Tools, Tips and Tricks
Useful Apps for Landcarers
The NSW Government has rolled out a suite of handy apps to support land managers in making more informed, data-driven decisions. Designed by scientists from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, these apps provide access to years of... read more
Photo Points: Monitoring Results on your Landcare Site
A photo point is a simple but really effective tool for monitoring progress on your ecological restoration site. Before and after photos can motivate volunteers, demonstrate impact to your local community and be used as evidence when applying for or reporting on... read more
New Resource: Koala Smart Website
Exciting News! Koala Smart is thrilled to announce the launch of their brand-new website! Koala Smart is an educational program designed for Primary and Secondary schools. The website equips teachers with classroom-ready resources like Lesson Plans and Worksheets to... read more
Water for Wildlife
In the wake of the catastrophic drought and fires in 2019-2020, WIRES launched the WATER FOR WILDLIFE program with The University of Sydney to provide supplementary water for arboreal wildlife.
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Tools, Tricks and Tips: Use it or lose it
Do you get sick of dropping tools in the garden or in the bush and spending the next half hour trying to find them? Well, this little trick may save you a little bit of time. It’s simple (and fun), wander off to your nearest car parts or electronic supplies... read more
Promote Landcare: Facebook Events
We are fortunate enough to have funding for our local groups to host workshops. While our groups may be enthusiastic about having a workshop, Landcarers don’t always have the skillset to undertake local marketing for their event. In this upcoming series, we will... read more
Tools, Tips and tricks: The lantana hook (credit Dungog Commoners Landcare)
I was intrigued by this custom tool named ‘the Lantana Hook’ that the Dungog Commoners Landcare team have been using on large lantana. To quote Clare, group secretary “The tool works by reaching with the pole to hook the base of the plant and then using both hands on... read more
PlantNET Search – Find your local plants
I’m giving away trade secrets here but apart from identifying plants one of our common requests is for species lists of what grows in an area, or what is suitable to plant in an area. Some areas we know quite well and will be able to give a reasonable list just off... read more
Tools, Tricks and Tips: I Saw That, The “Unbelievable Saw”
One tool that has been in my collection for about 10 years and gets dragged out every now and then is a handy little rope saw called “The Unbelievable Saw”
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Tools, Tips and Tricks: Try not to get lost!
Apart from my Landcare work I do the odd bit of consulting and flora survey work, this work can take me into some fairly remote places and often by myself. While I regard this as the fun bit of my job it is not without a level of risk with the possibility vehicle... read more
Tools, Tricks and Tips: Nursery Cheats
Ok, I have a confession, despite enjoying working in nurseries I really hate pricking out and potting up seedlings. Yeah, I know, it is the main point of working in a nursery, but it is just so tedious and time consuming so if I can find any way of doing it quicker I... read more
Tools, Tricks and Tips: Rainy Day Jobs
You know what it’s like, it’s cold and wet outside but you really don’t want to be inside, because, well, you need to do something more than pushing pixels, or you just want to hide from the boss for a while so the only real retreat is the shed and as there’s only so... read more
Tools, Tricks and Tips: Lockdown
One of my first jobs was at a nursery, the nursery specialised in citrus and roses and was spread over a couple of hectares. My job, for the most part, was weeding. For a whole $2.25 an hour (award rates) I was to start at one end of the nursery and pull the weeds out... read more
After the Fires
Once the flames die down and the smoke clears the question arises “what now?” Now that the adrenaline has flushed out of the system and you face a whole new blackened landscape, it can be more daunting than when the fires were burning. At least then there was only one... read more
New App: Birdata
Did you know birds are a key indicator for biodiversity health in the landscape? How healthy is your patch?
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How Tea Bags Can Measure Soil Health
The Tea Bag Index (TBI), first published in 2013, can be used as a method of comparing the rates of decomposition of organic matter in soil.
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The Peter Lever
Used every now and then by bush regenerators for digging the crowns out of things like asparagus fern and also good for digging into gravelly creekbanks when doing plantings.
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Paul’s Award Winning* Plant Destakerater
Stakes were generally well stuck in the ground and often splintering, making hand pulling a very hazardous and difficult activity.After a few trials and a lot of thinking I came up with a destaking tool which just slips over the stake and gives a good grip to lift the stake out of the ground.
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Tubestock Planting Guide
This planting guide is drawn from internet sources and personal experience in Landcare.
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Goodness, Gracious Great Balls of… umm… Seed.
Seed balls are a fairly simple way of getting seed into an area to germinate after a good rain event.
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Axe of Death
This month’s tool, a nice little hatchet to help poisoning woody weeds, you might need a blacksmith, farrier or someone with an oxy set to make it.
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Tools, Tips & Tricks – Water Lance
A water lance, water jet, whatever you want to call it really, mainly used for planting long stem tubestock along waterways. Let’s make one!
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