Stagonospora infection - collected threads

[mark smyth]

when does Ian/you apply it, Maggi? Would it be added when bulbs are pushing through? I've been to Margaret's garden days after the mulch has been added and seen leaves fail to emerge and get stuck below the mulch. Where bulbs are pushing up through leaves the sheaths extend, often bringing the leaves with them, until the tip reaches the light

[Maggi Young]

Theoretically we apply mulch when anything herbaceous is dormant... but, being us, we actually might put in down at any time that's convenient.  Can't think of anything that has got really stuck in it or seems to have suffered. wWe might scrape the mulch away slightly from anything that was over three or four inches high when we spread but we can't do that with everything so most stuff just takes its chances.

[Martin Baxendale]

Maggi, I think I recall Ian or yourself saying that you had a very good, not too noisy shredder/chipper. Can you recommend a good, quiet make and model? I also have lots of hedges that would supply vast quantities of mulch if I could chip the clippings.

[Carlo]

As for mulch over bulbs? Here I'd do it at the holidays when, hopefully, the ground is frozen. It'll help keep the ground frozen a bit longer in spring and the bulbs, dormant at application, will grow right through it without skipping a beat...or skiting in the glar.

[Maggi Young]

we would thoroughly recommend that you invest in a shredder, Martin. All those prunings, clippings etc are too good to waste and even if you cut that stuff down as much as you can beofre comosting, it can take forever to break down whereas shredding break down fast, especially in a biggish heap and make lovely mulch or compost additive. Our machine is a Mountfield with a five horse power Briggs and Stratton engine. Seems lots of machine have that type of engine ,so it is a question of finding a model/make that suits you forthe way it loads/spits out the end product.... the Mountfield is not too bulky, quite easily moved around the garden and has a large and convenient feed-hopper. The outlet  tube is curved over, and we fill into a sack attached, which has to be emptied quite often... if getting another we would look for a type that would fill out to an easier method, perhaps... though that may not exist in the smaller, more domestic sized machines.

[Martin Baxendale]

Mark, do you mean composted bark or raw uncomposted barks chips? In my experience, composted bark is fine, but raw uncomposted bark chips can be more of a problem (for any plants, not just snowdrops) especially if used thickly. Also, there's well-composted fine bark and rough barely-composted shredded bark which is more like bark chips. Often at snowdrops events I've heard "bark" being trotted out as bad without it being made clear exactly what (and how well composted) it is that's being talked about.

[Martin Baxendale]

Maggi, at the moment I don't cut the hedges back and down as much as I should (so they get ever bigger and the garden gets ever smaller) because I wouldn't know what to do with all the prunings - my compost heap wouldn't cope unless I could reduce the bulk by chipping (actually, I do much of my composting in bin bags). So I think a shredder has to be a priority ths year.

[Diane Whitehead]

I used to pile all my branches on a big pile and would climb up on top
and jump up and down all over it to keep it compact - I guess it covered
an area 7 metres by 4, and was high enough that I had to pull myself up onto
it.  Then I bought a shredder.  I get bothered by humming fluorescent lights,
and I flee into the house when the neighbour's lawn service comes once a
week, so using the shredder was stressful for me.

I then discovered that my municipality will accept garden waste including
small branches.  We are allowed to take one pickup load per day, and now
all my branches and blackberry vines go there for composting.  I jump up
and down on the branches, pile on more, jump again, etc.  I take a load
almost every day during the summer, and less often the rest of the year.

Now I have my old branch pile area planted with hellebore seedlings.

[KentGardener]

I used to pile all my branches on a big pile and would climb up on top
and jump up and down all over it to keep it compact.

I wish I was a good artist - there is a great image in my mind of you in an enthusiastic dance atop your massive pile of sticks. 

______________________________________________

John

[Paddy Tobin]

John,

Dancing on top of the compost heap is one of the essential skills of gardening!

Paddy

[KentGardener]

I have so much to learn!....

[Anthony Darby]

7 metres by 4 metres would be more than half the area of my flower beds.

[Jane]

Hello, I'm new to the forum but thought I'd post a few photos I took today. I hope they are correctly named! I've only been collecting for 4 years but have managed to get a reasonable selection together.
Galanthus Lapwing.

[Jane]

Sorry that of course is Primrose Warburg! This is Lapwing.

[Jane]

And South Hayes just coming into flower. I was extremely lucky to get this 2 years ago when my daughter was born!