Clean as a Whistle. Gloria Oxford
to wash vegetables thoroughly before use and use a non-cooking pot.
LIGHTS
For outdoor parties, try punching holes with a nail in an old fruit tin. Secure a candle in the tin. It gives a very soft light and prevents the candles from being snuffed out in the wind.
MASON BEES
Spread kerosene, or wipe with a kerosene saturated cloth, where mason bees are nesting.
POSSUMS
Use a pesticide for possums, such as a bird and animal repellent, particularly for roses and small plants. Follow the instructions on the packet. For fruit trees, light is an excellent possum deterrent, so why not rig the trees with fairy lights? Turn them on when the fruit begins to form and the possums are looking for a smorgasbord.
Tabasco sauce mixed with a water-glue then daubed over the trunk of the trees will also help to deter the possums.
In addition, spray the trees with lapsang souchong tea. Put 125 grams (4 oz) of tea into a bucket, cover the leaves with half a bucket of boiling water. Let it stand, with a cover to retain the aroma, until it is cold. Strain, and use as a spray. Lapsang souchong tea smells like creosote that is unpalatable to possums. It will be necessary to re-spray after rain.
SANDFLIES
A few dabs of citronella on the skin will help to keep sandflies at bay. If you are bitten, equal quantities of cold tea and methylated spirits will ease the itching almost immediately.
SEEDS
To successfully store seeds, it is important that the seeds reach maturity before they are picked from the plant. Spread the seeds to dry either in the sun or in a warm dry room. When thoroughly dry, dust lightly with a good powder fungicide, before storing. Don’t store in containers where sweating is liable to occur.
SLUGS
To rid the garden of slugs without using chemicals, heat some cabbage leaves in the oven or microwave until soft, then coat the leaves with unsalted butter or clean dripping. Put the leaves in the garden where the slugs gather. Once the leaves are covered with slugs, they can be picked up and destroyed
SNAILS
An old-fashioned method of ridding the garden of snails is to mix lime, soot and bran together in equal quantities and sprinkle around the edges of the beds. Lime mixed with salt will also kill snails, but keep the lime away from azaleas.
UMBRELLA
Use a solution of salt and water to remove mould from a canvas umbrella. Scrub all over the umbrella using a soft brush with a solution of approximately two cups of salt to half a bucket of water. The umbrella should be open and it is best to scrub both sides. Leave open until dry.
VERANDAH – WOOD
Clear timber varnish will cover and weatherproof a timber verandah without altering the colour or grain of the wood. It may need two or even three coats, depending on how much use the verandah will get. Any coating will wear off with time but you should get a fairly long life from timber varnish.
WALLS - STAINED
Wasps, swallows and ivy, all leave discolouration on walls. First, try scrubbing with hot water and wool wash (see recipe). If that is not successful, it may be necessary to resort to liquid sugar soap, following the instructions on the bottle, but use at half strength because you only want to remove the stains. Check a small area first to evaluate the effect on the wall.
WASPS
Wasps nest almost anywhere. Spray at night when the wasps have retired. Cover your head with a scarf or see-through curtain. Spray quickly, then leave the area. Repeat the next night if necessary. Some local councils and government authorities have a wasp eradication program and it is a good idea to check this out first.
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