Horse Manure
I saw a post asking for horse manure and would like to show what can happen if you are not careful .
This is in no way saying all or any other manure is affected.
About 3 years ago I obtained some and used it in various sections of the garden. All the plants where it was used became twisted and distorted. It was identified as the result of a spray used to kill weeds , including clover.
My tomato and boysenberry plants, plus Magnolia which is still twisted, all suffered. I took all the tomatoes etc out but left the Boysenberry plants hoping they would grow out. They did not and I had to pull them all out as they were still twisted.
I planted some surplus Sunflowers in the spot where the boysenberries were, thinking it was the plant that was affected now, not the soil after 3 years.
The photos show two of the Sunflowers are fine and the other two are affected. All four are from the same heads of last year's flowers and the other 16 plants are not showing any signs of problems.
The last one is what it looked like pre-infected manure
This is a shout-out that if you are seeing strange shapes and distortions, it might well be a similar problem.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️