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.
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