I'm just setting up and deciding whether to become VAT registered early so I can claim VAT back on tools and a van.

How should I protect this row of privets? Rabbits seems to be biting through bigger and bigger parts of the hedge leaving a row of lollipops.

We are introducing a new unit in my school (Year 8) looking at sexual reproduction in non-human animals and asexual reproduction in plants and unicellular organisms.

We want to run an investigation where students take cuttings of a parent plant and then, two weeks later, have a new plant that they can take home. Has anyone had good success doing similar?

The main criteria are:

• The parent plant must be something perennial that we can keep growing year round in school. Bonus points if it is fairly drought-tolerant and can be left over school holidays without requiring maintenance.

• It must be something that grows fast enough, and can handle enough cuttings, that we can reasonably maintain enough parent plants to allow 180 students to take cuttings within a two week period without killing the parents.

• Cuttings must root within two weeks. We have access to rooting powders, but would rather avoid using them if possible, as students have no knowledge of plant hormones at this stage.

• Plants must be able to be taken home in a small pot by students and then grown on at home with relatively simple care. Not all students will have an interest in doing so, but we want to make sure that those who do end up with a viable houseplant.

• Doesn't matter if they also reproduce via pollination or not. Students will be familiar with reproduction in flowering plants, and aware that some plants (we look at strawberries) use multiple reproduction strategies.

Any recommendations for the best species? We can afford a decent outlay on the initial generation of plants, as long at we can propagate them successfully after that.

Cor blimey

I was so pleased that my apple tree finally produced a crop this year, even if it was only half a dozen small fruit. But not as pleased as whatever found them this weekend and made a feast. Chief suspect is a blackbird that I've seen around the garden a few times. If I cover the tree with netting, would that keep him off next year?

I’m looking at using some steel channel as a ground spike for the vertical post of a hardy kiwi trellis, it’s thick enough that it would probably last a decade or so without treatment but I’d rather it be protected for safety reasons and of course I don’t want anything nasty leeching into the soil. Is there such a thing I can get over the counter?

I’m very new to gardening and i’m currently shopping around for top soil to lay some turf. I’m just wondering if I could use normal top soil for my turf and would i be able to use it for flowers/plants as well?

Hi,

We have planted a Japanese Maple. Now, the fall has started, and while two branches still look very nice one looks like all the leaves are scorched. Is this normal? Should I prune the leaves of this branch?

Thanks in advance

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