Category: Soil

  • The Importance of Soil Type

    The Importance of Soil Type

    Guest post by Timothy Doolan
    Edited, updated, proofread – Admin

    Choosing native plants for your garden or revegetation project? Consider your soil type to ensure thriving plants and a healthy ecosystem.

    Townsville’s soils vary widely. Richer soils line waterways and floodplains, like Hermit Park, Mysterton, and Mundingburra, while poorer soils dominate flood-free flats, such as Kirwan, Currajong, and West End.

    A hand holding a scoop of light-colored, sandy soil, with Birdwood grass and its dark seed heads visible in the background.

    Image: Btcpg, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Most local soils, typical of Australia, hold few nutrients and little water, making local provenance native plants—adapted to these conditions and the region’s climate—essential.

    Even local plants vary in suitability due to Townsville’s diverse soil patchwork and biomes. So, which species suit which soils?

    A 1970s soil survey, available on the Queensland Government Publications website, offers a detailed guide. Paired with its Land Capability Map, it highlights soil types and their agricultural potential—perfect for planning without a personal soil survey. Generally:

    • Poorer soils in flood-free areas favor dryland species like gums, wattles, and grasses.
    • Richer, younger alluvial soils near waterways support diverse, rainforest-like gardens.

    Soil type is just one factor, but matching plants to your soil saves water, boosts growth, and nurtures Townsville’s biodiversity. CDTLI’s native plant expertise can help you dig in.

    Learn more about Soil Management.

  • Worms

    Worms

    Squirming Into Sustainable Gardening

    Guest post by Tim Doolan.
    Edited, updated, proofread – Admin.
    Feature Image by Natfot from Pixabay

    Worm farms are popping up everywhere, and I scored one for my birthday—a real treat.

    For newcomers, a worm farm is a container where you toss food scraps and create a cozy home for special worms. In return, they churn out worm juice and castings that boost soil health and help plants thrive. It sounds promising, but I’m still testing the waters.

    A black, multi-tiered worm farm on a tiled patio, with a scoop of material being added to the top tray and a blue bucket nearby.
    Back yard / garden worm farm setup.

    The Worm Café seems to be the crowd favorite—mine’s set up in my downstairs laundry. A hessian sack covers the inside to keep things snug.

    Some folks craft their own farms from old bathtubs or wheelie bins—pretty clever.

    These aren’t your average earthworms. They’re speedy eaters—like Blue Worms (Perionyx excavatus), Red Wrigglers, or African Nightcrawlers—built to break down waste fast. Blue Worms suit our warm climate, though opinions vary.

    A hand holding a cluster of reddish-brown worms and dark, rich soil, representing worm castings.
    Compost worms. Shanegenziuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    The worms munch scraps and produce worm juice and castings. It’s less “fertilizer” and more about microbes turning organic matter into plant-friendly nutrients and rich soil structure. Castings, the solid stuff, add bulk—think of them as worm juice’s chunky cousin.

    I’ve run my worm farm for 10 months—not an expert yet, but here’s what I’ve learned in our tropics:

    • Land Planarians: These worm-slug hybrids prey on your worms and love the tropics. I found some munching mine, picked them out by hand, and haven’t seen them since. Likely hitched a ride with contaminated worms.
    • Ants: Ants invaded when things got too dry, eyeing food or nesting. A splash of water and a hessian sack on top sent them packing.
    • Acidity: Early on, my farm smelled like a bad seafood rerun—too many oranges, lemons, and onions. Cutting those and adding alkaline crusher dust fixed it. A happy worm farm smells like damp soil, barely noticeable.
    • Temperature: Heat was trouble until I parked the farm in a dark, sheltered spot. Worms fled to cool corners or tried escaping when it got too toasty.
    • Other Critters: Tiny crustaceans and crawlies share the space, but they coexist with the worms just fine.