. The area still looks scarred and needs planting up but the rain has filled it to overflowing :

It is another area of the garden that can provide frog habitat and water for birds
and creates a different micro climate for plants

We have some good sized butternut pumpkins this year :

The plant isn't as rampant as the Jap or Kent pumpkin I have previously grown
so I'll probably replant this type again next spring.

Net casting spider

2012-01-24T05:43:00.000+10:00

Spotted this spider sitting quietly on the north side of the house the other day

It is called a Net Casting Spider - binomial name is : Deinopis subrufa

http://www.findaspider.org.au/find/spiders/501.htm

The name arises as it makes a "net" at night to catch any nearby insect

We were taken by the length of the legs

vegetable grasshopper

2012-01-22T12:36:00.000+10:00

There has been a bit of lull posting but gardening has continued unabated.

With the hot humid weather the bugs are out in force especially this type:

They are called Vegetable grasshoppers - binomial name is : Atractomorpha similis or A. australis.

Usual ref site : http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_grasshoppers/GrassPyrgomorp.htm

Although they aren't considered major pests they have been having a good feed on the silverbeet :

So action was needed. I tried Neem several times - it had no noticeable effect on them. So off to the Hardware store for other options and I purchased a garlic/onion/pyrethrin trigger spray and another one that was straight pyrethrin based. The former seems to have knocked them back quite a lot even with one spraying.

The silverbeet struggles here over summer but I have seen some from other gardeners that puts mine to shame, so that is a stimulus to "try harder"

Turnips

2011-10-20T14:55:00.000+10:00

We have had a successful crop of Turnips- actually "crop" is a bit of a misnomer as I had only planted a small row. This is the first time I have grown turnips so next season more of this variety will get planted. Root vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet along with plenty of "greens" and fruit. The variety was "purple top" :

Also noticed an Oriole flash out of a large elkhorn so I suspected a nest and found this after fetching a ladder :

It was in amongst the top of this large elkhorn. The Olive backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatis) has such a lovely call. I have mentioned it before (in November last year).

Feverfew

2011-10-17T16:25:00.001+10:00

Tanacetum parthenium

This herb is of interest to me medically for two reasons - as a treatment for migraines and also for chronic back pain. The information following is not a treatment recommendation or endorsement and the best treatment for you may not be this herb.

It belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy) family. The name feverfew is either a corruption of featherfew referring to the plant's fine feathery leaves, or from the latin, meaning fever reducer. It has small daisy like flowers , the leaves are soft and easily crushed with a scent of a hint of camphor. In form the leaves are a little like Herb Robert and mine are about 1x2cm in size, although only recently planted, so there is no flowers and the leaf size may become larger. It comes from the Balkans area originally.

There is a long history of use of this plant with Dioscorides from about AD 65 in “De Materia Medica” recording uses for this herb probably for headaches. The parthenium part of the name possibly relates to the Greek “parthenos” meaning virgin – referring to young women using the herb for menstrual problems. An alternative explanation is from Plutarch who wrote the herb was used to treat a worker who had fallen whilst helping to build the Parthenon in Athens.

Culpepper wrote in the Middle ages that it was used for female problems and for “pains in the head”. It seems to have been used extensively throughout the ages in Europe and a similar species was also used by the Chinese for much the same medical ailments.

The active ingredients seem to be mainly a compound called Parthenolide - a sesquiterpene lactone. This group of chemicals occurs widely especially in the Asteraceae family and can be toxic, especially to grazing animals.

Medical research: (Pubmed - search term “feverfew” - number of abstracts was 254)

Abstract 1: Parthenolide and a synthetic variation had anti breast cancer effects in vitro.

The effect seemed to have been due to downregulation of messenger RNA and some cellular enzymes.

Abstract 3: The effect of Cocaine (dopamine release in the brain) was blocked by Parthenolide. Nicotine also causes release of Dopamine and thus Feverfew might be useful to help stop smoking.

Abstract 5: Another anti-cancer effect reported. This one against bladder cancer cells but was once again only an in vitro study.

Abstract 6: A double blind placebo controlled trial ( that is the best type of medical study) on feverfew and ginger for migraines. The results were about 2:1 in favour of feverfew - at 2hrs 32% feverfew patients vs 16% placebo pateints were pain free and 63%(feverfew) vs 39% (placebo) had pain reduction.

and finally :

Abstract 15: This explains the traditonal use for menstrual problems . Feverfew was shown to enhance platelet production and function.

There is lots more published medical research on Parthenolide and it broadly has anti-inflammatory, anti-pain and anti-cancer effects. Side effects eported include mouth ulcers and when an extract of the plant is used topically it can cause dermatitis (skin rash).

I think it has a role in the management of migraines – for prophylaxis and acute treatment. As to dose, I'm not sure about that, but 1-2 leaves/day would be reasonable, and like Gotu Kola, maybe don't use it every day and have a blood test after 1-2 months to check blood count (platelets), liver function and the like. The more I delve into weeds and herbs the more impressed I have become and it is really surprising how traditonal uses are often justified by current research findings. However the devil is in the details- how much to use and what side effects.

Lousiana Irises

2011-10-15T18:17:00.000+10:00

Anne has collected several colour varieties over the years and they are flowering at present:

All bar the last are in full sun -south facing - behind the Granny flat - that area drains any rain from the back lawn so it tends to stay damp for longer after rain. The last photo is a plant growing in the frog pond - also thriving.

We had a storm this afternoon with a few minutes of hail - no damage but I bet some parts of SEQ were not so fortunate. The last time we had hail was quite a few years ago - I had just laid some of our driveway and it was pock marked much to my chagrin.

Garden Arch

2011-10-15T17:57:00.000+10:00

Another project recently has been the construction of a Garden arch - using some wrought iron railing as the basis of the uprights. These came from our daughter's place when they were renovating and I just knew they would come in handy!
As they were only about 1.8m long I constructed a plint of rocks with concrete infill to set the old rails into an upright position. The rest of the construction was 100x38mm treated pine - uprights and plates for the roof structure. The roof structure was made from some recycled 75x 38mm hardwood with pine battens to finish. Setting the roof up was interesting - I set the ridge board up on a couple of temporary bits of timber running between each upright and then attached each rafter (there were only 6)
We plan on planting hoya or some other climber to grow over it. This arch marks the start of a gravel track leading to the frog pond and down into the front part of our garden

The Fraser Island creeper (Tecomanthe hillii) is in flower in the foreground

myrtle rust

2011-10-15T17:36:00.000+10:00

We have only had one plant affected thus far - a Eugenia jambos or Rose Apple.
I initially carefully pruned off affected parts but it soon recurred so that plant has been taken out- fortunately it was still quite small. As we have lots of Myrtaceae plants in our garden I didn't want that one plant acting as a focus of infection. Interestingly we have other Eugenia jambos and they seem clear of this disease - so far anyway.

brocolli from aquaponics system

2011-09-25T17:19:00.000+10:00

Apart from lots of Kale at present we have several brocolli heads ready in some grow beds
This one is for married daughter and her family :

Diameter is 22cm

Mt Petrie wildflowers

2011-09-19T18:12:00.000+10:00

This time of year there are lots of different wild flowers to be seen during my walk/exercise in the Mt Petrie Koala Reserve. This patch of bush is quite varied in the native plant species - most of which I cannot identify. Here's one that I am reasonably confident with although the photo does not do the plant justice:

ID: Platylobium formosum or flat pea

There are lots of other flowers at present and a walk through this patch of bush is a delight.
Although I have explored this patch of bush for many years I found this old car wreck a week or so ago:

I'm not sure what variety of car/4wd it was.

Plenty of flowers out in our yard as well:

This is Bauhina alba. The Bauhina purpurea is also in bloom

Humpy recreation

2011-09-16T10:44:00.000+10:00

Another garden item that I constructed recently is a "humpy". This word is used to describe the Aboriginal dwellings in the bush and does have some negative connations. This is not my intention. I have a lot of respect for the Aboriginal people - their land use, their art and culture and social structures. A highlight for me a few months ago was to visit the Kimberley region to see the Bradshaw figures and Wandjina rock art.
Construction was simply to use a sheet of concrete reinforcing steel bent into an arch to make the frame and then palm fronds, sticks, branches etc applied.

Growing plants from cuttings and Native Raspberries

2011-09-15T06:32:00.000+10:00

At the last Tamborine Sustainable Garden Club meeting there was a presentation on growing plants from cuttings. Here is what I learned:

1. Take the cutting from the section of the plant where the colour of the stem changes and it is flexible but not "floppy". Cut more than is required and trim later to about 100-150mm lengths.
2. Collect early in the morning and put straight into a plastic bag.
3. Cuttings will keep for a few days if stored in the fridge.
4. If wrapped in moist newspaper they can be sent by mail
5. Just below a node is the most active region for plant hormones. Don't bother with rooting compounds.
6. Mix for growing = 1/3 coarse sand, 1/3 moistened coco peat, 1/3 moistened perlite. Use more peat in summer for extra moisture retention.
7. Container - large pot = community pot for 10+ cuttings or use tubes.
8. Cut just below a node and remove most leaves and reduce any large leaves.
9. Place tubes in a foam box with some ventilation and cover with glass.
10. Mist spray leaves twice daily.
11. Cuttings take in average 6-8 weeks before rooting - some natives a lot longer.

I have done 30 odd cuttings of natives from my yard especially of species I want more off such as Grevillias. I have tried to grow cuttings of natives before with limited success so I hope to have a better strike rate this time.

Here's a photo of some of our native raspberries - Rubus rosifolius. Taste wise they are ok and the plant is growing really well.

swimming pool decommissioning- update

2011-09-12T19:47:00.000+10:00

Here's an update on one of my most popular blog posts from 24/7/2010 ( you can easily search for it by entering "decommissioning a swimming pool" in the search box top left). The tarp that I used had two problems - the first was rain water collecting in various parts
and needing to be squeegeed off - a bit of a fag but I didn't mind doing it. The second was that the tarp started to deteriorate in the sun and develop tears.
So I replaced it with 70% shade cloth - this was a lot easier to stretch tight as well and should also last quite well. This amount of shade should be enough to prevent any algal growth. Note that I have left the water in the pool - it needs to stay in to maintain weight in the pool to prevent any hydrostatic pressure cracking or lifting the pool out of the ground. This happened to one of my poly water tanks awhile ago so I am keen to avoid anything like that. Obviously water will tend to accumulate in the pool from direct rainfall so every now and then I check the skimmer box and if the level is too high I pump some out onto the garden. Another way would be to set up an overflow pipe from the pipework behind the skimmer box but so far I haven't done that. I keep checking the salt level as well and when it has dropped right down by dilution from rain I can start to use it for watering the garden and nearby fruit trees

Overall I have been really happy with the way this has stopped us needing to maintain the pool and has reduced our use of electricity. It was quite an economic way as well although you do need to be reasonably handy.

Aquaponics : replacing diaphragms in aerator

2011-09-11T19:31:00.000+10:00

Last year I lost some fish when an aerator failed. I replaced the whole thing but since have learnt that it is possible to replace the part that fails in them called a diaphragm.
So yesterday I purchased the required parts and proceeded to pull an aerator to bits to have a go at replacing them.
The aerator I use in my systems is a brand called "Aqua One"- they have a 4 tube outlet and I have generally been satisfied with them. However after 12 months of constant use the rubber diaphragms develop small tears and the amount of air pumped through the tubes into the water obviously declines or ceases
The first step was removing 6 screws from the base -this opened it up where the bits to be replaced became obvious. Each arm was unclipped to access a small screw/nut holding the rubber diaphragm to it. There are four diaphragms to be replaced in the model I have.

After replacing each diaphragm reassembly was also straightforward.

After checking that it all works ok , I have written a date on the side so I remember when I replaced the diaphragms

Aquaponics

2011-03-06T21:37:00.000+10:00

I have restocked my aquaponics systems as we were getting down on
fish. - 50 more Jade Perch and 50 more Silver Perch from the hatchery near
Beenleigh. I have put all the large fish into the largest system and the
fingerlings ( they are actually about 3 months old) into the other 2 systems.

Collecting lots of feijoas at present but that is about all.
Lots of purslane around at present along with Sowthistle and other
edible weeds.

Not doing much in the yard at present

Drymaria cordata

2011-02-24T06:25:00.001+10:00

Another interesting weed/herb is :

binomial name : Drymaria cordata
common name : Tropical chickweed

It is a spreading annual herb - it is around at present whereas normal chickweed is barely evident. It looks just like Stellaria media (chickweed) but has almost round opposite leaves and much longer flower stalks:

The internet is fairly sparse on details of this weed - lots of suggestions of traditional herbal use and use as a potherb but no real substantial reports
that I could locate.

Pubmed had only a few entries :

One indicated a useful anti-cough effect of an extract of the plant. Codiene linctus is about the only really effective cough suppressant medically available but about 10-15% of patients are unable to tolerate codiene (it gives them stomach pains and nausea/vomiting). If that is the case it would be a useful addition to what is currently available. Pity there seems to be no clinical trials on it.
Another abstract indicated an anxiety reducing effect and a further one indicated it had an anti-cancer effect.

Odds on this plant has lots of anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene
but actual nutritional analysis was not evident. Also odds on it
would have the usual herb benefits of lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and possibly anti-inflammatory effects as well. However this is speculation on my part as I was unable to locate any good scientific studies.

Here's a photo of a Meadow Argus (Junonia villida) butterfly from our recent Stanthorpe trip. These have been around our yard also at times.

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_nymphs/MeadowArgus.htm

Garden - general

2011-02-23T10:34:00.000+10:00

We are starting to pick feijoas again - good crop this year although the 2 trees have developed a lean after all the wet weather.

Collected this produce yesterday morning:

The feijoas even though they are green are still ripe to eat - when ripe they fall off the tree. This variety of Tamarillo don't seem to develop a deep red colour when ripe but they are still nice eating. We are still picking cherry gauvas although they are nearly finished. The Babaco fruit fell off after a storm the other night - probably won't ripen enough to eat. Also 1 duck egg and 1 chook egg from the 2 new chickens - quite small so far as they have only just started laying.

Weeds being eaten regularly at present as potherbs : Purslane , Sowthistle, Cobbler's pegs, Amaranth, Galinsoga , Warrigal greens. Usually I go around and pick a bit of this and that and then it is boiled for a short period.

Here's a nice photo of some Eastern Grey Kangaroos that were feeding
outside the B&B we stayed in at Stanthorpe recently

Amaranthus viridus

2011-02-22T16:59:00.000+10:00

Another edible weed that is common on our property in the summer months:

binomial name: Amaranthus viridus
common name : Green Amaranth

The give away is the distinctive seed spikes holding a multitude of seeds
ready to be dispersed. The leaves are a dull green on top and a bit paler
underneath -about 7cm x 9cm in size . The plant grows to about 1m high here.

The leaves and young stems can be used as a potherb in place of silverbeet
or spinach - indeed it was considered superior to spinach in early colonial days. The seeds are also edible when ripe with a nutty taste.

It is used as a vegetable (potherb) in India, Africa and Greece : in a study of Greek migrants in Melbourne in 2002 it was one of the weeds (along with dandelion, purslane and sowthistle) being added by them to their salads on a regular basis. This group of migrants exhibit less cancer and heart disease than those eating a traditional Australian diet.
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v56/n11/full/1601472a.html

Other nutritional content : betacarotene, some minerals such as
Ca, P04, Mg and Mn but it was difficult to get actual figures.

Traditionally in Indian/Nepalese cultures it has been used in relieving the pain of childbirth. A Pubmed search however did not find any supporting scientific studies confirming this. However it really would be of no surprise
as so many of these weed species seem to have such effect.

Here's also an Aeosops fable mentioning Amaranth:

AN AMARANTH planted in a garden near a Rose Tree, thus addressed it: "What a lovely flower is the Rose, a favorite alike with Gods and with men. I envy you your beauty and your perfume." The Rose replied, "I indeed, dear Amaranth, flourish but for a brief season! If no cruel hand pluck me from my stem, yet I must perish by an early doom. But thou art immortal and dost never fade, but bloomest for ever in renewed youth."

Sacromento burr

2011-02-21T21:48:00.000+10:00

posted for id by BCC weeds office:

Yellow weed

2011-02-21T21:37:00.000+10:00

Academic work has been a priority the past month - 2 literature reviews for
publishing and a study protocol completed - thus I have not been doing much else. Also I'm booked to do 2 garden club "edible weeds" talks and another on "The Paleolithic diet" next month so that has needed some revision as well. Anyway - enough excuses.

binomial name : Galinsoga parviflora
common name : yellow weed, potato weed, or gallant soldier

This weed occurs at the foot of some aquaponic grow beds, in the orchard and also in a vegetable garden. There are small yellow daisy like flowers and soft leaves about 4-6cm long. It is quite prolific and we have largely ignored it until recently when we have started to harvest it and use it as a potherb.
Taste wise it is bland and seems to lack any bitterness.

Pubmed search was really interesting: (search term : Galinsoga)

abstract 5 : 2 compounds described - one with antioxidant activity and the second had inhibition of alpha reductase . This enzyme converts complex carbohydrates to simple ones for absorption from the gut. This means galinsoga would be useful in diabetes in reducing blood sugar after a meal. A similar drug already used like this is Acarbose that works the same way by blocking this enzyme pathway.

abstract 6: this is a bit hard to assess as the detail is not really given but reading between the lines it seems as if Galinsoga as used traditionally is useful as a healing agent for wounds. One would need the complete journal article to confirm this though.

abstract 7: another really interesting report that an extract of Galinsoga blocks ACE ( angiotensin converting enzyme). Thus this is another blood pressure reducing weed.

Nutritional content: 41kcal/100gm 4gm protein small amounts Ca, P04, Na, Mn and modest Mg( 681) It also has modest anti-oxidant activity .
It certainly is not as good for us as Purslane or Sowthistle but is nonetheless another useful edible weed.

(ref : Journal of Food Composition and Analysis Volume 20, Issue 5, August 2007, Pages 430-435)

This is actually quite a good article to purchase as it details the nutritional content of quite a few of the weeds
I did not find any warnings on this plant in my searches regarding oxalic acid
levels or other adverse chemicals present.

Austral Ellipsidion cockroach

2011-01-30T14:39:00.000+10:00

Our grand-daughter spotted this beautiful cockroach this morning sitting on the leaf of a dahlia bush :

binomial name : Ellipsidion australe
common name : Austral ellipsidion

It is a last stage instar - ie last step on the way to becoming an adult.

This is one of many native cockroaches - the pest cockroaches are all introduced and this unfortunately has given this type of beetle a bad name.

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_hoppers/BushCockroaches.htm

The spider lillies are in full bloom again:

And one of the new chooks became a carpet python meal overnight :

That was about an $18.00 main course meal for this native "friend" !
-I only bought it last week. It has been replaced with two more today and I will make sure to lock them in a snake proof enclosure from now on.

Scribbly Gum

2011-01-27T07:34:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, late afternoon during the Australia Day street party, this Scribbly Gum was highlighted by the late afternoon sun- it shone like a beacon with the white colour of the trunk. This tree is probably over 100 years old - there were some really massive Scribbly Gums on the 2 properties at the end of the street but unfortunately some have gone now.

Eucalyptus racemosa: scribbly gum

It is a tree to 20m on deep sandy soils usually on coastal lowlands. We have several on our property, nowhere near as large as this one. The scribbles on the trunk are from moth larvae.

Giant Valanga

2011-01-26T10:10:00.000+10:00

This morning whilst weeding a front garden bed this grasshopper was
found:

It is a native grasshopper called a Giant Valanga
Link to the usual info site:

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_grasshoppers/GiantGrassH.htm

It is off to become chook food after the photography session

On our letterbox there has been a paper wasp nest growing. This morning we took down some insect spray to kill the wasps and remove the nest. They have a nasty sting when disturbed and being on the letterbox was not
ok!

They are the common paper wasp - Polistes sp (probably humilis)

Link about these :

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_wasps/Polistinae.htm

Also not garden related:

Mary's cat called Astro. He is about 3 months old now.

Australia Day here today - there is the usual street party later on this afternoon- hopefully it stays fine and no thunderstorm develops.

Magpie Moth

2011-01-24T19:26:00.000+10:00

Spotted this moth on the back lawn this afternoon:

Magpie Moth - Nyctemera secundiana:

I initially thoughtt it was a small Common Crow butterfly but soon realised it was a moth by the way it held the wings at rest. The food for this species
is the weed Thickhead or Crassocephalum crepidiodes of which we have a lot.

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_tigermoths/MagpieMoths.htm

Our garden has now dried out enough to get serious again - on the weekend
we weeded the vegetable garden ready for some more plantings. Also we
planted a new Meyer Lemon and a grapefruit variety called Honnef's Surprise. The latter is similar to the Poorman's Orange - a New Zealand grapefruit variety that we like but couldn't get here. Both citrus have been planted well above ground level to get better drainage. This was done by using 4 bales of sugar cane mulch to retain a barrow load of soil and compost :

Anne pruned the Tropical Peach as well. Some other fruit trees were staked up as they leaned too much after the prolonged rain. Figs are in full swing
-jam was made today as the quantity is too much to eat fresh. Yard long beans from one of the aquaponics growbeds continue to be picked every 2 days . The ants are getting into it though and need to be hosed off - they are spreading/feeding aphids that seem to like this plant but hosing works well enough.
The trees that fell over during the heavy rain/flods I had cut off about 1 m from the ground and stood up-so far the Moringa has sprouted and has one Kauri and one Papaya. Just shows it is worth doing this especially for small to medium sized trees that are worth trying to save. Long term I wonder though how good the root structure will be.
We also bought 2 more chooks on the weekend (Australorps). These are for the enclosure where the ducks live. It was getting overgrown with weeds and hopefully they will clean it up.

Heavily into academic work for the next few months so will be out in the garden less.

Tom

Figs

2011-01-14T05:53:00.000+10:00

Finally the weather is ok enough to start moving around the garden. The ground is still very sodden with ponds of water in quite a few spots but the flowing water seems to have stopped for now.
We were looking today at places we could establish better drainage to try and stop water running directly down the property. This will involve using the bobcat I have access to and create contour based structures of furrows and mounds. There is no way that will be happening though for a while yet as it would be a recipe for making a huge mess.

The fig tree is loaded with fruit - we picked several today and lots more coming on. It surprises me that the fruit fly, possums and birds don't get into this fruit :

Also the Bunya tree up the back has dropped this year's nuts - there are only 5 this year. These will be stacked in a dry spot for a couple of weeks until I get around to splitting them open to extract the edible nuts that are inside the large outer structure that is also called a nut - it gets a bit confusing!

Brisbane Flood

2011-01-13T15:02:00.000+10:00

We went to have a look at the flooding today (without getting in the way)
Mt Gravatt did not really provide much of a view and even the Gateway bridge was a waste of time. The solid bridge sides prevent any real view of the river. Bulimba was better:

The river is way wider than usual and a very muddy brown colour. There was an anchored yacht nearby that was obviously bow down into the water- the anchor chain length must have been too short for the river depth. One street we tried to go down was blocked off.
Another fine day here largely with one or two showers so far. Lots of dragonflies around and spotted another Orchard Swallowtail butterfly. Anne took some shots of it flying around and managed this one :

It is not identifiable from the photo but it is a nice "action" shot.

Small green banded blue butterfly

2011-01-12T06:04:00.000+10:00

Yesterday morning whilst having breakfast in the usual spot - the verandah - this small butterfly was hanging around:

binomial name : Psychonotis caelius
common name : Small green banded blue

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_blues/SmallGreenBandedBlue.htm

The photograph doesn't display the bright blue colour of the top side of the wings. Host plant is the Red Ash or Soap wood ( Alphitonia excelsa). This tree grows well here and seedlings appear regularly. I leave them if they are in a reasonable spot.

Regarding our floods : Damage so far : 2 kauri trees fallen over, 1 Moringa fallen over 3 Papaya fallen over, about 30 drowned plants including some native olives that were doing really well, and a variegated pohutukawa that wasn't cheap to buy at the nursery. Some of the small Lomandras I planted also seem to have rotted. Fortunately we are well out of harms way and will not be affected any further but it is still disturbing to see so much destruction and loss of life in SE Queensland. I hope it is not a sign of things to come with climate change. On a brighter note - a beautiful fine day today (so far!)
The only produce we are harvesting at the moment is yard long beans from the aquaponics system :

They are about 400mm long and we pick a handful every 2-3 days

Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly

2011-01-11T06:33:00.000+10:00

Whilst I have posted about this before, we spotted this butterfly in our yard a few days ago :

I am fairly sure it is a female Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly . It was a bit ragged looking so must have been on its last legs. The host plant is citrus so I must check for caterpillars from it in a few days.

Also spotted this colourful spider in a simple web in the rose garden. I have been unable to identify it unfortunately.

Rainbow Bee-eater

2011-01-09T20:38:00.000+10:00

Whilst having lunch today on the verandah, we noticed some birds hanging around in the next door bush. They were sitting fairly high up in a dead gum tree before swooping down and catching dragonflies (probably - as there are lots of them flying around at present) before returning to a branch to eat the catch. After having a good look with binoculars they were identified as the Rainbow Bee-eater. Anne took some pictures using the SLR camera with zoom. This one was the best :

Merops ornatus

This one lacks the black crescent under the chin and the colours are not as vibrant as in the reference book we have, so maybe it is a juvenile. This is the first time we have spotted these birds, but they may have been around in other years without being noticed as they seem quite a shy bird species.

Wivenhoe in flood

2011-01-08T21:06:00.000+10:00

Not much happening in our yard at present - we have had so much rain recently and the ground is totally sodden. Today my ride- on mower became bogged just backing it out of the shed where it is kept. It is still bogged and is covered with a tarp as more rain is on the way.

This afternoon we went up to see Wivenhoe in flood - all the flood gates are open on the dam wall and the sight was quite spectacular - a mini Niagara falls!

I am heavily into some academic work at present so there will be less posting - well until we can get back into the yard if it ever dries out

Yellow striped flutterer dragonfly

2010-12-29T09:23:00.000+10:00

Finally a day without rain - so far anyway. Another 45mm of rain yesterday. Brisbane has had the wettest December in 150 years with over 400mm of rain - our average annual rainfall is about 1200mm, so it has been very wet. I have noticed a few small trees have turned up their "toes" having been inundated for so long, maybe they will recover, if not they will be replaced with something more suitable.

Whilst having breakfast we noticed this Yellow striped flutterer dragonfly
(Rhyothemis phyllis) sitting on a spirea plant :

link for the dragonfly :http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_dragons/Gallery2.htm.

There seems to be a large variety of dragonflies around Brisbane

Also on the lawn were a couple of Pacific Black ducks (Anas superciliosa)

We see this species around frequently although maybe not as much as the Wood duck (Chenonetta jubata)

brush tail possum

2010-12-26T09:52:00.000+10:00

Still very wet here - day after day of rain or showers, including overcast and light intermittent rain today, so very little happening in the garden.

This morning whilst checking the vegetable garden we noticed the door into the bush house pushed open and a possum (deceased) stuck underneath.
Poor thing - it must have got into the vegetable garden somehow and got stuck trying to get back out:

Also some yellow fungal growths on a log and a Common crow butterfly that was hanging around the verandah yesterday:

Common Eggfly butterfly

2010-12-23T06:56:00.000+10:00

No activity in the yard for days as it has been raining nearly every day.

Spotted this Common Eggfly butterfly ( Hypolimna bolina) this morning sitting in a Frangipani tree - it is a female. The males do not have the red spots.

identification from the usual website :
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_nymphs/CommonEggfly.htm

This is one I haven't noticed before but may well have been present and dismissed as the Australian crow ( Euploea core). They are similar with the white markings.

Ring tailed Possum

2010-12-16T19:41:00.000+10:00

Severe thunderstorm here this afternoon - about 20mm of rain and strong winds. One of our medium sized Queensland Kauri trees has fallen over due to the sodden ground and winds. When I went to check further I noticed a possum nest in the lower branches and the occupant looking a bit dazed by his home falling over :

The ring on the end of the tail is visible giving this species it's common name. Somewhat amusingly to the family, whilst taking these photos he leaped onto my left hand and gave me some nice scratches.

Blue tongue lizard and fruit fly netting

2010-12-15T09:07:00.000+10:00

Whilst the 50mm rural b polypipe/star picket hoop system works well in that it is adjustable, I thought I would build a permanent frame for the feijoas and keep them trimmed to fit inside.
Using 90mm pvc storm water pipe, elbows and T fittings, I constructed ends like this :

After the glue had set well (overnight) the ends were stood up at each end of the feijoas ( we have two - two are needed for cross pollination) and the horizontal pieces were inserted. These I have only screwed, in case I decide to move a frame in the future. It now looks like this :

I set the width at 3m as storm water pipe comes in 6m lengths. Height is 2.7m- plenty high enough to be trying to pick fruit. This type of pipe (pvc) is really easy to handle - you can make female ends easily using a hot air gun so there is minimal waste. I have tried to make elbows, as well, but find that not so easy. I am not sure how well it will function in terms of sag on the horizontal pieces. Time will tell on that and I can always reiforce it on the inside with a length of timber.

Whilst placing the fruitfly netting, I found this Blue tongue lizard had taken up residence in it, when it had been lying around nearby, prior to being used:

Botany Bay Diamond Weevil

2010-12-13T17:39:00.000+10:00

Some more garden wildlife around at present

1 Chrysolopus spectabilis or Botany Bay Diamond weevil

This species was the first scientifically described Australian insect. A specimen was collected by Joseph Banks in 1770 and taken back to England. This one was found in the vegetable garden feeding on a rhubarb leaf.

2.Leptotes plinius or Zebra blue or Plumago Blue butterfly

There were quite a few of this small butterfly hanging around 2 Plumago bushes down the front of the property today.

3. Carpet snake or Reticulated python- about 1.8m long. This was causing the ducks some consternation last night but they are probably too large for it anyway.

Christmas beetle

2010-12-12T12:07:00.000+10:00

Noticed a Christmas beetle yesterday in amongst some leaf litter
under one of our large fig trees. There are other varieties around from time to time as well.

It is an Anoplognathus sp and belongs to the scarab family. The adults feed on eucalyptus leaves whilst the larvae feed on grass roots. They have spectacular iridescent colours.

We had a period of very heavy rain yesterday - total for the 24hrs was 90mm. It is very sodden in the yard again. Here is a photo of one of the overflowing downpipes :

Common Anthelid moth

2010-12-10T20:35:00.000+10:00

The caterpillar from 8/11/10 has hatched. Metamorphosis is an amazing process how a caterpillar reorganises it's tissues to form a flying insect but understandable when you realise it is simply normal development suspended for awhile. As the egg develops instead of proceeding straight to a flying insect, it hatches and the larvae feeds and grows, before going back into the development process. In evolutionary terms, this actually makes sense as it reduces food competition between the young and mature of the species.

It looks like it was a common anthelid moth or Anthela acuta.
Whilst it is plain it is still a thing of beauty

Also some of our Christmas decorations including "Woody" - our reindeer.

I'm still busy preparing a presentation on the Paleolithic diet and also I
have another more medical presentation to prepare that requires quite a lot of reading and study. Thus less blogging for awhile.

Frogs

2010-12-06T21:38:00.001+10:00

Collected another 40+ toads again tonight - gave up when it started to rain and there was still lots more around to be caught and despatched another time.

Saw 4 frog species as well -apart from a Pobblebonk seen again tonight,
these three were also observed and photographed:

Green tree frog : Litoria caerula

Spotted Marsh frog : Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

Dainty tree frog : Litoria gracilenta

The ID of the last two are via this web site and I hope they are correct:

http://frogs.org.au/frogs/ofQld/Brisbane

Rain - 85mm yesterday, 30+ so far today - the ground is very sodden with surface water everywhere. - no wonder it is frog central at present. I am quite pleased to have lots of frogs around on our property.

Tom

Butterflies

2010-12-05T21:32:00.000+10:00

Whilst having a bush walk on Mt Petrie in the koala reserve noticed several glasswing butterflies in one spot in a cleared area under the power lines:

Scientific name : Acraea andromacha
Common name : Glasswing or Little greasy

link for more details :

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_nymphs/Glasswing.htm

It looks like the host plant is various passiflora species - I'll need to be a bit more selective in removing that from the property as well. The butterfly above was quietly resting on a grass stalk and was easily photographed.

Also found in the yard a few days ago was a Common Brown Ringlet butterfly - this is quite a small species compared with some that are around.

Scientific name is : Hypocysta metirius

Pobblebonk

2010-12-04T21:24:00.001+10:00

Lots of frogs calling and lots of frog spawn in the frog pond and pond for the mine shute at present with more rain around. Whilst collecting yet more toads again tonight (another 12 for dispatch) picked up this delightful frog:

It is quite a large frog with bulging eyes. As far as I can determine it is a Northern Banjo Frog or Northern Pobblebonk.

The proper name is: Limnodynastes terrareginae

The call is like a bonk sound, and I certainly have heard this call at night so maybe this and his mates are the culprits.

Scribbly Gum

2010-12-02T08:47:00.000+10:00

The gum trees on the property are all shedding their bark - a uniquely Australian tree occurrence as far as I know. Some of them look amazing with large strips of bark hanging off at various angles and piles of bark litter on the ground underneath.

This gum is obviously the Scribbly - Eucalyptus racemosa . It grows to about 20m high on sandy loam such as we have here. The trunk is the feature however with multiple tracks of the pupae of the moth Ogmograptis scribula. On the internet there is only one photo of this moth from the Australian National Botanic Gardens website:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/anbg/insects/ogmograptis.html

The moth is unremarkable from the photo, but the pupae certainly adds some "colour" to the trunk of this species of gum tree.

35mm of rain yesterday - looks like more showers today as well.

Less posting for the next few months as I have some academic work to prepare.

Eurema smilax

2010-11-30T05:10:00.000+10:00

Whilst working in the yard noticed this bright yellow butterfly down near the two large rainwater tanks :

Scientific name : Eurema smilax
Common name : Small grass yellow butterfly

Top view

Underneath view

The food plants for it are various Cassia and Senna. I have planted some Senna seeds but I think they have not sprouted, and otherwise we don't have any of these food plants for this butterfly. If the seeds don't sprout, I'll need to find some Cassia or Senna sp to plant. Cassia fistula is considered a weed/pest species in Brisbane and so it will need to be something else.

We also saw this butterfly in Boonah on the weekend - it seems to be quite common. The common name really does not do justice to such a lovely butterfly!

Polymeria calycina and Hypoxis pratensis

2010-11-29T07:01:00.000+10:00

Two more pretty flowers we saw at Boonah on our friend's property

Polymeria calycina (or slender bindweed)

It belongs to the Convolvulaceae family

The other one is called Hypoxis pratensis ( the species is only probably).
It doesn't have a common name:

Both these plants were quite low growing - the latter about 20cm high at the most. There were also lots of Yellow Buttons (Chrysocephalum sp) around as well but I didn't take a photo of those.

Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly

2010-11-28T20:12:00.000+10:00

Today we went to our friend's property at Boonah to collect a trailer load of bush rocks that I want for the bank behind the mine site. They asked us about a few garden problems :

Problem 1 : Plum tree - lots of fruit - but all stung by Queensland Fruit Fly

Advice : too late to do anything as the whole crop is infested. Next year try netting as soon as pollination has occurred

Problem 2 : Citrus leaves being eaten by :

Advice : This is the caterpillar of the Orchard Swallowtail butterfly :
(Papilio aegeus)

Male

Female

At the time, I was not sure of the associated moth or butterfly but have since emailed them and suggested they leave them be, as there was not too much leaf damage evident.

They also asked us about some passionfuit not forming fruit - we thought maybe it was a non fruiting variety and another plant that looked like a mineral or nutrient deficiency problem.

After some delicious poppy seed cake and coffee we headed up the back to collect some rocks :

This green tree frog was hiding in a pile of rocks and was carefully tucked away again :

We also checked out a bushy ridge and found some delightful native herbs in flower, that I have still to identify, and also this blue fringed lily:
(Thysanotus tuberosus)

This is the first time I have noticed this lily - hat tip to a blog reader who sent me a photo of one a couple of weeks ago and made me aware of it. It is a really beautiful flower. When you look carefully around the Australian bush there are lots of little visual delights to be found, especially after such good rains.

Light Sussex Chickens

2010-11-27T20:20:00.000+10:00

After the Garden Club Xmas breakup breakfast today we picked up the replacement chickens following the fox taking most of our last flock. These birds are from another club member who is moving and is unable to take a rooster to the new place. They are a breed I have never had before, called a Light Sussex. They are a much larger bird than the Australorp or Rhode Island Red that we previously had. We have been assured the rooster is non aggressive to people but he has some pretty impressive spurs that I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of.

Six new girls

Harold the Rooster

Now to be more careful with anti-fox security!

Grey Shrike-thrush

2010-11-25T07:22:00.000+10:00

Another bird we hear ,and catch glimpses of, is the Grey Shrike-thrush.
It is a fairly shy bird and I haven't managed a photo so far. It has a delightful song especially early in the day but also throughout the day.

Scientific name : Colluricincla harmonica
Common name : Grey Shrike-thrush

It is drab grey bird of similar size to the Oriole. Diet includes insects, spiders, frogs and lizards and maybe fruit and seeds. It is a difficult bird to get to know as it rapidly decamps whenever it is approached. The link to the song really does not do it justice - the birds around here are more melodic :

http://birdsinbackyards.net/images/audio/colluricincla-harmonica.mp3

details of the bird :

http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Colluricincla-harmonica

It is a lovely bird to hear and have around on the property

Maca

2010-11-24T21:27:00.000+10:00

When my wife and daughter were at the local health food shop they noticed a plant product being touted as a "super food". Being the skeptic that I am, here is my take on it (note that we don't grow it, and it looks like it is a high altitude cold climate plant anyway).

Binomial name : Lepidium meyenii
Common name : Maca, Peruvian ginseng

Description : a mat like perennial plant with tuberous roots resembling a radish. The roots are yellow or purple or a combination of the two. The roots are rich in sugars, starches, protein (13-16%), iron and iodine. Taste of the dried roots is reported to be sweet but spicy - boiled it is sweeter than cocoa (which is actually pretty bitter to my palate)

History : This is another Incan food that was widely grown - there are hundreds of square kilometres of terraces in the Lake Junin area of north Peru ,that seemed to have been used historically to grow it. This area is very cold and is barren and rocky such that even potatoes don't grow. The roots were dried and stored and used for trade for lower altitude foods. For the Incans ,and indeed in Peru today, this food is valued as it reputedly enhances fertility in humans and livestock. There is archeological evidence for it's use dating back to about 1600 B.C.

The free internet book - Lost crops of the Incas has a really good chapter on this plant:

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1398&page=56

Pubmed - search term Lepidium meyenii

Abstract 9 : This was a review of 4 randomised controlled trials. Two trials showed that Maca had a postive effect on sexual dysfunction and libido in healthy menopausal women and men. One trial showed no effect on healthy cyclists!. The last trial reported on showed a positive effect for male erectile dysfunction. That is an interesting one as I have quite a few male patients looking for help with that!
Abstract 12: Maca had a bone density increasing effect on ovarectomised rats. This means it potentially is useful for osteoporosis in oestrogen deficient women
Abstract 22: Maca had a potent blocking effect on an enzyme called ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme). This enzyme is blocked medically in patients with hypertension and thus Maca would probably lower blood pressure as well. No doubt phenolic compounds in the plant would also lower blood sugar and cholesterol, but this was not really reported in this abstract.

There were more studies on Pubmed as well but those were the ones that I found interesting.

As regards being a superfood - note that the sites touting this also are selling it, no doubt at a good profit margin. I bet the poor farmers in Peru don't make much out it. In my opinion, it is ok as a supplement but we have access to other fresh foods such as kale and brocolli and lots of fresh fruit that would be probably better. I certainly would not bother buying it here , but would be interested in trying it, if we ever get to go to Peru. Medically it might be worth trying for the reasons given in abstract 9.

Tom

Cabbage White butterfly

2010-11-23T06:14:00.000+10:00

With the onset of warmer weather Cabbage White butterflies are common again.

Binomial name : Pieris rapae
Common name : Cabbage White or Summer Snowflake ( cute name for it!)

underneath view

top view

This butterfly is a major pest in our garden and elsewhere when trying to grow brassica type vegetables ( cabbage, broccoli, kale etc). It was accidentally introduced into Australia in about 1929 and quickly spread - a butterfly story replicated by the cane toad. It appeared in Sydney by 1941. Appearance is basically white with a yellow tinge underneath. The male has one black spot on the wings and the female two. The eggs are laid underneath the leaves of the chosen plant singly and are about 1mm long. When they hatch the caterpillar eats large holes in the outer leaves before moving into the middle part with the plant being rendered useless apart for feeding to the chooks.

There are some look alikes - here is an excellent site for butterfly and insect ID that I use a lot :

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_whites/CabbageWhite.htm

Control is via Derris dust (Rotenone) applied regularly and after rain and Dipel ( Bacillus thuringiensis). The latter is safe in the aquaponics system whereas Derris dust is toxic to fish. Bordeaux mixture is supposed to repel the butterfly as is growing Dill as a companion plant. I have used Derris dust and Dipel. Derris dust is easy to use as it comes in a "puff" pack.

My vegetable garden is netted to try and exclude this particular pest but they still manage to get in somehow (usually an open door) and create havoc.

I don't even try to grow brassicas in the warmer months although we still are harvesting Kale leaves regularly and still have some cabbages hanging on that will go to the chooks.

Tom

Kookaburra

2010-11-22T20:01:00.000+10:00

We often see Kookaburras around our property. Often they sit on a branch for awhile studying the ground underneath before swooping down and catching some insect or worm to eat. This one was sitting on a fence post.

The petrea volubilis in flower is also visible , the walkway out to the two large rainwater tanks, and a grevillea behind the Kookaburra as well.
I'm not sure I believe this, but Kookaburras calling in the middle of the day is supposed to be a sign of rain coming.

I collected another 7 toads tonight, 28 yesterday and 32 the night before. That makes 127 so far over 4 nights. Surely I have taken a good chunk of the local population by now. We had about 5mm of rain last night.

Preserving fruit

2010-11-21T07:50:00.000+10:00

We are getting to the end of the peach and nectarine crop and have bottled quite a lot for later use.

The method we use to preserve fruit is fairly simple. After preparing the fruit, such as trimming off any blemishes and removing the stone, about a 1/2 cup of sugar is added and the lot boiled for about 5-10 minutes. The preserving jar bottles are heated in the oven whilst the fruit is being prepared and cooked. Lids and rings are sterilised with boiling water - either in another small pot or simply by pouring boiling water over them from the kettle. The cooked fruit is ladled into a jar and when full, boiling water from the kettle is poured on to the point of the jar overflowing. The lid is then screwed down. As cooling occurs a negative pressure develops inside the jar and this really "pulls down" the lid and a clicking noise indicates good sealing has occurred.

Regarding preserving jars - we acquired a box full of old Agee jars some time ago from another member of the garden club we belong to. We also use jam jars as they also have a seal on the lids. Yesterday, we purchased some more jars from a kitchen shop in Brisbane (a shop called Taste in Fortitude Valley - what an amazing store!). These jars are Italian made and the rings and lids of the Agee jars fit them perfectly when we need to reuse them. The old Australian Fowler vacola jars were also available at another Taste store. Agee rings and lids are available from NZ - when we were over last we found some on a supermarket shelf - but they don't seem to be available in Australian stores.

The bottom picture shows some reused jam jars (original lids) and Agee jars. One jar is not completely filled and will be refrigerated for use in the next few days rather than storing.

Olive backed Oriole

2010-11-20T13:29:00.000+10:00

A bird we hear alot around the property is the olive backed oriole. Indeed one was calling repeatedly as we were having lunch today.

Binomial name : Oriolus sagittatus
Common name : Olive-backed Oriole

The name Oriole basically equals the call which is written as "orry-orry-oriole" in the bird book.

http://birdsinbackyards.net/images/audio/oriolus-sagittatus.mp3

The bird has a streaked breast when seen front on that reminds me of the English thrush that occurs in New Zealand.

Oriole seen high in dead tree

The picture we took is a bit indistinct so included is one that my bird expert sent back after he had identified it. It eats berries and small fruits so that is probably why it is around here.

Silver leaf desmodium

2010-11-19T20:24:00.000+10:00

In reference to the post on Monday 15/11/10 the Invasive Species Officer at Brisbane City Council has identified it as Silver leaf Desmodium

Binomial name : Desmodium uncinatum
Common name : Velcro plant or Velcro vine.

The common name is quite apt as both the plant and seeds are very sticky to clothing and shoes.

The invasive species officer mentioned other varieties of this plant, and Glycine, that includes some natives so I will need to check carefully tomorrow to make sure I have the ID correct before committing plant murder with Glyphosate.

The link to the reply and also a plug for the BCC weeds forum that I only recently discovered :

http://202.148.140.166/Topic2284-107-1.aspx

or Google: Brisbane City Council weeds forum.

Also the grandchildren were around for dinner - home grown strawberries and icing sugar for dessert.

Cane toads

2010-11-18T07:46:00.000+10:00

Did a cane toad hunt last night - this pest species is nocturnal and with the warmer weather they have been hopping around again. I collected 60 last night and interestingly the behaviour of some of them is changing. In previous years, just about all simply squatted or "posed" when a torch was directed at them. Last night quite a few ran to try and escape. Collection is simply by picking up and putting into a used chicken feed bag which is tied off to prevent them escaping until the morning. This morning they were dispatched - I use the side of a garden trowel to almost decapitate them and they are then buried in the vegetable garden as a fertiliser. If you are careful and avoid cutting through the poison glands on the neck and have the mouth of the toad facing away from you, no fluid comes anywhere near your hands or face. On one occasion I did get some fluid onto my lips which went numb for awhile even though I washed it off straight away. Strictly speaking one should wear eye goggles, long sleeves and gloves as they do have quite a toxic poison.

Bufo marinus

Other methods of dispatch are putting them into the freezer if you are a bit more squeamish than I am.

Siratro

2010-11-16T08:22:00.000+10:00

Binomial name : Macroptilium atropurpureum
Common name: Siratro

Another weed species that occurs here in summer is Siratro. It is a rampant creeper and climbing vine with a large tap root that can be difficult to pull out if the ground is dry. The flowers are pea type and a dark red purple colour. The leaves occur in 3 broad leaflets/node and are 2-7cm with small silky hairs.
It was introduced as a stock feed, as it has about 15% protein but has become another just another weed species to be managed! I dislike it as it smothers other plants and can damage them - for example we have a young Bunya pine that was infested with it last year and it took a ladder, gloves and much effort to free the tree from it. Then the top was bent over and I needed to run a length of rope around it to strain it to become straight again.

The Queensland DPI link is :

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_7356.htm

I don't use this plant for anything around the yard but I guess the chooks would eat it.

Still picking peaches and nectarines - one of our best crops ever this year.
I am on a mission this morning to buy more jars for bottling as we have run out of our old Agee jars.

Glycine

2010-11-15T20:06:00.001+10:00

These two images are here so I can upload them to the BCC weed forum for help with ID.

One is glycine and the other looks like glycine.

Both are a nuisance on my property and I would like to learn more about them. So more about them later when I know a bit more

March fly

2010-11-14T19:24:00.000+10:00

There have been some March flies around when working outside - they are a fairly slow moving fly that are fairly easily swatted when they settle to bite.

Binomial name : Cydistomyia doddi
Common name : March fly ( overseas they are called Horse flies)

It is the female that bites to get some blood for egg production, whereas the male feed on nectar and pollen and thus are useful for pollination. They bite mammals and also birds, reptiles and amphibians. The larvae live in damp/wet soil and feed on other soil invertebrates. Here is the link to the Queensland Museum site.

http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/Insects/Flies/Common+species/Horse+flies

Interestingly, they do not spread disease like mosquitos to humans - Macropods (such as Kangaroos and Wallabies) however can be infected by a nematode by these flies.

I was taken by the pattern on the wings.

Otherwise - finally completely finished the physical work on the old dam site. It is now another "room" in our garden with sweet potato beds, berry patches, dry creek bed, old gold mine/root cellar , water shute and old shipping container made to look like a maori whare. It is all mulched, top soil spread where grass is to grow back and only needs some planting. Overall, we are happy with the outcome.

Corky Passionfruit and Dietes

2010-11-13T20:16:00.000+10:00

Another weed with edible fruit is Corky passionfruit - however it is a very nondescript flavour, unlike the Stinking passionfruit which is quite sweet.
Indeed, I would almost suggest not bothering with this one unless there was no other options around!

binomial name : Passiflora suberosa
common name : corky passionfruit

This plant is a perennial vine that climbs on other vegetation up to about 6m high. The lower stems have a corky appearance -thus the common name. The leaves are three lobed up to about 10cm and it has globe shaped fruit 1-1.5cm diameter. The fruit is green and turns dark purple/black when ripe.
A butterfly called the Glasswing feeds on this plant :

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_nymphs/Glasswing.htm

I have noticed this butterfly around in the past on our property.

Pubmed - nil of interest

The Dietes have been flowering profusely this past week. We have 2 types and 1 cultivar. It is a tough strappy plant a little like Lomandra but with more prominent and colouful flowers. Dietes robinsoniana is one we do not have, but I will definitely get if I come across it sometime

Dietes iridiodes

Dietes bicolor

Grumichama

2010-11-11T19:06:00.000+10:00

Our Grumichama has finally produced some fruit and it is very delicious to eat!

Binomial name : Eugenia brasiliensis (or dombeyi)
Common name : Brazil cherry

The fruit are a purplish-black colour ( there is also a yellow variety) and occur after the tree has been growing for 4-5 years. It can grow to 5-10m but is a bit drought sensitive. Last summer I nearly lost mine, at one stage all the leaves drooped and started to fall, but it recovered after a good drink.

The globe artichokes are flowering - we have never grown these before so it will be interesting when we pick them to see what they taste like.

Garden - old dam site

2010-11-10T08:19:00.000+10:00

More progress on the water shute - planted 3 pots of water plants yesterday - shield pennywort, dwarf umbrella grass and dwarf papyrus - all supposedly frog friendly. I have a workable pump system - the solar idea of pump and panels but no battery was not really practical with a head height of 2.1m and so I have settled on a 3,000lph pond pump on a timer. I can run power from the shed nearby using 3 trees as poles to string up the power lead.

I have put down 7m2 of road base to make the paths - it needs to be wide enough for mower/trailer access to the old shipping container that we use for storage.

Also a photo of one of our Inukshuk replicas - we were fascinated by these stacks of rocks when we visited Alaska a few years ago and when we returned from that trip, I made two from rocks we had lying around. I cheated a bit and used mortar to help keep them upright though.

Photo of some dahlias in flower:

And finally an eggplant from one of the aquaponics growbeds -it actually was quite buggy on the other side!

Backhousia myrtifolia

2010-11-08T20:33:00.000+10:00

Photo of Backhousia myrtifolia ( cinnamon myrtle) in flower.

The leaves when crushed and tasted don't really remind us of cinnamon. They seem to grow well on our property and I have recently planted several more.

Unidentified hairy caterpillar. I don't have a reference book for moths/butterflies and was unable to ID it using the internet. So - it is now in a container to be looked after until it pupates and hopefully I can ID it when it hatches. It was found on a Loropetalum bush.

Current length = 5cm

Also saw a Pacific Baza - a crested raptor this morning when having breakfast but it had moved on before we could get a photo unfortunately.

Wikipedia has a good article about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Baza

Yams -Kitava (Trobriand Islands)

2010-11-07T21:22:00.000+10:00

Yams are an important subsistence foodstuff in PNG and this was evident in Kitava, which is part of the Trobriand Islands. There is much cultural aspects attached to this plant including dances, harvest festival and competition to grow the largest specimens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trobriand_Islands

Here are 2 photos -one of a yam house - this was a separate storage hut
that was behind each dwelling, in the village we visited on Kitava. As it was the end of the season the yams evident are for replanting. The other photo shows a typical residence in this village- basically only traditional building materials are still used. The yam hut is visible in the background - only just got it in! I was also intrigued with the ramp/step up to the house.

Garden - general

2010-11-06T08:59:00.000+10:00

More photos :

Brazilian cherry ( Eugenia uniflora) - the fruit is a bit tart but still quite nice to eat.

Plum pine ( Podocarpus elatus) fruit developing. We have made jam from this in the past.

Brown Silky Oak ( Darlingia darlingiana) seedlings - I have potted up at least a dozen and will replant them later in other places on the property. We only have 2 trees and they have grown really well. This is the first time I have found seedlings - maybe a reflection of how much rain we have had.

Dianella sp (Blueberry lily) . This plant is becoming quite common on our property. The blue berries are edible but contain lots of seeds and so are a bit "gritty" when eaten.

Brithys crini and Spodoptera picta

2010-11-05T06:06:00.000+10:00

Lots happening in the garden - more rain yesterday. Made a little bit of progress in the old dam site and have had some road base delivered for making the tracks.

I noticed this beautifully coloured caterpillar on the Zephyranthes yesterday. It is a Brithys crini - they also feed on Hippeastrum, Crocus and Crinum. The adult is a fairly nondescript moth.

Brithys crini

Some of the Lomandra are flowering:

Lomandra longifolia

The Eugenia jambos ( rose apple) has almost finished flowering - this
is the last flower and there is quite a lot of fruit developing. It is a nice fruit
to eat when ripe.

Eugenia jambos flower

Native bramble or raspberry (Rubus rosifolius)- the fruit is ok as long as it is really ripe. I have this planted on the other side of the Mine site/root cellar to the water sluice that I have been working on lately.

Rubus rosifolius

Swamp lilly - looking ok so far, but in a month or so, it will be a sad specimen. Although it is a Crinum as far as I can determine ( I have never really looked) it is eaten by a different caterpillar - Spodoptera picta.
I found some of these caterpillars yesterday in a growbed munching on some spring onions.

Crinum pedunculatum

Spodoptera picta

Parsley

2010-11-04T13:41:00.000+10:00

Another plant we spotted growing wild in the Yorke peninsula was Parsley
It is reported to be a weed species in South East Australia (NSW, Vict, SA), Tasmania and NZ. We successfully grow both the curly and flat leaved varieties in the Aquaponics grow beds and, so far, have not had any problem with it coming up elsewhere in the garden.

Binomial name : Petroselinum crispum
common name : Parsley

It as a well known culinary herb - the name Parsley is derived from the Latin petroselinium ( via a couple of steps) which is also derived from the Greek meaning "rock celery". I was also interested to learn that apart from the curly and flat leaved varieties there is another one with a swollen root like parsnip.

Nutritionally, this plant is excellent with high levels of polyphenols, Vitamin C and K and some minerals including Zn. It does have oxalic acid as well.

Pubmed :

Abstract 9 : Parsley extract significantly prolonged bleeding time and decreased platelet aggregation - ie has an anti-clotting effect. No surprise - as it contains Vit K.
Abstract 12: Parsley relieves gut spasms in the rat model - would also apply to us.
Abstract 63: This is an interesting one . In Denmark, Parsley along with Rue, Lavender, Rosemary and Mint have traditionally been used to improve memory and cognition. An aqueous extract of these herbs was found to inhibit an enzyme called Acetylcholine esterase. This is the same enzyme targeted by one of the drugs now used for Alzheimers disease. It is really surprising to me how folk medicine has discovered such things in the past.

The picture is of P crispus growing in the crack between the floor and walls of a derelict building in Inneston - an abandoned Gypsum mining town in Innes National Park.

Inneston - wild Parsley

Inneston - old store ruins

The rental car we had

Pigface or Karkalla

2010-11-03T21:19:00.001+10:00

Another seaside/salt marsh plant evident on the Yorke peninsula was Karkalla or Pigface.

binomial name : Carpobrotus rossii
common name : Pigface or Karkalla (aboriginal name)

look alikes: Disphyma crassifolium (round-leaved pigface) - also edible

C rossii is the South Australian species - we have C glaucesens in Qld - we planted some in our yard awhile ago but it is still quite small.

It has thick and fleshy leaves with a triangular cross section - they are about 5-10cm long ( esp C glaucesens) and about 1cm wide. The flowers are a light purple colour. When the fruit develops it has a salty strawberry flavour and apparently was a popular food of the Aborigines. The leaves can be used as a salt substitute when cooking. I look forward to trying some fruit sometime - I have tasted the leaves and they are salty like the Samphire described yesterday.

The only pubmed abstract of note was about an extract of a pigface having anti-bacterial activity. Nutritionally the fruits would be useful in terms of anti-oxidants/vitamins but I was unable to locate actual details.

Note on the photos - I am fairly sure the photos are of Carpobrotus rossii and not the look alike Disphyma crassifolium- as this trip was not planned we did not take any reference texts and thus uncertainty arises, especially when these two plants are so similar. Apologies if they are mixed up!

Samphire

2010-11-02T20:51:00.000+10:00

Whilst we were exploring Yorke peninsula, I came across the phrase "Samphire discovery trail" and this reminded me to research the edible salt marsh plant called Samphire that I had read about some time ago.

binomial name: Sarcocornia quinqueflora
( there are several others but this is the common one in SE Australia)

common name: Beaded Samphire , Chicken claws

It is a halophyle, growing in salty and poorly drained areas and is readily found on the flats at Lota, at low tide, here in Brisbane. At Lota, it forms some large mats only about 10-20cm high but about 1-2m or more in diameter. On the Yorke peninsula I found some - probably a different species - growing on a rocky point some distance from tidal flow but still exposed to salty wind/spray.

Samphire has a long history of usage, especially in England - Shakespeare wrote of it in King Lear:

Half-way down Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!
(Act IV, Scene VI)

Tim Low (Wild Foods of Australia, 1991, Angus and Robertson, pg 27) records that it was eaten in the early convict and settler days at Port Jackson to help prevent scurvy. This plant also seems to have been
eaten by Aborigines:

http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/pubs/Hopeetal2006.pdf

I have been unable to find a nutritional analysis but probably there
will be minimal kJoules, some small amounts of protein, some minerals
including Sodium and possibly also iodine. One pubmed abstract indicated the presence of tannins and polyphenols in a different Samphire to the Australian one. Otherwise the scientific literature is quite sparse.

Samphire - Yorke Peninsula

Samphire - Lota

Taste wise - we have only tried it uncooked and it tastes, unsurprisingly, salty. There are recipes available on the Internet on using this herb and some restaurants are using commercially harvested Samphire from Kangaroo Island. Here's a link to some more information about the culinary usage:

http://www.tomatom.com/2007/05/samphire-but-no-dead-parrots/

Meanwhile, back in the garden , I picked the first bucket of peaches for the year, with more to come. We will be bottling most of them.

Yorke peninsula

2010-11-01T22:02:00.000+10:00

The trip to see Lake Eyre was cancelled after we had arrived in Adelaide ( thick cloud all the way to Alice Springs), so we hired a car and headed off to explore the Yorke peninsula instead. It is a pretty amazing place with lots of history and some quite spectacular landscapes. The remnant vegetation in Innes National Park was also quite impressive with lots of woody shrubs and small trees in flower.

Here are some wildlife photos :

Mallee fowl

Sleepy lizard

It was quite a thrill to see a sleepy lizard for the first time and indeed we saw quite a few of them over the 2 days in the area. They are an interesting lizard in that they give birth to live and large young (35% of the weight of the mother - ie equivalent to a woman giving birth to a 6 yr old!) Kadina - a township in the peninsula is an aboriginal word meaning lizard plain

Emu


Western Grey Kangaroo

Bananas

2010-10-29T07:46:00.000+10:00

Something we grow here and is a very important foodstuff, in lots of places, is banana. It was a considerable interest to me to learn that PNG was the probably the original home of this food crop. There is evidence from the Western Highlands of human cultivation of this plant from at least 7,000 years ago:

http://apscience.org.au/projects/PBF_02_3/pbf_02_3.htm

It seems as if , maybe by chance , a hybrid occurred between 2 inedible Musa species , creating a plant with an edible fruit and this was spread by humans to South East Asia/India/China. Bananas are recorded in Buddhist texts from 600BC. Alexander the Great is attributed to having taken them to the Middle East and thus the Romans were familiar with them. Musa - the genus name - was a Roman physician who recommended this food to Augustus Caesar. In about 650AD, Arab traders took plants to Madagascar and Africa. From there, Portugese and Spanish sailors took plants to the Caribbean and the Americas in the 1500's. What an amazing historical journey for this plant. Whilst in PNG I would have liked to have seen wild banana plants but unfortunately this did not happen.

There is a very comprehensive Wiki on banana :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana


Egum atoll - "sugar" banana bunch

There was several varieties of bananas on sale in the markets we visited including plantains (cooking bananas) , small sugar bananas and a larger variety (not sure the name). There was also a dramatic purple/red variety.

Pubmed search - not much, surprisingly. There was a couple of abstracts basically showing that green (cooking) bananas have resistant starch that acts like dietary fibre. Dietary fibre is useful in diabetic treatment - it improves control and one study ( abstract 28) did show over 4 weeks that diabetic patients given "native banana starch" had weight loss and reduced insulin production.

Here's a bunch of a variety called "lady finger" . There is a limited number of varieties back yard gardeners are allowed to grow in Queensland because of certain diseases. I have harvested it now to beat the flying foxes and possums - it will ripen over the next few days/week:

Whilst cutting the banana bunch - a process that involves cutting the whole banana "tree" down , I noticed this kingfisher sitting on the clothes line. It is called a Forest Kingfisher. The colour of this little bird is stunning. It does seem to be a seasonal bird and one web site I found mentioned the possibility of a migratory movement from PNG to SE Queensland:

http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Todiramphus-macleayii

No posts for a few days - Anne and I are off to see Lake Eyre whilst it has water!

Tom

Blue Quandong

2010-10-28T20:04:00.000+10:00

The Blue Quandong is dropping heaps of brillantly coloured seeds at present. This tree we planted many years ago and it is now probably over 20m high with well formed buttresses. They are reported to grow to over 35m

Binomial name : Eleocarpus grandis
Common name : Blue Quandong

The blue fruits are about 2-3cm diameter and the thin layer of flesh just under the skin has a tart flavour. They make an eye catching sight when scattered across the ground near our Chook run. We don't utilise the fruit at all but no doubt some birds and marsupials do so in the rainforest which is where this tree mainly exists. I have never found any seedlings from this tree so this year I think I will try and get some seed to germinate.

Also photo of the progress on the water chute- the bottom pond
is largely complete apart from water plants and setting up
the solar pump ( still to be got). Construction was old railway sleepers with a rubberised pond liner.

Also photo of the rose arch - Lamarque and Pinkie are the varieties.

PNG trip

2010-10-26T20:07:00.000+10:00

Apart from some work on the water sluice/pond I'm not up to much in the garden yet.

Here's some PNG photos :

Alotou (Milne Bay) Tree panadanus

Panapompom- copra drying shed


Panapompom -vegetable garden

Panapompom was our first village visited - it is in the Louisiade archipelago.
The vegetable gardens are moved regularly as the soil is quickly depleted of nutrients with the heavy tropical rains. Note the fence to keep wild pigs out.


Egum Atoll - traditional village - children waiting for empty water bottle

This village was set on the edge of a white sandy beach - talk about idyllic.
Our cruise ship was only the third to call in 10 years and some of the children had never seen white people. The children sang for us in the school (the PNG national anthem) and bought a tear to most of us -it was so beautifully sung.

Tom

Betel Nut

2010-10-25T21:46:00.001+10:00

Betel Nut

One stand out item on our trip was the usage of Betel nut by lots of Papuans including some quite young ones. It seemed to be a very important cultural and economic item - Betel nuts , and the associated packets of lime and bean type pod called Daka were to be found every place in usage and for sale. Betel nut palms where also very common in and around the villages we visited.

Binomial name : Areca catchu

Common name : Betel nut

It is a tall slender plant up to about 30m- a bit like a Bangalow palm and bears clusters of seeds ( actually a drupe) that are green when unripe and yellow when ripe. The seed has an outer covering (husk) and a soft inner part when freshly cut or broken open. This is the part that is chewed.

The picture above shows the amazing climbing skills of the natives- using a small loop of rope around the tree and his feet this man scaled the tree as if he was walking on flat ground.
There is a very long history of usage of this plant by humans in such places as India , Sri Lanka and the Pacific Islands such as PNG. The Aborigines did not seem to use it. About 10-20% of the world's population use it as a mild stimulant – it is the 4th most widely used psychoactive substance after nicotine, alcohol and caffeine.

In the parts of PNG we visited, a portion of the nut was first chewed and then a bean like plant pod called Daka was dipped in lime and a part of this was bitten off and chewed along with the Betel Nut.

Apparently the lime reacts with components of the Betel nut to create the psychoactive effect. The above picture is of a whole Betel nut, some lime, some broken bits of the daka and also pieces of Betel nut.

In other parts of PNG ( I think I saw some of this in the Rabaul market) the leaf is also used to wrap a part of the seed and both are then chewed. The most obvious visible effect of chewing Betel Nut is dramatically red lips and gums!

Clinical effects : the active drugs (mainly arecoline) have a quick onset and the effect seems to last for a couple of hours. These effects are mild euphoria and a sense of well being with increased arousal and alertness.
There is associated increased heart rate and even palpitations, elevated blood pressure and sweating and flushing. It is reported to decrease hunger and nausea and also diarrhoea.

Long term usage can cause a tremor and a psychosis and usage is associated with an increase risk of oropharyngeal cancers. There is some pretty dramatic effects with red lips and gums and most seemed to have pretty terrible gingival and dental disease.

There is lots I don't know about this topic. Anne and I tried a very small piece - apart from tasting fairly bitter it had no noticeable effect on either of us.

Some Pubmed abstracts:

search term : areca nut

abstract 17 Arecoline causes brain cell death by oxidative stress

abstract 41 Arecoline cause an increase in triglycerides and insulin resistance - ie leads to diabetes

search term : betel nut (there was a large number of abstracts for this search term -1400!)

abstract 10 Areca nut reduces the activity of a gene calles Ches1. This gene suppresses cell growth. This would partly explain the increase in mouth and throat cancers in betel nut users

abstract 19 Chewing Betel nut habitually was found to be diabetogenic (Taiwanese study)

search term : Areca nut drug dependency

abstract 16: 40% of betel nut users and 80% of betel nut + nicotine users can be classified as having a substance dependency. They would suffer withdrawal symptoms and would exhibit drug seeking behaviours.

Conclusion : an interesting social and cultural plant/drug that I was largely unaware of. It has some dramatic effects on the appearance of persons using it. Whilst I don't have a great depth of understanding of it, I suspect it is akin to nicotine but maybe less addictive. One wonders what our society would do if the use of this started to become popular -ban it outright or tolerate it and treat it as a health issue. Hopefully the latter.

Regarding Betel nut and diabetes - I found some old figures of prevalence of about 9% type 2 diabetes in a rural village (and another 5.7% with pre-diabetes) in PNG. Australia has a prevalence of nearly 14% ( actual and impaired glucose tolerance) I bet a large number of cases of diabetes in PNG remain undiagnosed and untreated with consequently reduced life expectancy. In PNG villages, diabetes could thus indeed be caused by Betel nut as the Australian causes would not apply ( high fat/carb diet , lack of exercise, obesity etc)

Tom

PNG trip

2010-10-24T12:08:00.000+10:00

Back from our trip to PNG - we were on a small cruise ship that went to some out of the way places such as Alotou ( Milne Bay) , the Bismark archipelago , the Duke of York Islands and ended up at Rabaul. What an amazing place to visit- people living in a traditional subsistence way without any access to electricity, shops, cars, let alone such things as tv or the internet. The welcome was amazing - some places had only had been visited by 3 cruise ships in 10 years and there were young children who had never seen Europeans. The diving on the coral reefs was generally good as were the WW2 wrecks that we got to see whilst snorkeling. Of interest to me was what foods they were mainly eating. Apart from lots of coconut, there was taro, cassava, yams, bananas and different types of green leafy vegetables. Protein was from fish or chickens. There were no overweight Papuans where we visited. More later and some photos.

Silverbeet and Rhubarb

2010-10-10T13:16:00.000+10:00

More rain - 42mm overnight and more today. The ground is spongy underfoot and it would be nice to have a break from it.

A row of about 6 silverbeet plants (fordhook giant) is looking quite mangy

I think it has a fungal disease called cercospora but there is also some small snails on the underside as well. Nearby a row of beetroot is also looking dire. This is where I find lack of knowledge frustrating - there are probably gardeners out there who would look and say - Boron deficiency or Magnesium deficiency or something similar but I am not at that level. Next garden club meeting will have to do -there is usually someone with an answer.

Also the rhubarb is growing like crazy.

The largest leaf was 650mmx 500mm and the stalks are nearly 30mm diameter. I nearly gave up trying to grow rhubarb last year but this sole plant survived summer and has actually provided us with some stems.

No postings for 2 weeks whilst I attend a conference.

Tom

Feijoa

2010-10-09T08:48:00.001+10:00

The Feijoa plants are starting to flower and it looks like there is going to be lots of flowers and thus hopefully a good crop of fruit this year after a very light harvest last year. This is another of the fruits we ate in New Zealand as children.

Binomial name : Acca (Feijoa) sellowiana
Common name : Feijoa or Pineapple guava

The tree originates from Southern Brazil and for once did not seem to have been an Incan food item ,as far as I can determine. It is a slow growing evergreen tree (about 4m x 4m) with thick waxy leaves a bit like an olive tree. It has spectacular flowers:

Pollination is by bees so hopefully my native bees that are nearby find it a useful food source. The fruit is about 100mm long and egg shaped although some varieties are pear shaped. The colour of the fruit does not change when it is ripe - it stays a dull grayish green colour for most of the varieties. We normally wait for the fruit to fall as a sign it is ready, but a gentle squeeze -if soft- indicates that it is well ripened. The flavour of this fruit is superb. It has a whitish/pink granular flesh with multiple small seeds and a delicate perfume. To eat, cut in half and scoop out with a teaspoon.

Growing it in Brisbane is pretty easy but for the fruit fly problem. I originally got so fed up with losing all the fruit to this pest that I removed my trees but after finding the solution ( fruit fly netting as soon as pollination has occurred) I replanted 2 trees, as we like the fruit that much. There is a blog post on my method for fruit fly netting on 12/8/10.

Nutritionally it is rich in anti-oxidants and a Pubmed search found some
really interesting research results.

Search term : Feijoa sellowiana

abstract 1 : An acetone extract showed potent antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Significantly it showed more activity against Helicobacter pylori than metronidazole. This bacterium is the one that causes stomach ulcers ( discovered by Australian Drs and resulted in a Nobel prize for medicine/physiology in 2005). When we diagnose this bacterium in a patient we prescribe Metronidazole as part of the treatment but here is a fruit that works better! This abstract also demonstrated activity against some pretty nasty gram negative bacteria such as pseudomonas and proteus. It would be interesting to see research on topical use against these bugs.

abstract 3: An aqueous (or water) methanol extract of leaves showed increased mineralisation of cultured human bone cells - thus there is potential for treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. I can't imagine what eating the leaves would taste like though!

abstract 6 : Feijoa (acetonic extract)has an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibition of Nitric Oxide.

Conclusion : a fruit tree that is easy to grow and has delicious fruit
as long as you can overcome the fruit fly problem.

Daleys have specimens of this tree for sale - there are different varieties
but generally you need to plant 2 trees for cross pollination.

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/feijoa.htm

Also a picture of our first ripe peaches. This is a tropical variety -the size this year seems to be better - one fruit is about 8cm diameter.

More rain- 42mm yesterday and 10mm the day before. The ground is like a swamp at present.

Back yard dunny

2010-10-08T09:55:00.000+10:00

One of our first garden structures when we moved here is this :

There was no door, floor or let alone witch on top originally. It was sited in the middle of an otherwise empty paddock that was about to be subdivided. I knocked on the door of the nearest house and enquired about it and was given permission to remove it. Fortunately, I knew someone with a crane truck who was able to pick it up intact and relocate it to our yard. Total cost was a carton of beer. It has been the dog house for a number of years. The witch came from Montville (behind the Sunshine Coast) but I think is made in Africa somewhere. The door Anne found at the local Sunday market and seems to have come from an old house at Ipswich. It fitted almost perfectly - but doesn't really give any privacy! On the southern side of this I planted a Richmond Birdwing vine some years ago.

Here's also photo of a cabbage we picked yesterday

water chute

2010-10-07T16:52:00.001+10:00

Instead of a waterfall we decided a water chute would be more appropriate beside the old mine site. So today I purchased some old hardwood fascia (200mm wide planks) and created 2 x 3m chutes from it. Then I needed to construct some frames for them to sit on down the slope to the bottom pond area. It has been an all day project and fortunately there has been no rain thus far. The bottom pool needs emptying and fixed up prior to installing a pond liner, sand, gravel, rocks and planting. Then the path areas need crusher dust, other parts mulching, more planting and we will be about done for this area for now.

Couldn't wait to try some water

Water flow is going to be via a solar powered pump (no battery)
- this will fill the old concrete laundry tube at the top. When the tub is full, a siphon will come into play and the water will empty down the chute back to the bottom pond.

Crocodile under new bridge!

One day my yard will stop looking like a construction site!

Blue tiger butterfly

2010-10-05T19:59:00.000+10:00

This morning there were 2 butterflies in the vegetable garden, one of which was this:

Blue Tiger butterfly

The image is a bit cloudy as it was taken through a plastic container as I wanted to release the butterfly unharmed.

The scientific name is : Tirumala hamata
common names : Blue wanderer or Blue tiger butterfly

The wing span is about 7cm (3")

It is similar in size and shape to the Monarch butterfly that most people recognise and indeed I thought it was this initially. The Blue tiger is a tropical butterfly that comes south in Spring/Summer and can occur in larger numbers although we only see isolated ones on our property. Some internet sites state that Captain Cook recorded seeing masses of this butterfly in 1770 but a search of his journal entries whilst he was in Queensland waters did not locate any such mention, that I could find. It is always good to check back when claims like this are made to verify accuracy as it is easy for mistakes to be propagated by simply being repeated.

The reported food sources of this plant are the milk weed and monkey rope vine (Parsonsia straminea) - both of which occur on our property.

The other butterfly in the vegetable garden was the Common Crow
( Euploea core)

More showers today

Fungi

2010-10-05T08:39:00.000+10:00

After all the rain there is some quite spectacular fungi growing in the damp mulch. I have no idea as to the names of these apart from the first that we call a basket fungus

Eastern water dragon

2010-10-04T05:55:00.002+10:00

Anne was helping at the Rose Society show at the Botanical Gardens yesterday. When I picked her up this lizard was sunning itself near the car - it is an Eastern Water Dragon and it was about 80cm long. It was so tame you could almost reach out and touch it. Whilst we do not have this variety, we often see Bearded Dragons on our property, but I do not have a picture of one of these at this stage. Another reptile we often find is the Blue Tongued Lizard. Also yesterday a neighbour came over and asked me to catch a Carpet python or Reticulated python that had been hanging around their house. It was sunning itself on a tiled roof. Using a ladder I climbed up and grabbed it just behind the head and it was eventually put into a bag for relocation into some nearby bushland. The size was a good 3m or about 10 foot!

Eastern Water Dragon

Here is the turmeric harvested from 1 plant that was in the vegetable garden. Two of the rhizomes will be replanted

The Plunkett Mallee ( Eucalyptus curtisii) is flowering at present and is a favourite with the Lorikeets and bees. It is not that successful here- we have already had one tree die but the other two seem ok so far. It likes drier conditions - our soil when it has rained a lot does become quite sodden.

E Curtissi in flower

These trees were planted when we became Australian citizens about 20 years ago.

Pararistolochia praevenosa

2010-10-03T05:53:00.000+10:00

Yesterday morning we went to Indigiscapes to purchase some more native plants (mainly shrubs) for the front eastern area of the property. Once a month Indigiscapes (at Capalaba) has a small nursery open which sells a good range of local native plants (tube stock) for the very reasonable price of $2.10 each.

http://indigiscapes.redland.qld.gov.au/GardensNursery/Nursery/Pages/default.aspx

One of the plants we collected is called:

Pararistolochia praevenosa
or Richmond Birdwing vine.

I have already planted two specimens of this plants, one on the old backyard dunny, and another on a fence. Both are a bit slow growing but the idea is that if enough people plant this vine, it will encourage this spectacular butterfly to return in the numbers it used to be in the Brisbane area. There are reports of "clouds" of this butterfly in earlier times. There is a Richmond Birdwing Butterfly recovery organisation which has an informative website:

http://www.richmondbirdwing.org.au/

Here is a google image of this butterfly :

One day I hope I get to see one or more of them hanging around our property.

Further to my efforts against Asparagus aethiopicus (asparagus fern)
I found on the Queensland DPI site that diesel is effective against this plant when applied to the crown to the point of runoff ( ie a good soaking). Diesel is quickly broken down in the soil and is relatively non toxic to animals so I have tried some diesel on a few clumps of this weed as well. The clumps are labelled and dated so I can check back later on outcome.

The hippeastrums are flowering profusely - here is a white one

More rain yesterday -6mm in rain gauge yesterday morning and more rain since then as well.

Turmeric

2010-10-02T19:01:00.000+10:00

At the last Tamborine Sustainable Gardeners meeting the guest speaker, amongst other herbs, spoke about the benefits of having Turmeric in our diet. I have been aware of the benefits of this herb for some time and we have it growing in the vegetable garden and one of the aquaponics grow beds. These rhizomes were originally obtained through the garden club.

Binomial name: Curcuma longa

Common name : Turmeric (incorrect spelling is Tumeric)

It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures of 20-30*C to thrive and dies back in winter here. Although it does not like waterlogging, it seems be growing ok in the gravel grow bed of one of my aquaponics systems. It is such a well known cooking herb that I will omit any further details and focus on the multitude of medical and scientific information available about it.

The compound of interest in Turmeric is called Curcumin.

Here are some results from Pubmed. There is a large number of studies on this plant available also in Scirus

search term : turmeric joint pain

abstract 1: A 2009 randomised controlled study ( this is a good level study) of 107 patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knee with a pain scale of 5 or more out of 10. It was compared with Ibuprofen ( = Nurofen, Brufen, Advil). Over a period of 6 weeks both groups improved as measured by pain scale, time to walk 100m and time to walk up and down a flight of stairs. The conclusion was that Turmeric ( amount was 2gm) was as effective as Ibuprofen.

search term : turmeric osteoarthritis

abstract 2: This one is a bit more technical but illustrates how our food can fundamentally interact with our cells at the level of the genes. This study found that Curcumin and resveratrol ( found in eg red wine, tea) suppresses inflammation in cartilage cells by targeting the NF-kappaB regulated gene products.

abstract 13: Human cartilage cells were treated with inflammatory agents for 3 days. Those treated also with curcumin showed down regulation of NF-kappaB and thus down regulation of 2 inflammatory pathways ( COX2 - blocked medically by celebrex and mobic, and MMP3 - blocked medically by tetracyclines)

search term : turmeric cancer

abstract 1: Curcumin induced human lung cancer cell apoptosis ( death) by down regulation of micro RNA ( micro RNA are growth regulators in our cells)

abstract 6: Curcumin significantly inhibited migration and invasion in vitro (test-tube) and in vivo (live) in head and neck squamous cell cancers.

abstract 8 : A mouse experiment of 2 groups given a diet that induced an inflammatory bowel condition and eventually bowel cancer. The mice also given Turmeric had statistically less colitis ( bowel inflammation) , no macroscopic tumours and only minor precancerous lesions.

Following up on these abstracts I checked up on the incidence of Cancer in the Indian population

(ref: Cancer Incidence rate among South Asians in four Geographic regions : Rastogi,T Devesa, S et al : International Journal of Epidemiology vol:37 no:1 pp 147-160)

The rate in India was the lowest at 111 (males) 116 (females) /100,000
The rate in the US was the highest 362 (males) 296 (females)/100,000

for colon, prostate, thyroid , lung and pancreas

but: India had the highest rate for mouth, oesophagus, larynx and cervix

Generally it is considered that mouth/throat and certainly cervical cancers are viral in origin (certain strains of herpes especially). It would thus seem that Curcumin does not protect against such virally induced cancers

I also looked up the incidence of osteoarthritis in the Indian population to see if Turmeric had a noticeable population effect. Satisfactory comparable figures were a bit hard to obtain but it seems as if the prevalence of osteoarthritis in Australia is 15% and India 22-39%.

So it seems that Australians have less primary osteoarthritis than the Indian population, so maybe eating Turmeric does not have a protective effect on our joints in spite of its anti-inflammatory activity.

Overall though it really is an excellent plant to include regularly in your diet.

Hydrocotyle leucocephala

2010-10-01T05:53:00.000+10:00

At the last garden club meeting, Robyn showed me a plant that she was told was Gotu Kola that was quite different to the plant -Centella asiatica - that that I apply this common name to. Indeed another member of the club was also of this opinion.

Whilst the 2 plants look similar the "correct" gotu kola is Centella asiatica
and the plant that Robin showed me was Hydrocotyle leucocephala. This once again illustrates the problem using common names. When you Google gotu kola images, it is evident that there is at least two plants being called this name commonly.

Hydrocotyle leucocephala is also called Brazillian pennywort and is an aquatic or semi-aquatic plant with light green and thick waxy leaves. It seems to be a popular aquarium plant. The leaves are reported to be edible with a peppery taste.
Pubmed had only one entry for this plant. In this study the plant was found to have various chemicals that have an immunosuppresive activity against cytokines such as TNF-alpha. This is an important part of our immune system and is crucial in infection and inflammation. However it is also involved in such diseases as Rheumatoid Arthritis and is targeted medically with some very expensive drugs.

Centella asiatica

Hydrocotyle leucocephala

I have previously written about Centella asiatica and it's considerable potential medical activity (July 12).
Incidentally, Robyn was the person who got me interested in edible weeds with her discussion with Anne about Gotu kola being effective for arthritis a couple of years ago.

dry creek bed, asparagus fern, black nightshade berries

2010-09-30T20:21:00.003+10:00

Spent quite a bit of today shoveling and placing gravel in the dry creek bed. It is coming up ok in spite of the size of the gravel being a bit small.

Also did my usual fertilising with liquid fertiliser around the bush house and vegetable garden. Collected a nice handful of Solanum americanum berries from that area - also known as poisonberry or black nightshade. Commonly in Australia and New Zealand, people believe this plant to be highly poisonous thinking it is Atropa belladonna or deadly nightshade. However, this is a case of mistaken identity! From the colour of the berries they would be loaded with anti-oxidants and nutritious ingredients - they will go on our cereal tomorrow morning.

Asparagus aethiopicus (was sprengeri) -or Asparagus fern ( actually, it's not a fern but of the lily family)- is another weed on our property that comes up where birds drop the seed. Usually we grub it out, but in some places, especially around exposed tree roots, this is not possible. So today I mixed up some blackberry and tree killer (50gm/l of triclopyr) and have sprayed some clumps of this weed as a trial. Previously, I have used Roundup without effect. The reason I do not like it, is that on North Stradbroke Island this weed has become such a dominant species that it carpets the ground under the Casaurina trees to the exclusion of native plants. The same would occur here if I do not keep removing it. I really would rather not spray, but the practicalities sometimes require it. I have dug this plant out and solarized it by placing a plastic garbage bag in the past as well, but it is so much easier just roaming around with a spray pack on my back.
I will post the results in about 4 weeks.

dogwood

2010-09-29T10:25:00.000+10:00

More rain yesterday (15mm) so the new garden room area is boggy, muddy and difficult to work on. However, I had some river rocks delivered and have started to place them in the " creek bed". I am disappointed in the size of the stones - I used a different supplier and the size is a little small for what I would like.

We took the grandchildren over the road to the neighbours to see their horse and noticed a large dogwood (Jacksonia scoparia) in flower. This property used to be covered in native plants - grass trees, boronias, grevillias etc until someone (prior to these owners) purchased it , flattened everything other than the large gums, inspite of a vegetation protection order, and then proceeded to dump construction waste. We were most upset at such environmental vandalism and destruction. He was fined by the council but happily paid as it was cheaper for him than paying dump fees.

We have some small dogwood that I have planted but they are not really thriving where they were placed

Also a red hippeastrum - this year the snails or slugs are eating some
of the flower petals.

Spider

2010-09-28T05:38:00.001+10:00

Yesterday the grandchildren were over for Anne's birthday and were checking out the root cellar. Their mother noticed a spider's nest on the inside of the door that created a bit of stir with them all. It looks like a huntsman to me and is considered to be non toxic. Overall length of the spider is about 50mm. I have left it alone and will have to leave the door open when the young spiders hatch so they can escape to other parts of the garden.

Here's a photo of the root cellar door - the structure has been constructed to look like an old mine entry thus the crudely painted "warning" on the door.

Dockrillia linguiformis and Container door

2010-09-27T17:15:00.000+10:00

Our really talented daughter Mary ( easy to tell I'm her Dad!) has finished painting up the container door - we wanted it to look like the entry to a Maori whare ( or house). The dog image is of our recently deceased Cattle dog/ Border Collie cross and the bird is a New Zealand bird called a Pukeko. There is a very similar bird in Australia (and nearby to us, but not on our property) which is simply called a purple swamp hen. We are delighted with the result. Next to this is where the waterfall is to be constructed soon.

Also with the warmer weather and Spring, lots of flowers are coming out - this tongue orchid is growing on a Palm trunk. It has been growing on this trunk for about 15 years and never gets any water other than rain and no fertilising at all. Binomial name is Dockrillia linguiformis - previously it was known as Dendrobium linguiformis but the name was changed to reflect some unique features of which I am uncertain about.

Powder puff lillypilly

2010-09-26T19:41:00.000+10:00

Roaming up the back this afternoon I spotted the Syzygium wilsonii coming into flower. It is also known as the powder puff lillypilly due to the spectacular balls of red flowers. The fruit on this lillypilly, whilst edible, are really not worth bothering with, as there is little flesh and lots of gritty seed material. However the flowers more than make up for this.

Nearby is a nice clump of elkhorn on a palm trunk. At times I have discovered ring tailed possums nesting in these large fern clumps.

Finally finished off the frame for growing Jicama (or Yam bean) today as well. I am reasonably happy with it. Still lots of work to do in this area however.

Hoop pine and new bridge

2010-09-25T18:24:00.000+10:00

Garden club meeting today at Robyns at Canungra - a lovely part of South East Queensland especially at present after so much rain.

Canungra Hoop pine

One of the features of her yard that especially caught my eye was the magnificent Hoop pines -some singles and others in delightful groves.
It makes my 20 year old specimen look quite puny.

Canungra Hoop pine

Hoop pine is the common name for Araucaria cunninghamii. Another of this genus is Bunya pine or Araucaria bidwillii. Hoop pine grow up to 60m in height , live for up to 450 years and can take up to 200 years before producing any cones. The timber has a lovely texture and colour when used in cabinet work or furniture.

our tree- 20 years old approx

I only got home mid afternoon after stopping at the Canungra Hotel with some others from the club for lunch. There was a large contingent of a motorcycle club present but we managed to "out noise" them with much banter and laughter. Who would have though a group of garden enthusiasts could be so rowdy!

With the remaining afternoon, however, I got into constructing the bridge
- 2 old railway sleepers set on concrete blocks with a decking of old cattle yard timber rails. It looks great and is certainly very solid.

New bridge

frog spawn

2010-09-24T07:31:00.000+10:00

During the rain 2 nights ago the frogs were making a real racket.

Frog pond

Frog spawn

The next day there was 4 large frothy collections on the edge of our frog pond. I am reasonably sure it is frog spawn rather than cane toad as the latter tends to lay it's eggs in long strings whereas these were more of a clump. During summer here I collect cane toads at night, using a torch, and dispatch them - they go into the veggie garden as fertiliser. We seem to have several varieties of frogs here such as green tree frogs, striped marsh frogs and others. With a semi-permanent pond ( it does dry out in a long dry stretch) hopefully it will help these native frogs thrive

macadamia and hippeastrum

2010-09-23T05:50:00.000+10:00

Two Photos - the macadamia are in flower - we have 2 trees that are about 5m tall. They provide a good quantity of nuts that the grandchildren enjoy collecting and cracking open when they are here visiting us.

Also the hippeastrum bulbs are starting to flower. We do have some completely red ones some places in the garden but this one is a mixed colour. Hippeastrums are our substitute for daffodils and tulips that don't grow/flower here. The plants beside are day lilies and zephyranthes - the latter we also call storm lilies as they tend to flower after a period of rain

Lomandra longifolia

2010-09-22T05:50:00.001+10:00

Yesterday was perfect for being out in the yard. After the rain, the soil was moist and the day time temperatures are still quite pleasant for working outside. A native plant that is tough as old boots, drought tolerant , pest free and has a nice shape and form is Lomandra longifolia (or spiny head mat rush or basket grass). We have several mature clumps and with plenty of seedlings available I have dug lots out and replanted them in amongst the trees down the front.
They are an excellent fill in plant and tolerate shade from the trees.
We don't use this plant at all, but the Aborigines used it for making baskets as the leaves are quite fibrous. Cribb (ref below) reports that was used in North Queensland for " tying up sores and abscesses on the arms and legs". It certainly can be used as a crude form of rope or twine in the garden.

The clumps of this plant can be quite sizable - this one is about 1.8m high and a similar diameter.

The Bauhinia purpurea is probably at it's best at present.

ref: Cribb A.B and J.W 1981 Wild Medicine in Australia Fontana Collins
(pg 205)

new water course and Daintree pine

2010-09-21T08:08:00.000+10:00

22mm of rain yesterday and the excavation I did on the weekend to create an overflow/dry creek bed for the waterfall, has filled with water. The whole area is one sticky, muddy mess. It seems to be one of those rules of life - dig a trench or hole , it will rain and fill it up!

Also a photo of a Daintree pine ( Gymnostoma australianum) - this is a beautiful native tree with soft green foliage and reminds us of the NZ rimu or red pine. It is about 3 m high after about 10 years so seem to be quite slow growing in this area.

Tom

Kale

2010-09-20T07:35:00.000+10:00

Another vegetable we like to grow is Kale - currently we have 2 types growing, from seeds provided by another of our garden club members in exchange for some New Guinea and Yard long bean seeds. The varieties are "curly kale" and "old ladies stop and gossip kale" . They are growing well and we are harvesting leaves regularly to eat and even have spare for the chooks/ducks. Previously I have grown the "squire" variety and "tuscan" . Squire grew really well but I neglected to collect any seeds. Tuscan was not so successful being eaten fairly severely by caterpillars and I decided not to grow this variety again. Kale is not a well known vegetable in Australia/New Zealand but this seems to be changing as we have come across it on a restaurant menu called "black cabbage" some time ago.

Binomial name : Brassica oleracea -acephala group ( acephala means without head )

According to Wikipaedia, Kale is also known as Borecole (from Dutch meaning Farmer's cabbage) and is basically a non heading form of cabbage and is probably more like the original or wild plant than any of the other Brassicas. It has been developed into so many varieties that it is hard to reconcile as being from the same plant - broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, cauliflower and Kohlrabi are all brassica olearacea.

The name Kale that is used in Australia is from the Scots Cale meaning cabbage. The german kohl also of the same origin. Coleslaw is a related word meaning diced up raw cabbage usually with a dressing of some kind. Maybe if we make up a diced Kale dish it should be called Kaleslaw?

Nutritional:

Kale rates with Broccoli in being a superb nutritious food.

Nutrition content /100gm ( a cup full of Kale would be about 65gm)

kcal = 49 kJ = 208 ( eating green leafy vegetables does not provide much energy)
Ca = 134mg K = 445.5mg Small amounts of Fe,Mg,P04,Na,Zn,Cu,Mn and Se
Vit C = 120mg ( an orange is about 80mg) Lots of B vitamins. Lots of amino acids.
Vit A = 9226 mcg RAE = 769 mcg Vit E 0.8mg
Omega 3 Fatty acids = 170mg (Purslane is about 400mg)

ref: Kallis J Edible Wild Plants 2010 Gibbs Smith

and an excellent blog about kale is:

http://www.365daysofkale.com/

The levels of carotinoids are just less than Broccoli - the highest I have come across is Garlic mustard (Allaria petiolata) at 12,350 mcg.

Of particular interest though for health reasons is the about 1% by dry weight, of a class of chemicals called glucosinolates. These and their breakdown products have some dramatic benefits to us - for example one type called isothiocyanates (specifically sulforaphane) suppresses tumour growth and helps prevent conversion of precancerous lesions to cancerous ones in our bowel.
They also inhibit a metabolic pathway that converts other chemicals (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in our diet/environment into cancer causing ones.

Taste wise it is probably milder than brussels sprouts to eat. It is certainly excellent food to be eating on a regular basis.

native bees

2010-09-19T11:15:00.000+10:00

We picked up a native bee hive yesterday from a man at Ipswich who rescues them from where land is being cleared. They are the Trigona carbinara species. The hive is not the most attractive looking thing so I will need to come up with some sort of disguise for it - probably behind some upright logs or similar. Honey production is not really what this is for, as, if you are lucky, you might get a small amount of honey every 2 years of so. We have them for pollination and the "nice to have around" effect.

Also yesterday we did a lot more work on the sweet potato beds and frame for jicama (yam bean). It is largely completed and planting can occur.

This whole area where we are creating this was an old dam when we bought the property. It was filled in quite a few years ago and grassed but we want to redevelop it now. Other landscaping to happen in this "garden room" is a waterfall and dry creek bed for any water overflow after rain with sleeper and timber flitch bridge. So there is still lots to do. Fortunately I have access to a bobcat (skidloader) courtesy of a neighbour.

Tom

Jade Perch for dinner

2010-09-17T08:40:00.001+10:00

Our eldest daughter and family are coming for dinner tonight so
fish is on the menu along with some kale, broccoli etc from the veggie patch.

The fish are caught by means of a net - it is a bit difficult even though they are in a fairly confined space - you need to be quick with the net or they evade it. When filleting it is amazing how much oil is in the flesh - my hands are quite greasy after finishing preparing them.

They are called Jade perch because of the presence of a dark patch on the sides of the fish. This varies in position and size and in some fish is not even present. Another name for this species is Barcoo grunter - it comes originally from the Barcoo river in western Queensland - I have never heard it "grunt" at all whenever I have been handling it however.

These fish are about 300mm long and about 18months old. They provide a nice sized fillet per person at this size. Another thing Anne likes about them is there is no smell in the kitchen when cooking - I guess it is because they are so fresh.

Lorikeets in Bauhinia purpurea

2010-09-16T07:48:00.000+10:00

Whilst having our breakfast on the verandah this morning some rainbow lorikeets stopped by in the Bauhinia which is in flower at present.
They are another native bird we like to see around but do not deliberately
encourage by feeding.

Also a photo of a kookaburra on the clothes line. These birds are around our yard most of the year and have a delightful call well known to all Aussies.

aquaponics - grow bed plants

2010-09-15T09:39:00.000+10:00

We have 3 aquaponics systems with Jade Perch fish at present.
The grow beds attached to the fish tanks have a variety of plants which are as follows:

small system - 750l fish tank - 2 x 250l grow beds - galangal , tumeric and nasturtium

medium system - 1250l fish tank - 4 x 250l grow beds - strawberries, fennel, tomato, cabbage, lettuce, warrigal greens, chives and water cress

large system - 2500l fish tank - 2 x 1000l (approx) grow beds - kale, flat leaf parsley, parsley, warrigal greens, thyme, chicoria, and spring onions

The systems require very little work - each day I feed the fish a handful or so of Barramundi pellets and check that the aerators and pumps are working.
This only takes a couple of minutes at most. I rarely check the water chemistry any more as it doesn't seem to change much. The plants seem to be growing well enough, and I am understocked as well, giving me a fair amount of leeway.

The basic biology behind aquaponics is fairly simple: the fish waste product is ammonia, every 30mins ( actually 1 system uses a continous pump) a pump is activated (via a timer) and some water is pumped into the grow beds. In the gravel of the grow beds, bacteria convert the ammonia first to nitrite and then nitrate. When the water level almost reaches the top of the gravel the pumps turn off, and the water syphons back into the fish tank. In other words, it is a closed loop with bacteria converting ammonia to nitrate. Now nitrate is relatively non toxic to fish, and is of course an excellent plant food.
In the gravel plants that use nitrate can be planted - these are especially leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce etc. As can be seen from the lists above though there are lots of plants that can be used. My only concern about growing food plants like this is really how nutritious they are - the brix readings seem to be on the low side. However it is a really simple way to grow fish to eat once it is set up. It provides us with 1 fish/week and some to give away to family and friends.

The idea of the 3 systems was - small tank for fingerlings, medium tank for 1 year old fish and large tank for 2 year old fish. As Jade Perch are of plate size in about 12months however, when I restock in November with fingerlings from the hatchery, I am going to try a different species in the middle sized tank - not sure which type yet.

Jade perch have been really easy to farm and have been a good starter species. They are also very high in omega 3 fatty acids - better than salmon and tuna apparently.

Murray Hallam's web site is an excellent source of information on Aquaponics -if you are interested in this topic he is very approachable and more than willing to share his knowledge and give advice.

http://www.aquaponics.net.au/aqua1/

Tom