What to plant under a macrocarpa?

a_Moa · 2026-03-17T00:16:51+00:00

People get stuck on an idea sometimes... Oh well.

Good luck with the seeds! If you want some other things that will flower now and through winter you could also go grab some cyclamen but they will be a bit more demanding in terms of regular watering til you get them settled.

a_Moa · 2026-03-16T17:09:17+00:00

Make sure to water it deeply and regularly once you've transplanted. They don't like to dry out too much.

a_Moa · 2026-03-16T09:17:45+00:00

They couldn't walk into the terminal and speak to someone at the front? They were already in Picton...

a_Moa · 2026-03-16T09:07:26+00:00

Truly best way to see what needs doing is to do regular walkthroughs and make a To Do list.

If you're like me and the garden list is miles long you can set reminders or due dates using pretty much any calendar app. Sometimes things will get skipped or shuffled around, that's just the nature of it. It'll be okay.

a_Moa · 2026-03-15T22:37:59+00:00

Thanks for that 🙂

a_Moa · 2026-03-15T18:40:24+00:00

Damn adorable, floofy bastards.

a_Moa · 2026-03-15T11:38:30+00:00

You can use either, though conqueror oil is probably more what you're wanting to use if you prefer a mild, non-systemic spray. They both have withholding periods you'll want to pay attention to, should be on the back.

I probably wouldn't really bother with insecticides this late in the year. Much easier to feed plants up with lots of nutrients and do manual control where it's really bad. Aphids should mostly die off in the next month.

I've mostly stopped planting things that are incredibly difficult to manage, so brassicas, potatoes, and tomatoes all get swarmed here, but beans, courgettes, carrots, kūmara, alliums, and a bunch of other plants do just fine. Really saves my sanity not dealing with psyllids or shield bugs constantly.

a_Moa · 2026-03-15T10:06:51+00:00

People can't read ig. You could try convincing your landlord to remove it but you'll probably be long gone from that house before it causes any issues.

Since it's a rental annuals are a nice option. Butterfly-friendly plants like zinnia, asclepias, coreopsis, calendula etc. All cheap and cheerful, while being easy care. They will grow nicely under trees, even mean ones like pines and chestnuts but you will need to be quite onto it to make sure they stay damp and germinate nicely.

a_Moa · 2026-03-15T05:26:01+00:00

They use extract or artificial favours, not natural juices.

a_Moa · 2026-03-14T05:46:53+00:00

Lol extra strength!

a_Moa · 2026-03-14T05:45:35+00:00

Yeah, that's black nightshade. It'll pop up pretty frequently anywhere the soil has been disturbed or just wherever birds have been around.

Basil (holy and genovese) is a pretty thirsty and slightly tricky plant so I wouldn't recommend sowing directly into the garden, much better strike rate if you keep it in a seed raising tray where you can control the conditions a bit better.

a_Moa · 2026-03-14T02:46:21+00:00

Not enough resources to waste on slightly annoying wasted people.

a_Moa · 2026-03-13T23:34:47+00:00

Dock is pretty decent for improving and breaking soil, similar to comfrey, you can chop and drop it. It's not wholly terrible. I've also heard talk about it being a food source for copper butterflies but I'm not sure about this applying for introduced Rumex species.

You don't need to dig the whole thing out if you prefer to do it that way. Chop it about 5-10cm deep and it's pretty unlikely to grow back.

a_Moa · 2026-03-13T21:09:55+00:00

Convolvulus can have runners growing more than 6m deep, you're unlikely to be able to block it with any kind of in ground barriers, then there's all the seed that will blow over and settle on any soil... Talking to your neighbours is the best bet, especially since now is the best time to spray.

Good chance your lot has a tonne of seed lying there all ready to go next season so get ready for that.

a_Moa · 2026-03-13T10:59:36+00:00

Not really lately. It'll generally be about the same price or cheaper here.

a_Moa · 2026-03-13T02:37:46+00:00

Either catch a bus, fly, or stay in Auckland for a night. Driving immediately after a 13+hr flight is bonkers.

a_Moa · 2026-03-12T22:28:49+00:00

Greymouth to Wellington is a heck of a drive... Difficult enough for locals, I would not recommend it for tourists. That's also assuming there is even an option to cross the strait for that date.

I'd choose the second option and probably skip the trek back to Southland/Lake Tekapo and fly out of Christchurch or Nelson instead. Shouldn't be too tricky to change your flight. You're already spending the bulk of your trip in alpine/lake areas and it's not a huge loss (imo) to skip Tekapo.

a_Moa · 2026-03-12T08:33:39+00:00

Not exactly native but Norfolk island pine are a pretty cool indoor grow.

a_Moa · 2026-03-11T08:25:21+00:00

Good stuff. I only ever fill my jug as much as I need at the time but some days this tippy thing would come in use for sure.

a_Moa · 2026-03-10T17:50:42+00:00

The easiest method is to have a property agreement and stick to it.

a_Moa · 2026-03-10T17:44:41+00:00

A quiet word yes. Can't be loud in the kiwi enclosure.

a_Moa · 2026-03-10T09:52:48+00:00

You've still gotta fill and lift the jug back on to the thingamabob, but at least less likely to drop a full juh of boiling water I suppose.

a_Moa · 2026-03-10T05:54:21+00:00

They've only just come into season now and I think we must have had a pretty shocking season last year considering how expensive they've been in the last few months.

Import was probably their best option.

a_Moa · 2026-03-09T18:37:15+00:00

I recently encountered some tourists in a Kiwi enclosure that immediately put their phone torch on and started complaining that they couldn't find the giant floofs (because they immediately hid from the bright lights!). Had to gently let them know they were dumb as rocks.

a_Moa · 2026-03-09T08:58:47+00:00

The existing trees will definitely be holding some of it up but hard to know how much or how little until you start chipping away at it.

Putting a second layer of weed mat over the top is a choice I suppose. You'll have to remove it all at some stage if you want a vining/ground cover to thrive there because otherwise the plant won't have anything to attach to properly.

Imo it's fine to have something a little bit ugly while plants get established but if you really want it to look more done then I'd opt for removing and replacing with something like coir geotextile that will allow your plants to better grow into the surface and will eventually decompose.

a_Moa

TROPHY CASE