New Gardener but I think I am learning fast

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 00:31

I knew very little about gardening-almost nothing but both myself and my wife were keen to have a nice garden. So we called in the experts and they had a few designs and we chose one. We were very happy with the end result. Here is a couple of pictures at the construction stage last April. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26171843/Garden1.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26171843/Garden2.JPG



They assured us that the salinity of Famagusta tap water was no problem. Watering was done automatically, ten minutes for drip water and ten minutes for spraying evry two days. The first two months everything grew very nicely and I was more than happy to cut the grass twice a week. Then things began to go wrong. The grass was becoming thin on the ground and some plants was simply dying.



The expert advised me to use some fertilizers and reduce spraying from every two days to every three days but things kept going from bad to worse. ctd.

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 00:40

ctd.

Then I obtained some instruments which shows the humidity in the soil, the PH value and the relative amount of the fertilizers. Now another one is on the way that will show the salinity of water.



First I began using A/C or drinking water for some plants and immediately reversed the bad goings. I cut down the spray for grass originally from 10 minutes every two days to 4 minutes every three days. Then I bought myself an eight ton plastic tank in addition to the two tons I already had and bought good water from a tanker. I watered the garden with good water last Wednesday and things are looking up so well. The improvement is clearly visible. Now it is a joy to be a gardener.



The small pond is another story. I put four Japanese fish there about three months ago and now they number over twenty. The water was muddy due to algae but recently I bought a filter with UV light and now I have crystal clear pond, a joy to watch the fish and feed them evrey morning.

ismet

Sugarpuffbear


Joined: 14/05/2010
Posts: 64

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 00:48

Looks nicely laid out. Shame that the saline water spoilt it.

At least you have solved the problem.

I take it there are no egrets or herons nearby or the pond will need netting off.

Glasbury


Joined: 13/08/2010
Posts: 268

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 00:54

elko2 - I think your new garden looks lovely. Gardening is very much a learning curve and you certainly learn by your mistakes - I know from experience but it is so rewarding as well.

Jeannie


Joined: 04/08/2009
Posts: 3283

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 01:22

ismet - I, too, think your garden looks a picture.



I know exactly what you mean about being overrun with fish; we bought 5 goldfish a couple of years ago for our small garden pond and we now have too many to count. We gave away about 30 this summer and still have too many. I think it's very therapeutic to sit and watch the fish - very restful

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 08:47

The local pet shops call these fish "Japanese". Is that "goldfish"?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26171843/goldfish.JPG

ismet

cooper


Joined: 23/10/2007
Posts: 3386

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 09:00

Yes they are definitely goldfish ismet if they had been Japanese their eyes would have been slanted )

0maintenance


Joined: 22/09/2010
Posts: 2179

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 10:34

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

Tango1


Joined: 19/02/2011
Posts: 1151

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 10:51

It looks lovey, it wasn't for the pond it could have been our garden back in the UK. Even the hedge looks English!!! Is the pond supposed to be shaped like a heart of the Ace of Spades?

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 13:25

Tango,

Lets say a cross between a heart and an ace of spades. The pond was built about twenty years ago soon after we finished the house and moved in. It was supposed to be the shape of a heart but the workman doing it did not manage to get the shape right and I was happy with the non-symmetry. We had lots of comments at the time and some young couples really had some heated discussion on what it looked like. Eventually they asked us and we told them the truth. Just make it look as you perceive it.

ismet

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 14:07

My pride http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26171843/Hanging%20Basket.JPG

I feed it with about one and half to two litres of water, some fertilizer and some minerals every day. I check the humidity of the soil and adjust the water accordingly. In Turkish we call them "Rozet" but no idea what they are called in English.

ismet

mehamgul101


Joined: 19/09/2011
Posts: 1

Message Posted:
19/09/2011 14:10

thanks for your such nice sharing with us in this forum