On 24 September Robyn and Robert Guyton lead an apple grafting workshop for 20 participants organised by Lesley at the Community Nursery. This workshop follows on from the pruning workshops held in July where the “scions” are pruned off the particular species of apple you want to graft from, kept in the fridge until September and then grafted onto rootstock bought by Guytons as being the best rootstock to use in Southland. The “scions” are those named species you want for fruit – eg “Monty’s Surprise”. The SCES website has an excellent section on the process of grafting see www.sces.org.nz. Lesleys report follows.
A cold rain-sodden day in September found an eclectic group of enthusiastic would-be horticulturists gathered at the Southland Community Nursery. We’d come to learn the art and science of grafting heritage apple trees - a follow on workshop from the apple pruning some of us had done in July.
Robyn Guyton told the story of the apple and explained why grafting is the only effective way to duplicate the genetic code for a particular variety of apple. She talked about the different heritage apples that can be traced back to the earliest trees brought to and planted in Southland. And she shared how they have been systematically collecting their extensive range of heritage apples through the process we’d be learning.
Rob Guyton took over then with an extremely informative demonstration of the grafting process. He explained not only what to do but why it was important to do it that way. We were invited to choose from the many varieties the Guytons had brought with them and then we were let loose to try our hand at doing it ourselves.
Some of us were a little keener than others and wanted to keep on practicing. At $5.00 a tree, grafted and potted up, it was an excellent way to hone one’s skills and establish a foundation to a heritage orchard.
I came away with six grafted trees, each a different variety. Some eight weeks later they are all sprouting healthy leaves and branches - so I guess the grafts were successful. Lesley
Posted: 17 November 2016
KCC teamed up with the Southland Bee Society and Environment Southland and had a “How to bee-friendly in your backyard” event held at the Southland Community Nursery. This event coincided with Bee Aware Month with our aim of promoting how we can do our bit to help bees and other beneficial insects.
We had a bee-friendly flowering plants stall, showing both native and other species of plants that are great for bees. The activity for children involved matching the name of the plant on a card with the actual plant, and we got a bee friendly pack of seeds to bring home to plant. Families could also design a water supply for bees, learning how to do this without drowning the bees. This was great hands on fun! A table showing garden sprays highlighted how using these at your place can inadvertently kill bees. Families got a take home card listing the active ingredients to stay clear of to be bee-friendly. Honey tasting, spotting the Queen in the hive (she was busy laying eggs!), and looking at a bee keeper take a hive apart (with no bees in!) and looking at the honeycomb structure was amazing. Children also had activities including making a bee! A great day. Bronwyn
For more information about Southland Bee Society visit www.southlandbeesociety.nz
Posted: 17 November 2016
Honorlea held her third Natural Body Products workshop on 15th October and feedback from the 10 participants it was just as popular and successful as the previous two workshops and in most cases exceeded people’s expectations.
Most people also expressed interest in further workshops for making balms, soaps, moisturisers etc so watch this space for new workshops in the New Year.
Posted: 17 November 2016
The heavy steady rain didn’t deter the willingness of the Richmond Playcentre families to explore and get out in nature at the Southland Community Nursery.
The children potted up cabbage trees enjoying scooping up the dirt and patting it down. They loved the trolley that the re-potted plants went into.
The puzzles of the butterfly and the spider saw group cooperation and problem solving, the bug hunt saw the children observing the insects and how to keep them safe before returning them to their natural home, and the walk in the bush provided a sensory experience. A wet visit, but so such fun to catch raindrops on tongues! Bronwyn
Posted: 17 November 2016
The great thing about the Community Nursery is the support given by many volunteers. That meant that activities in the Education Centre kept running whilst I was away in the UK from August to October 2016.
So big thanks from me go to Linda and Ray for keeping the nursery running, to Bronwyn organising school groups, play centres and KCC activities, Lesley organising with Guyton’s an apple grafting workshop, Honorlea organising and running her third “Body Products from natural materials” Workshop and Bronwyn working with Sonya Crook and Pat Hoffman from the Southland Bee Society to organise a Bee Friendly day at the nursery. A new group that are now using the Education Centre are Kahui Manu Home School Group who have held sessions every second Thursday from August – their varied learnings under Carmen’s leadership are detailed below – see their facebook page for more details. Thanks to everyone for the effort you are putting into the Community Nursery and Education Centre – it’s a happening place! Chris
Posted: 17 November 2016
