choosing to build a house on plot of land, Ruza, west of Moscow.

[johnsimpson]

LOL! glass and grass are being censored. They are not swear words, and I am aware of key wording to cut out swearing etc as I am admin myself elsewhere.

[Armoured]

I was planning on clearing the whole land, weeding frequently, using a hover mower regularly to encourage the grass to grow and develop into a lawn. this will make future work much easier. After that we will draw a plan for our garden, where the vegetable plots and paths will be etc. It worked in a smaller garden I had in the UK and hoping for the same results here. But I will certainly be taking note of your tips in also using clover, buckwheat, radishes etc. Thankfully, so far no sign of garbage, gl**** bottles etc in the garden, and seems to be garbage free.

It should work. I'm no expert on getting a lawn going. But doing more or less what you're suggesting and mixing in different seeds, wildflowers, clover, and yes, some grass seeds will probably work eventually. In part just to displace the weeds and whatever else is growing there that you don't want. That said, I know some who want the perfect "English lawn" with all the exact same grass and perfect-perfect. Sowing different seeds from time to time and just keeping the other stuff under control should work. Natural mixes tend to require less work.

Alternatively, try and get a perfect lawn in a small area and let the rest be more natural )).

Anyway, the thing I'd be more worried about is stuff like drainage and whether there are bad/soft patches and stuff like that. You may need to wait and see what's what before making any decisions on that.

I didn't mean to say 'garbage' per se, just that burying piles of stuff used to be pretty common.

We have a lot of what appears to be white fungus on some of our trees. any tips for treatment?

Hmmm, no, don't really know. On all the trees? Is it actually damaging them or just looks unpleasant? Just like a mildew covering or janky looking in spots? All trees or just apple trees? From what little I know, two simple things:
i) One is just that they've been too damp from overgrowth, dead branches, and wounds/bark that's split in places. Scrape away (not too violently) loose and damaged bark, trim dead limbs, etc. (I suspect the proper approach is 'correct' professional trimming / thinning of apple trees and that's beyond me). Anyway at least some of the common diseases and blights for apple trees esp are from fungi/spores that spread and fester with rain, the spores getting spread by rain against ground, rotting stuff on the ground that's accumulated, and loose faff/bark etc on the trees and branches, and not enough air and sun and wind due to overgrowth. So trimming and cleaning up, just rubbing off moss and loose bark, some thinning, branches that are too low, etc might help a lot. Oh, since some of the blights are from splashing up, it's possible some kind of dry ground covering (like wood chips) would help if the ground below is bare or overgrown. Possibly just raking and cleaning underneath.
ii) Light spraying of diluted copper sulfate treatments, either straight or a mix - bordeaux mixture I think it's called? These are considered pretty natural, safe if used with a small amount of caution/common sense (they're considered organic). I've used for dealing with moss / algae growth on buildings and surfaces not trees. Copper sulphate readily available in any place that sells garden stuff, not expensive; I've seen bordeaux mixture as well. (Iron sulphate also used but I don't know what the differences are). If there are rotted/damp bits on trunk or at branch junctures, there's probably some recommended treatment to clean it up and dry it out.

I think what you have is pretty normal for trees that have been left alone/neglected and left to overgrow for a long time in damp-ish conditions. And will be under control pretty quick with only a bit of work. But if it's something more serious, way beyond my knowledge. I'd say don't try and fix it all at once and see if it clears up next season after some modest clean-up. (Oh, if you have concerns, try to use compost stuff from plants in different parts of the yard - i.e. don't use composted apple tree leaves around the apple trees(

Oh, in spring, it's pretty common here for folk to whitewash the tree trunks - I think against insects and rodents. If you ask in a garden store they'll show you what's used, I forget what the stuff is called. I've never bothered.

[Armoured]

Sorry, long post. Short form is I bet if you clean up generally and get things in a bit of order, taking care of the obvious, that a lot of this stuff will just clear up on its own.

[johnsimpson]

Yes, thanks for all that and will be doing much what you said plus a bit of googling and possibly advice from who seem to be helpful and pop in form time time. We have 12 sotkas of land locally in Gorki-10, so we have some experience in gardening, it is in the last stages of having building permission but it might not happen in our lifetime due to slow red-tape. It will be sold soon along with the 12 sotka plot in Ruza ( I mentioned at first, as we don't need them any more. Any interested buyers, please let me know.

Yes, we have used this white latex paint here locally, to keep the pests away. https://fruitgrowersnews.com/article...nts-borers/#//

[Armoured]

Yes, thanks for all that and will be doing much what you said plus a bit of googling and possibly advice from who seem to be helpful and pop in form time time. We have 12 sotkas of land locally in Gorki-10, so we have some experience in gardening, it is in the last stages of having building permission but it might not happen in our lifetime due to slow red-tape. It will be sold soon along with the 12 sotka plot in Ruza ( I mentioned at first, as we don't need them any more. Any interested buyers, please let me know.

Yes, we have used this white latex paint here locally, to keep the pests away. https://fruitgrowersnews.com/article...nts-borers/#//

The stuff I was referring to is a lime mixture, called известь I think in Russian. Personally I'd use that before a latex paint, but whatever works.

When I was referring to removing loose bark and stuff that gets damp and rots, I just used a heavy work glove and rubbed the stuff off. Any parts that have more damage you could look into, but again, getting generally in order might make a big difference on its own.

There are various light soaps meant for trees and plants to deal with bugs like aphids, also I think just plain white vinegar is sometimes used. More light and sun and less damp and whatever to just disrupt the growth of the fungus or yeast or bugs that have made a home in there will do most of the work. Not uncommon for older trees to have these problems, but mainly/partly just neglect. The copper sulphate/bordeaux sprays will also help, but I don't know what time of year is recommended (probalby not when you're still eating apples); may not be needed if the other steps work.

Put up ads here for your other places ).

[Armoured]

Had a good example of why you sometimes need to uproot the stinging nettles. They get woody and very tough - gloves needed. What looked like a wee nettle shoot had a 10 inch long root and probably a half/two third cm diameter. Tough little bâtarde. Easy enough to pull up with thick gloves but that thing could live for years and years. I think they also can reproduce by sending out shoots, not certain though.

[johnsimpson]

Yes Armoured, I think they do reproduce. I had 15 sotkas of them up to two metres high mixed with what I now know were a species of thistle with soft leaves, no hard splikes. All easily pulled out with a good pair of gardening gloves, not the cloth type. Somehow they do reproduce to make a jungle of them. I'm hoping to return soon and they will have dried up ready to clear in a heap. Getting myself a Flymo hovermower to train the ground in the hope of a future carpet of gr**** ensuring those weeds never return again.

[nicklcool]

That's what johnsimpson called a strimmer.

Yeah, back in the States we call those tools weed whackers. Probably awful for the environment, yes, but also likely great for dads as they can made yardwork “fun” thereby motivating young teenage sons to help out!

[Armoured]

Yes Armoured, I think they do reproduce. I had 15 sotkas of them up to two metres high mixed with what I now know were a species of thistle with soft leaves, no hard splikes. All easily pulled out with a good pair of gardening gloves, not the cloth type. Somehow they do reproduce to make a jungle of them. I'm hoping to return soon and they will have dried up ready to clear in a heap. Getting myself a Flymo hovermower to train the ground in the hope of a future carpet of gr**** ensuring those weeds never return again.

Yes the krapivo grow through shoots (rhizomes) as well as seeds, I looked it up. You can sort of get them under control by cutting but if you want to really rid an area of them you have to uproot them. But it's really not that hard if you're patient. Only thing is, easier to identify and uproot if you let them grow, you lose them if you cut all the time barber style.

[Armoured]

Yeah, back in the States we call those tools weed whackers. Probably awful for the environment, yes, but also likely great for dads as they can made yardwork “fun” thereby motivating young teenage sons to help out!

The electric ones are fine.

[johnsimpson]

Theft is a major problem for dachas. Especially when it s known as an area for the seasonal dacha lover who return to the city from time to time. We just had news of a neighbour being robbed, and they also stole their installed radiators. Unbelievable. Security is a major problem.

[johnsimpson]

What lawnmower to use for a large garden? petrol, rechargeable battery, or electric. I have weighed up all the pros and cons and discussed with family what they want and don't want and I've end up purchasing an electric Flymo turbo 400 hover-mower. I do know I am get a few amazed stares and laighs when I use it and the criticism I am going to get with this choice, but I have successful experience using this hover-mower.

The rechargeable battery one was considered but reading reviews the battery power is not as good as claimed. One charge will cover a tennis court, but only if you already have a well trained lawn, light gr**** and you keep it cut low on a regular basis. Petrol? Wife doesn't like the smell of petrol and we be carrying it back and forth at the beginning, and then there is the extra weight. What? no wheels, no box to collect grass?

[Armoured]

What lawnmower to use for a large garden? petrol, rechargeable battery, or electric. I have weighed up all the pros and cons and discussed with family what they want and don't want and I've end up purchasing an electric Flymo turbo 400 hover-mower. I do know I am get a few amazed stares and laighs when I use it and the criticism I am going to get with this choice, but I have successful experience using this hover-mower.

The rechargeable battery one was considered but reading reviews the battery power is not as good as claimed. One charge will cover a tennis court, but only if you already have a well trained lawn, light gr**** and you keep it cut low on a regular basis. Petrol? Wife doesn't like the smell of petrol and we be carrying it back and forth at the beginning, and then there is the extra weight. What? no wheels, no box to collect grass?

If it works for you, it works for you. Can you adjust the cutting height fo this hover-beast? Overall what I've heard and read in most places is cut at the highest allowable distance, that allows good grass to get well established and strong.

I have a cheapo Bosch battery one. Yes, it has some disadvantages, particularly if you want to do a lot of mowing all at once or have a big lawn. I have a beer instead while it's charging, which generally only happens if it's a particularly heavy workout (mulching not mowing piles of leaves ie. stuff it's not designed for). Other than that, it's kind of nice to not have to deal with a long extension cord.

But overall I'd put it at 50/50 between traditional electric and battery for my uses; basically okay either way, advantage to wired electric if you need to do a lot of mowing all at once. (Oh, BTW, an extra battery would help a lot, except that the last time I checked they cost almost as much as the lawnmower)

I should say, I have been pleasantly surprised at how durable it's been. The battery life may be a bit shorter than new, but other than that, it's lasted quite a number of years, albeit not very heavy use. (I pretty much have the smallest/lightest model, or close to it, so it's actually performed beyond expectations.

Mind, heavier-duty likely best wired electric, as you'd pay through the nose for a much larger battery.

[Armoured]

Theft is a major problem for dachas. Especially when it s known as an area for the seasonal dacha lover who return to the city from time to time. We just had news of a neighbour being robbed, and they also stole their installed radiators. Unbelievable. Security is a major problem.

A friend once suggested hiring a guy with big, scary dogs. The idea was he leaves the scary dog at your place and feeds and takes care of it when you're away, and takes the dog back when you're in residence. No idea how feasible in your location.

[johnsimpson]

Dogs, we have two taken as stray thrown out puppies by my sons. However my family would be against leaving the dogs behind when we leave. All dogs are territorial and can seem scary to strangers. Good solution and very popular with dachas in Russia. Worth thinking about, but need to round my family who would be reluctant keeping them outdoors and left behind.

Other thoughts, lighting that switches on when you enter, bars or shutters on windows, strong doors with locks. nothing can be 100% but to put them off to try somewhere easier. Perhaps a dummy burglar alarm box. Perhaps geese?