My Top 10 Garden MythBusters!

[@kathyberal5623]

Time to unlearn some things. This has been a real eye opener.

[@susanbloor8541]

I love your videos. Full of excellent advice and enthusiasm. Thank you.

[@HamCubes]

Hear, hear! I have just discovered Bunny and what a delightful breath of fresh air she is! I especially admire that her science is sound and that her enthusiasm is in earnest and not over-the-top. Too many KZbinrs confuse energy and enthusiasm with boisterousness.

[@izzywizzy2361]

It is heartening to see no dig principles explained by someone as mainstream as you!

[@YalisCommunity]

I agree!

[@seachange17]

Fabulous info. Just planted 3 native yellow birch in USA zone 5. Trees are about 3.5 ft and I dug the hole size as you directed. They are leafing out and seem happily planted.

[@PowertotheFlower]

Love your videos, Bunny. This was helpful and I appreciated how you brought the science in. Thank you!

[@katewilson9305]

Thank you Bunny - for all your videos, I am so grateful to you for sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge so freely and generously on this site. Your videos and books are my first port of call for any gardening question I have - and they fill me with inspiration. Thank you again and again...

[@jennifersauer3257]

Fantastic and informative! I’ll admit, that like your mother did, I enjoy seeing the freshly tilled/dug earth - especially as a confirmation of all the incredible earth worms present. But now I feel pangs of regret when I see that I’ve disturbed them even when just using a dribbler to plant garden seedlings 😟 and immediately cover them with any loose soil laying nearby. It’s hard to overcome these long agreed upon myths when working with contractors. But when you can speak their industry language I have found they tend to listen more closely. We all have to keep educating ourselves!

[@jimboyle6974]

Bunny, you are a revelation. Thks for all the effort you go to in posting your videos

[@tinasmith9998]

After watching 10 or so videos I finally subscribed…why on earth did I wait? I am 100% here for this content.

[@bunnyguinness]

🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇!

[@KVSM_2005]

Very informative and interesting video. Thank you for sharing.

[@luckysmummy5325]

Wowsers! Thankyou so much for this super informative video. Love it.

[@moniquemckenna6795]

Who on earth would disagree with this treasure of information!

[@newcoyote]

I have been working in residential landscape maintenance for years in Vancouver Canada. I've also been a very scientific and skeptically minded person so I am aware of most of these. There are so many commonly held beliefs like this you just cannot talk people out of in the real world. Even when you back it up with reasoning and evidence the response is usually the same. Double down and, "OK, but can you stake this tree anyhow. I don't want it falling over." Thanks for the great video and subject.

[@bunnyguinness]

People are very reluctant to try new techniques and most garden books just rehash old info which does not help. But there is so much great new research it does really pay off to keep an open minded attitude. Also people make money out of selling tree stakes sadly 🐇

[@moniquepappalardo248]

This is outstanding content, thank you!

[@jenniewilliams1668]

Beautifully clear - thanks Bunny!!!!!!! Warm regards Jennie

[@lilwilliams7277]

Love your videos, love science. Thank you Bunny.

[@deborahrobertson4670]

Super! Helpful to debunk with new research, thanks!

[@MamaGenn]

Thank you so much Bunny. I love your channel very much. Good info for an amateur like me seeking to improve her skills

[@lydiarowe491]

Good advice for so many solutions..often the microbes do the job better than the spade..nature does nurture..🌳thank you🌴

[@JoannaLouise200]

Thank you Bunny ~ that was such an eye-opener! Listening to you unpick the myths strand by strand, it steadily makes such sense. And no back-straining digging ~ what more could a gardener wish for!

[@YalisCommunity]

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful video full of great knowledge! Loved it!

[@stuartwilsdon9683]

Thanks so much, very educational and enjoyable too!

[@YalisCommunity]

She is awesome!

[@christinealexander-smith6234]

Excellent tips, but if you don't use salt or vinegar, what would you suggest, please?

[@paultavener825]

Excellent very enlightening

[@pennylymnrose6057]

Extremely helpful. Thank you so much.

[@beckyscheller9358]

Good information. Thank you

[@SteveL2012]

Interesting video. I have to add one caveat though on the use of concentrated vinegar as an herbicide. We use it successfully on our very long gravel drive to suppress weeds. It works very well, there is no risk of soil contamination because we contain the use to the driveway (which will never be planted). Perhaps because the weeds are growing in gravel, the roots are exposed to the vinegar and this it why it works. I can add that we spray at the first signs of growth, and it is highly effective at killing grass and broadleaf weeds. It admittedly sometimes takes more than one application but is far better than using toxic, carcinogenic herbicides in my humble opinion. Further, there is no way we could ever keep up with hand weeding on such a large space. ❤️

[@peterbennett7176]

Similarly I have tried salt on some small cracks and gaps in my gardens hard surfaces that have a tendency to collect impossible to remove weeds and weed seed. I don’t actually mind if these tiny cracks become toxic to plants and it seems to both kill the plants and have a slightly protective effect for a while too, until it gets thoroughly washed out. Had no issues with run off or contamination so as with you and your vinegar - in the right circumstances I’m fine with this as a technique and for this purpose has been better than anything else I have tried - and like you said - not a known carcinogen!

[@emmastpatrick]

This was amazing. Very well explained and it all made sense. thank you.

[@janinetaylor233]

I love how evidence-based your advice is (on GQT too 🙂). Are there any journals you recommend, please?

[@bunnyguinness]

New Scientist is good but many scientist complain is too popularist! I tend to work with a wide range of gardening related disciplines - soil scientists, arboriculturists, plant breeders etc and I am constantly picking their brains. Google Scholar is a brilliant search engine for published scientific papers, which is where I picked up on the new work on Rose Replant Disease . Hope this helps.

[@janinetaylor233]

@@bunnyguinness Thank you

[@Daihatsu_Hijet]

💯 % 👍🏻🌳🐰 the salt one that’s funny, I’ve always thought of salt as a means of destruction to the lands. When Pope Boniface VIII destroyed Palestrina in 1299, he ordered that it be plowed "following the old example of Carthage in Africa", and also salted "I have run the plough over it, like the ancient Carthage of Africa, and I have had salt sown upon it ... many examples of concurring cities, razing them and reportedly salting the earth so nothing would grow.

[@1lunarin]

love the video is there any way you could do a tutorial on how to clad pots with lead and such ?

[@bunnyguinness]

Yes will do, one day! Many thanks for your comment.

[@1lunarin]

@@bunnyguinness i absolutely cannot wait you are my garden design idol, thank you !!

[@paultsworld]

One reason I use gravel is to stop the compost draining out of the holes. Is that a correct thought? Bunny, do you simply put compost in a pot without anything at the bottom?

[@bunnyguinness]

I usually put one crock or flat stone over the hole for exactly that reason 👍

[@paultsworld]

Thank you.

[@ednichols6193]

Hi Bunny. This is all so interesting, I'm loving the science behind it. Thank you. Do you have any advise for what soil to use when planting a tree in a large baseless pot (clearly a fan)? I'm designing a patio area with 4 baseless pots in each corner to be 70cm by 70cm and 90cm tall with 4 amelanchier robin hill trees. Any advice would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

[@sararichardson737]

I love to learn how to stop fruit trees from fruiting. Fruit fall is excessive and very messy on the ground.

[@milmex317th]

👏 nice to meet you.

[@kathleenblundetto1624]

Very informative video! Thank you!💕🌸

[@LyndaHill]

Thanks! So enlightening. Cheers from DownUnder.

[@jameshurst8529]

Hello Lynda

[@michelerich3242]

I have long rebelled against stone chips/gravel in the bottom of containers. I felt it would compact at the bottom of the container and trap water-and I was right! Sad that many reputable nurseries ( like Stodels here in the Western Cape) still recommend it! Epsom salts are being advocated in various gardening groups here with a small minority against it, (not explaining why, though)-yet you give the science behind why it won't work! I haven't watched all your videos, but I would love to see a more in -depth video on sound muffling.( I'm going to search through now to see if you have.) I am a few metres from a neighbour's noisy pool pump running 8-10 hours a day. I will try a wooden fence- attach it to the existing ugly vibracrete wall, but wondered about a step beyond that. ) Noise pollution is a real stress for some of us at home all the time now! (Others are totally unaffected!) Thank you for your valuable content. Always enjoyable, and informative!

[@Daihatsu_Hijet]

Irregular shape gravel such shaped like builders gravel is made to compact but there is a stone you can use that is made for drainage it is round, typically used in bonsai. A much larger version is used for pond builds in the wetlands filtration bay.

[@E.R.Hewitt]

What about putting ground coffee directly in your garden? Would love you to settle if that is good or bad.

[@bunnyguinness]

I put the spent coffee grounds from my coffee cafetière on the soil as a slug barrier. It certainly helps deter slugs.they quickly rot down and then I add more.🐇

[@annkelly398]

Hello Bunny, can you tell us if self-binding gravel is paintable? I have just had a Cotswold Gold step/pathway laid and the colour is so vibrantly golden orange that it just takes over the garden which is wistful and calming. I cannot seem to find a solution and I'm thinking of putting a masonry paint on it but scared to do so if it is on treads whereby it'll be on shoes then on flooring in house and garden room! Please help!

[@bunnyguinness]

So sorry this has happened. I do not know what they have laid and it does not seem like a self binding gravel, or if it is I doubt that it has been laid correctly. If I were you I would remove the top 25mm or so and lay some Breedon gravel on the top. But please check with Breedon Enstone that they would agree that this would work. Breedon do 2 colours, I am sure they would send you a sample of each. I always get samples of gravel before purchasing (just as with top soil) as it avoids any disappointments. Hope you get it sorted.

[@philipoconnor2236]

Thanks Bunny for your excellent videos. I would agree with all the points you've addressed. On a separate topic, l am planting a Japanese holly hedge (150plants). Is it fair to say they prefer acidic soil? If so, is sulphate of iron a good way to reduce the acidity of topsoil as well as adding ericeous compost? Thanking you in advance

[@marcowen1506]

from what I know of the chemistry, sulphate of iron is likely to *increase* the acidity, not decrease it. If your soil is beyond a certain pH, planting acid-loving plants is a losing battle , as you will constantly have to adjust the pH of the soil and the plants won't do as well. A reasonable pH-reducing soil amendment is composted pine bark & needles dug through and as a very thick mulch.

[@philipoconnor2236]

@@marcowen1506 thanks a million Marc. Yes PH reduction was what l meant. That's a good idea with the bark mulch. I'll give it a go! Thanks again for your reply. Happy Gardening 👍💚

[@RoseMary-vs3io]

Very useful, thank you👍

[@watermelonlalala]

I never put gravel in my containers, but now I am going to do a little experiment for myself and see. Somehow I think all those gardeners couldn't have been so wrong.

[@watermelonlalala]

Just tried this with two identical garden pots. Holy moly. No water at all ran out of the pot with pebbles and shorter column of soil. The one without pebbles, some water ran right through, as you would expect. I think gravel might be a good thing in pots in the heat of summer. Will try this when the time comes.

[@e.m8784]

What if the ground has construction rubble here and there? Should I still keep it as it is? The grass has nevertheless grown on it!

[@bunnyguinness]

It depends how much rubble and what you want to grow. When I have areas like that I just lift the debris when they get in the way but if I wanted an amazing lawn I would probably too dress with green waste at every opportunity. If it was to be a border I would like green waste/compost on as a mulch 🐇

[@e.m8784]

@@bunnyguinness Thanks for the quick reply. I have been planting some roses in the borders and noticed some debris that I took out. Between the roses will be perennials and seasonal flowers. I am planning to plant some grapes and make two vegetables beds (patches). Still no need to dig? Thanks for your time and consideration.

[@annecanty1227]

Great video thanks.

[@thedrifterr]

So why do farmers always plough the land after crops ?

[@rationalinvest]

Such a great video

[@cambbrown6205]

Thank you, very helpful:-)

[@baljeet50]

you are the best Gardner

[@dbatesdob]

Right , I'll be planting my 7ft sorbus without a stake ... less digging for me .

[@michaelpickens1226]

Good vid 🌟 new subscriber 👍

[@e.elsibea1518]

I would love to see your best tips on how to get a lawn (pardon me. I think you in England don't call your grass beds lawns. I'm not sure how you distinguish the grass from your other gardens, but I'd like to learn.) as perfect as the one you're sitting on. It'd be nice to learn if you amend the soil in any way and, if so, how do you know what it needs? How do you keep it weed free? And does anyone know why you can only get rotary engine mowers in the US for residential lawns? You can't even find information on the internet about why we don't have the same kind of mowers available for sale here in the U.S. which, honestly, is scary. Americans are never going to have gardens that are as lovely or as manicured as the English because we're never going to have the time. A forty hour work week would be a luxury. However, having the information to grow something so beautiful, something that gives you an indescribable feeling of warmth and joy that you can share with others, is something worth striving for and I'm so grateful for all your information. I know I ask a lot of questions. :)

[@bunnyguinness]

In uk we have ‘no mow May’ at moment to encourage people to have longer lawns and more wild flowers. We do have lawns, but ones with daisies, self heal, buttercups are growing in popularity. Prince Charles calls his lawns mown green spaces as he likes to pull in insects, butterflies etc. He does cut them with cylinder mowers though but does not add herbicides, fertilisers etc. They look pretty good. I wrote a book with him about Highgrove, his garden, a few years ago. Will maybe do a video on lawns but it is a big subject! Thanks for your comments.🐇

[@lisadangerfield2257]

Great advice, I’ve certainly learnt something! Thank you. Love your garden and animals!

[@ransomcoates546]

Nothing will keep gardeners from putting gravel in the bottom of a pot. It’s a habit too deeply ingrained. And I cannot see how a pot with its hole clogged with soil will not produce root rot.

[@bunnyguinness]

Quite agree if the holes clogged the roots will rot. To stop it clogging I put a piece of terracotta crock over the hole, but I don’t put gravel at the bottom as well 🐇

[@sabinewittenburg5789]

Always really love your content.💖 But honestly 4 commercials are too much.😰

[@convinth]

Use an ad-blocker.

[@sabinewittenburg5789]

@@convinth 💡Ahh, thanks!

[@Ash-xx5zd]

I was hoping if you could provide the spelling of Mark's last name. Tried searching for a research paper or just a video of his... its something I like doing on my past time. 🤭 searched a mix of dr mark university of Georgia's soil water* perched table. ...couldn't find the man 😓

[@bunnyguinness]

Sorry, is my muffly voice! Might not have got pronunciation spot on either. He is Dr Mark Rieger.

[@MrThevillababe]

Thanks for all that help. When we built, the excavator took 7ft off to give us a 3/4 acre flat pad. We couldn't get a spade into the ground as it was subsoil. Not knowing about not disturbing the soil, we used an excavator to dig out the beds and then mixed the sub soil 50/50 with the native top soil as we were planting zone 8a natives. What would be the step by step to undo all our wrong choices? Thanks

[@bunnyguinness]

A bit of a complex question! I suppose the first query is why did you want a flat pad for the whole space? Could you have worked more with the existing slopes and created some flat space but not everywhere? Designing with levels gives you great scope. It’s normal to remove the topsoil before you excavate, then you have a pile of decent topsoil to go back later. The subsoil is kept separately. I usually treat the area with glyphosate about 2 weeks before removing the topsoil so that it is much more weed free when it goes back. Before I put the topsoil back having formed the bee levels in the subsoil I check that the subsoil drains. If heavy earth moving machines have tracked over it and its clay based it may be impervious. In which case I use a machine with a deep blade to rip it to create drainage channels or I use a soil aerator such as those from Terrain Aeration which blasts air deep into the soil to break up pans etc. To correct you problem now though if you add green waste or compost to the top you will find you can quick quickly develop good soil. Hope this helps and apologies for long winded answer - am stuck in garage while car is being sorted! 🐇

[@MrThevillababe]

​@@bunnyguinness Yes, very helpful and interesting, Bunny. The "proper" way to have done the work makes sense, and I appreciate the detailed explanation. Evidently, it behooves families to hire landscape professionals to work with the architect to site the home so the excavation contracts are proper. Lesson taken. Thanks so much, Janet :D

[@MrThevillababe]

In réponse to your query, of the 12+ acres, this section was deemed best for a building pad and gardens. We still have lots of elevation changes on the rest of the property.

[@pansepot1490]

Sorry but from your description the study is about two different shaped containers filled with compost and water retention of compost. Conclusion on gravel seems a non sequitur. How does that relate to the drainage properties of a layer of gravel? In order to actually show if gravel is effective you need two IDENTICAL containers, one with gravel and one without. Gravel on the bottom of the pot may not make much difference but saying it worsen drainage is simply nonsense. Bonsai soil is basically gravel and its composition has been fine tuned by at least a century of experimentation by people who actually grow plants in their pots.

[@bunnyguinness]

When you put in gravel in the bottom you are effectively changing the shape of the pot to a dumper one, this is what slows the drainage down. Added to which water does not move so well when going from compost to gravel. It does seem counterintuitive but the experiments were carried out methodically and correctly. Try it and see! 🐇

[@marcowen1506]

The taller pot has a larger column of water stored in the soil and hence higher hydrostatic pressure at the bottom, and this is what pushes the water out of the pot. By adding a layer of gravel, you reduce column height and pressure, and therefore drainage. Your comment about bonsai is, if you'll pardon me quoting you, a non sequitur as they do not use a layer of gravel underneath a layer of soil, but use a single layer of gravelly growing medium with very different drainage dynamics to soil.

[@watermelonlalala]

@@marcowen1506 I think her little example raised more questions than it answered about gravel in the pots. If I had a science class, I would show this video to the kids and have them devise experiments to test what she said.

[@Daihatsu_Hijet]

Bonsai growing medium is completely different from regular potting soil and a different style pot as well; that is an apple to orange comparison, you can go ask Peter Chan.

[@paultsworld]

I notice you said ‘fresh greens’ won’t deplete the soil of nitrogen. Does the same apply to fresh wood chippings?

[@bunnyguinness]

Yes, apparently so but I never put very fresh wood chips as a mulch on plants as tannin will leach out and this can harm plants. Leave them in a heap for 3 months before using. Lawn mowers are another good source, although some have weed seeds in. Hope this helps🐇

[@watermelonlalala]

@@bunnyguinness I put fairly fresh wood chips around my strawberry bed in a path and the strawberries exploded. Went from like five little bushes to a big mass, crawling out into the path itself. The chips might have been sitting for a month or two at the most. It was fall.

[@paultsworld]

Thank you for the 'tannin ' warning. I have just bought some wood chipping and they are indeed a few months old.

[@ruthtorphy2204]

🙏🌞🌸

[@francesjones9644]

Twice: thank you.

[@stevieb6173]

wait a minute though folks ,which god decrees that these rules themselves are set in stone , don't just follow the leader because the leader says, these guides could be wrong in ten years , there are a thousand leaders out there, think for yourself , are scientists gardeners ???? not saying bunny is wrong especially with her experience but , think for yourself sometimes

[@carolwood9270]

The reason I put gravel in my pots is to try to stop the soil from blocking the drainage. I have much better pots and plants with gravel in the soil. Also, when I stake a tree I do not have it tight around the trunk.

[@bunnyguinness]

I just put one crock in the bottom to stop the compost dropping out 🐇

[@carolwood9270]

@@bunnyguinness well good, if that works, Iwill try it.

[@umairshah6358]

Your explanations don’t necessarily sound plausible and logical.

[@Johnnyfelleer]

Get a fountain or plant a wood to reduce noise 😂 not everyone lives on a country estate darling.

[@bunnyguinness]

You don’t have to have a country estate to have a fountain though!

[@Johnnyfelleer]

@@bunnyguinness 😂 so out of touch.

[@Biddybee]

You’ve clearly missed the point

[@Biddybee]

@@Johnnyfelleer above comment is for you

[@Johnnyfelleer]

@@Biddybee maybe you could explain then as you are so informed.