Permaculture in New Zealand

Organic Gardening in NZ, all you need to know to start, for, by Aleena La'ulu

Starting
with
Organic Gardening

Putting together a simple no-dig garden, recipes for organic sprays and methods of pest, disease and weed control, including Gorse and other vicious weed control.

Introduction
Many people start organic gardening thinking they can simply replace chemical sprays with organic sprays. Chemical sprays work to kill off all insects, organic sprays deter insects but do not harm beneficial insects. First and foremost I have to stress that you cannot simply replace organic sprays with chemical sprays. Successful organic gardening is a combination of the controls talked about in this booklet. Many gardening books will give conflicting information, what works for one may not work for another. This is because every situation has its own different contributing factors from weather to the environments existing plants, animals, insects and other contributing factors that make each garden unique. I hope you will find this booklet straight forward and easy to follow. Enjoy.

CONTENTS

1. THE NO DIG GARDEN
2. PEST AND DISEASE
3. ORGANIC WEED CONTROL

THE NO-DIG GARDEN
The no-dig garden is an excellent way to keep down those weeds. Here is a simple, cheap way to put your no-dig garden together. If you haven’t got a compost heap, things could be a bit more expensive for you as you will need to buy some in. Most other things you should be able to acquire free.

Choose your area where you want to put your garden so that it has plenty of sun and shelter from the wind. Slash down the grass and weeds. Pull out any invasive, destructive weeds. Cover the area with ½ an inch of newspaper soaked in water, make sure that it is well overlapped to stop the weeds from coming through. On top of the newspaper put approximately a 20cm layer of thin twigs, soft hedge clippings, kitchen waste ie potato peelings, apple cores, cabbage leaves etc. On top of this a layer of approximately 20cm of fresh and dried seaweed, grass clippings, leaves, and a little manure and blood and bone if you have some. Next is your layer of compost which should be at least 10cm deep and lastly a mulch (see mulches). You can either plant straight away or leave for a week or so. Shallow rooted plants should be fine to plant directly into the compost. For deeper rooted plants you will need to make a hole through all your material layers and fill with compost, then plant.

PEST AND DISEASE
Physical controls
Regular observation of plants is vital in organic growing. Prompt action avoids infestations. Removal of infested materials avoids spread of diseases and pests. Building up and maintaining good healthy soil with compost and manures will in turn grow strong healthy plants able to fight off pests and diseases. The best manure I have seen working well is chicken but you can choose to use horse, sheep, cow, pig, donkey or duck manure.

CHEMICAL CONTROLS, INSECTICIDES AND SPRAYS
GUIDELINES FOR SPRAYING
Night spraying often avoids natural enemy exposure as they are often day or dusk feeders, seeking refuges during darkness. Tip spraying - not trying to cover the whole plant avoids unnecessary coverage of natural enemy refuges with particularly stronger sprays such as pyrethrum.

RECIPES FOR ORGANIC SPRAYS

Washing machine water
Water from the washing machine can be collected and used directly on plants in the garden. This soapy water can be collected during the spin cycle and seems to work very well on tomatoes. Simply splash water over the plants to water and protect from a variety of pests.

Soap spray, Use for aphids, red spider mites, thrips
225g Plain soap 9 litres hot water
Grate soap and dissolve in water, stirring well. Cool before use. After spraying infected plants gently hose down with clean water. Repeat as often as necessary.

Pyrethrum, Use for general insecticide for white fly, scale, thrips, leaf hoppers. leaf miners, borers, caterpillars, beetles
Dried feverfew or Pyrethrum flowers Boiling water
Pour boiling water over flowers and cover. Leave to seep until cool. Make small amounts at a time and use regularly after the sun has gone down, as this spray can harm bees. This spray should be pale in colour.

Garlic, Use for ants, spiders, white fly, Beetles, leaf hoppers, scale, citrus bugs (stink bugs), caterpillars, aphids, cabbage and tomato worms
4 cloves of crushed garlic 1 litre water
Leave garlic to seep in water for several days before use.

Elderleaf, Use for fungal infections
Leaves are boiled in water for 20 minutes. However, I recommend seeping in boiled water and leaving for a few days as the steam could be hazardous. Dilute solution to a pale yellow before use.
Nettle tea, Use for white fly, aphids, leaf hoppers
Cut tops of plants, leaving roots to re-grow
Put leaves and stems in a pot with sufficient water to cover and bring to the boil. Boil for about 10 minutes. Cool, strain. Dilute to the colour of weak tea before use.

Seaweed tea, Use for mildew, fruit rot, rust and general feed
Leave seaweed to soak in water for 2 weeks before use. Dilute to a pale sherry colour.

Comfrey tea, Use for rust
Make as for Seaweed tea.

Chamomile tea, Use for rust
Use fresh or dried flowers. Boil in water. Dilute until very pale in colour. Cool before use.

Horsetail, Use for mildew
1 Tablespoon dried or fresh horsetail 1 litre of water
Boil for 20 minutes, then stand overnight or longer. High in Silica and vitamins so pour remains into the soil.

Bracken, Use for aphids
Chopped fern covered in water left to steep for 2-3 days. Dilute to pale liquid.

Wormwood, Use for aphids, leaf hoppers,
Use leaves over soil to deter slugs or make a strong tea. Seep in water for a fortnight. Dilute and spray to deter aphids, white fly, citrus bugs (stink bugs), caterpillars, flies and mosquitoes.

Onion spray, For spider mites, caterpillars, thrips
Place onions in blender or chop. Cover in boiling water. Cool and dilute before use.

Chive tea, Use for mildew
Dried or fresh chives finely cut steeped in boiling water until cool. Dilute and spray infected plants

Lettuce spray, Use for white cabbage moth
Boil up leaves. Cool and dilute before spraying.

My own spray
That worked miraculously well against white fly was made simply to give my plants a pick me up. But some how it cured the terrible infestation of white fly almost over night. It was probably the smell.

1 shopping bag full of seaweed
3 cow patties (fresh'ish)
A few vegetable scraps
Approximately half a bag of weeds
Steeped in a large rubbish bin with lid. Fill to the top with water. Leave for approximately 3 weeks. Dilute to a pale tea colour and spray onto plants

BIOLOGICAL CONTROLS
Biological controls can be artificially introduced however, plants that attract these insects should be planned for instead, as this ensures on going breeding sites and safe havens for the predator insects. The reason for no artificial introduction is a pure personal belief in leaving things to good planning and mother nature.

Some plants that attract beneficial insects are:
bottle brush, gum, rewa rewa, rata, pohutukawa, flax, kowhai, treelucerne, puriri, phacelia sp, eryngium sp, alfalfa, angelica, buckwheat, goldenrod, organic wild flower mix, milkweed, carrots, marigolds, celery, parsnips, anise, caraway, chevril, coriander, dill,
Fennel, lovage, parsley, queen anne's lace, daisies, tansy, yarrow, honesty, cosmos, alyssum, solidago and artemsiaas

BENEFICIAL INSECTS AND THEIR PREY

Lady birds and their larvae
Aphids, scales, mites
Lace wing larvae
aphids
Parasitic wasps (encarsia formosa)
Aphids, white fly
Predatory mites
Spider mites, two spotted mites
Birds
Grass grub, porina, coddling moth, pupae, leaf rollers
Hedgehogs
Grass grub, caterpillars

Hoverfly larvae
Aphids, caterpillar eggs, young larvae
Damsel bugs
Aphids, plant feeding bugs
Ground beetles
Soil insects, insects dropping off plants
Praying mantis
Any suitable insect moving past
Harvestman
Aphids, mites, caterpillars.

CULTURAL CONTROLS
Plant resistant cultivars, provide good drainage, good irrigation, good hygiene e.g. removing diseased/infested materials. Plan for crop rotation and companion planting (covered in most good organic gardening books). Avoid plant damage (makes plants vulnerable to infections). Correct plant spacing, good ventilation. Suitable fertility, suitable temperatures for plants. Provide a suitable breeding area for predators. See below for more indepth explanations of the above.

Plant herb hedges to attract predator insects and deter unwelcome insects. Companion plant to deter and confuse pests, aid growth (happier plant = stronger plant, more able to fight off pest and disease). Many people say they can taste the difference, for example, in tomatoes grown with basil. Disadvantages are that it takes a bit of planning.

Provide food and environment welcoming to birds that will feed on pests and provide free manure. Disadvantages could be that the birds could spoil certain crops and are a threat to exposed worm farms.

Good hygiene, burn or compost well all infected/diseased plants and scraps. Disadvantages are fire bans and pollution of air.

To control plant pests, disorders and diseases on the property, a variety of methods should be chosen. Lime chip pathways (note: not rocks), cheap, low maintenance method of paving that will deter slugs. Has no known effect on plants, the environment or people.

Provide good shelter for smaller plants - less wind. Many herbs have attractive flowers, so they add interest to the garden. Herbs have a wide variety of uses, they can be used for culinary and medicinal purposes, as well as crafts, dyes, garden teas etc.

Create an area predators like to breed to keep pest numbers down. Disadvantages could be an unattractive area in your garden.

Growing strong disease resistant plants. May not always be the tastiest varieties but are reliable.

Grow plants for sprays to be made up on site for pest control, physiological disorders, e.g. chive tea will help prevent downy mildew on cucumbers. No known negative effects on the environment or people. Sprays such as seaweed tea not only deters fruit rot, rust and mildew, but also acts as a feed.

Build up and maintain good healthy soil, that will in turn grow strong healthy plants able to fight of pests and diseases. Disadvantages could be the inability to obtain a constant supply of organic green waste.

ORGANIC WEED CONTROL

Weeds that stunt growth should be controlled as much as possible. Poisonous weeds in the garden may be left unless becoming a nuisance or are about to seed.

ACCEPTED WEED CONTROLS
Biogro
a) Burning off crop. Must have prior written permission. Only granted in real need.
b) Caustic soda
c) Plant oils
Note: There are likely to be others in addition to this list. But this was all that was stated in the book that I was given.
Agriquality
a) Plant and animal oils
b) Seaweed, seaweed meal, seaweed extracts, sea salt and salty water
c) Natural acids e.g. vinegar
d) Natural plant preparations - excluding tobacco
e) Tobacco tea, excluding pure nicotine
f) Sulphur
g) Sodium Bicarbonate
h) Inorganic compounds e.g. copper hydroxide
i) Soft soap
j) Ethyl alcohol
k) Herbal and biodynamic preparations
l) Homeopathic and ayurvedic preparations
Demeter
a) Biological predators
b) Pheromomes
c) Propolis
d) Soft soap
e) Diatomaceous earth
f) Plant based preparations
g) Bacillus thuringiensis
h) Wettable copper - maximum 3kg per cubic metre per year on permanent crops. Not allowed on vegetables. No routine spraying, only prophylatic sprays at known effective times. Monitoring of accumulation in soil may be necessary.

WEED CONTROLS FOR THE AVERAGE HOME GARDENER
No dig gardens prevent disturbance of weed seeds. Slash down weeds before seeds set. Hand pull unwanted weeds and mulching are usually quite sufficient as many 'so-called' weeds are beneficial and have a variety of uses explained later. Herbicides should be used as a last resort. Try experimenting with Bio-dynamic's peppering method for stubborn weeds. Simply burn a small amount of the pest weed and mix in with wood ash and sprinkle around affected area. Other weed controls that could be used are boiling water poured over weeds or steaming, but these may be impractical due to large quantities needed.

Other organic options you may like to choose are:
Flame burning weeds and salting weeds. The reason I feel these options are impractical is that salting may kill wanted weeds and plants. Careless salting may cause more harm than good to the soil. The equipment for flaming weeds is expensive with continual cost for fuel. It could cause fires if not used properly.

Gorse and other vicious weed control
There are not many options organically for Gorse control. So far all I have heard of is continual slashing down of the plants and not digging the soil, to prevent seed disturbance which will lead to their germination. Burning of Gorse stimulates the seed into germinating also. On my Organics course we were told the only way they had come up with was to slash the Gorse down and, mulch heavily, replant with natives that will eventually choke out the Gorse. I would like to add since then, through my own experiences and talking with other people, instead of just slashing the Gorse down and mulching, a good thick layer of weed matting is highly recommended. I recommend 1-2 layers of old, natural fibred carpet layered over the affected area. You do not need to clear the ground down to bare soil, as the carpet will suffocate any grass and other weeds under it, but it does not damage the soil as a non breathing plastic weed matting does. You can then proceed to use your land in a no dig garden way or simply leave it covered with carpet for 6 months before cutting a cross or X shape into the carpet to dig a hole for a tree or plant to be planted into. Once the tree or plant has been planted the X or cross shape is then placed back over the soil but is cut slightly away from the base of the plant. You can then mulch with what have you for an aesthetically pleasing looking garden. Using this old carpet weed matting doesn’t allow any plant life to live underneath it so should work very well in the case of Wandering Willy and other horrid weeds.

Plants for weed control
Dense plantings of grains, or 'green crops' before the main crop will suppress weed growth. Other weed suppressing plants are cucumbers, pumpkins, the cabbage family and mugwort. Weeds fill in bare soil, some companion plants can be used in the same way e.g. nasturtium. Planting in a way that mimics forest layers e.g. lettuce growing below cabbages, corn, beans and sunflowers growing above the cabbages, nasturtium, borage, parsley, chives and spring onions filling in the gaps.

Animals for weed control
Sheep, goats or chickens and rabbits kept in cages will clean up weeds.
Ducks are excellent for grass and other weeds in the orchard and especially around strawberries.

Mulches
Pea straw, Barley straw, tree mulch, tree ferns, dry grass, leaves.

Herbicidal mulches
Note: keep away from plants
Nut tree leaves, Oak leaves, Cypress leaves, pine needles, Pumpkin leaves, Mugwort, Rhubarb leaves and Bracken.
These materials can be spread over cardboard or a natural fibred carpet or fabric as a cheap, low maintenance weed control. These materials may also be used around, but not too close, to shelter plants and herbal hedges.

A highly recommended mulch is a mixture of weeds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings, saw dust, manure and blood and bone thoroughly mixed and aerobically composted for 10 days. Place in a large bin with holes at the bottom and a secure lid.

Home made herbicides

Urine
Undiluted urine can kill plants, especially if they are shallow rooted. Urine is especially useful for lawn weeds. For best results apply when at least 24 hours old. Two applications over 48 hours to dry soil.

Herbicides
Interceptor Organic Herbicide, made from pine oil.
Weeds that may need to be controlled

Growth inhibiting weeds (keep out of garden)
Couch grass Oxalis
Gorse

Info on weeds
* Buttercups, Ranunculus aeris
Indicator of: Wet, cultivated/tilled, clay. Poisonous leaves and flowers. Signs of poisoning are: respiratory paralysis, difficulty breathing as lungs collapse, giddiness, staggering, slowing pulse rate. But symptoms may vary according to butter cup species, all Ranunculaceae are poisonous.
* Wild carrot, Ducus carota
Indicator of: Uncultivated/neglected, alkaline, low fertility,
* Chickweed, stellaria media
Indicator of: cultivated/tilled, high fertility. Edible.
* Clovers, trifolium sp.
Indicator of: Low nitrogen
* Dandelion, Taraxacum vulgare
Indicator of: cultivated/tilled, clay, acid. Edible
* Docks, Rumex sp.
Indicator of: Wet, Acid
* Dock, broad leafed, Rumex obtusifoias
Indicator of: wet, clay
* Scrambling fumitory, Fumaria officinalis
Indicator of: High pottasium
* Groundsel, Sececio vulgaris
Indicator of: High fertility, cultivated/tilled.
* Mosses, Bryophyta sp.
Indicator of: Wet
* Plantains, Plantago sp.
Indicator of: Wet, cultivated/tilled, clay, acid. edible
* Yarrow, Achillea millefolium
Indicator of: Low potassium

Uses for some of the common weeds
Blackberry
Either use leaves or root bark for diarrhoea or urinary tract infections. Can be used as a gargle for sore throats and mouth ulcer and as a warm douche for thrush.
Bracken
Young shoots are edible and apparently are good stir fried. Rhizomes are said to be good baked. Do not eat more than once a week, as too much can be harmful. I have been informed by Nevan Ofsoski (botany tutor), that Bracken may contain traces of arsenic. Other research shows that this recipe is likely to be a common one in Japan. The Maori use to eat the young shoots of bracken fresh. It is believed to be a possible carcinogen. Proven poisonous to horse, sheep and cows.
Broom
Crush the twigs and heat in oil until near boiling point. Cool and use against lice or other parasites.
Burdock
Burdock roots can be eaten like young parsnips but they get tough after about three months. The root may also be used in an ointment or leaf poultice applied to ulcers, pimples, inflammation or other skin problems. It may also be used as a tonic to the hair and scalp. Can be drunk as a tea to increase resistance to infection.

Chickweed
Eat the shoots and young leaves steamed or sautéed in garlic and butter or however you might eat asparagus. The leaves can be used fresh, dried, powdered or as a tea for inflammation, haemorrhoids, eczema, burns, wounds etc. The leaves can be eaten as a kidney tonic, and chickweed ointment can be used for all skin irritations and sores, or the leaves can be made into a poultice.
Chicory
Cook like silverbeet, not too tasty eaten fresh.
Cleavers
Used as a diuretic and mild laxative. Pour boiling water over the flowering plant and infuse until pale coloured. It is also reputed to slightly lower fevers and blood pressure.
Couch grass
A decoction of the root has been used for urinary problems like cystitis, gout and kidney stones. Must be boiled before use or it is poisonous.
Dandelion
Dried root or leaves are used as a diuretic and liver tonic. It is reputed to improve digestion and appetite. Leaves may be used in cooking, use like puha.
Dock
Stimulates digestion. Effective laxative. High in iron. A tea made from the root can be used as a gargle for sore throats. Apply a poultice of the leaves to stop bleeding or to areas infected with skin parasites like ringworm. The stewed leaves can be used as a tonic or for liver complaints.
Plantain
The thick juice can be used as a cough mixture. Use leaves as an antibacterial and to promote blood clotting. Rub onto nettle or insect stings. Add powdered leaves to ointments for skin disease and irritations, and on healing wounds to promote new tissue. Plantain tea can also be taken for diarrhoea.
Shepherds purse
Simmer 20g of fresh leaves in 500mls of water until reduced by one third. Strain and drink warm by the cupful every three hours until menstrual bleeding is reduced. May also be used for bruising or a cotton wool soaked and dipped into the nose to stop nose bleeds.
Sorrel
Drink juice or eat leaves for fevers. Apply pulped leaves to skin complaints.
Stinking roger
Traditionally it was hung in door ways to repel flies and stuffed in mattresses to repel bed bugs and other insects. Companion plant to repel root knot nematodes.
Tea tree
Tea tree oil is used to repel flies, mosquitoes and other insects by rubbing it on the skin. Branches scattered around an infected area are reputed to deter cockroaches.
Wandering willy/jew, Tradescantia Flumensis
Eat boiled or stir fried. Bland taste needs flavouring added.

Recommended books to read
• The New Zealand Organic Gardening Book. Written by Brenda Little
• Companion planting in New Zealand. Written by Brenda Little
• Whats that pest? Written by Rob Lucas

This booklet was put together by Aleena La’ulu

Entered by Aleena La'ulu