In last week's episode, friend of the show Dr Ian Smith taught us how to set up a horticulture trial. In this episode, he's going to teach us how to run a trial as well as how to collect and record data.

The scientific approach is a disciplined way of finding the truth of the matter. Instead of going by our beliefs, we strip ourselves of preconceptions and endeavour to find the fact of the matter - whether or not our results align with our pre-conceptions.

Ian's the perfect guest to teach us about this topic because he's an entomologist and ecologist who did his PhD on insects in shelterbelts. He's worked as an agriculture extension officer, in biosecurity, and a bunch of other science-based roles. Hopefully, his scientific mind and my tradie mind have managed to capture the essence of the scientific approach for an audience who may or may not have ever stepped foot in a university.

EPISODE LINKS
Follow Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EcologIan
Ian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/driansmith
My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-fuller-180908208/

Example spreadsheet for a trial: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VpM_QN-8LO1YxGpYV6dg8gIXnSVPAfLS6kgk-cDYZhs/edit?usp=drivesdk

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Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

How are you trialling new approaches in the landscape? If you're like me, you're writing notes in an app (at best), or you're just keeping all of your ideas in your head (at worst). Did you know there's a better way?

It's called the scientific approach, and it'd been pretty beneficial for society as a whole.

Instead of approaching horticulture in a haphazard way, you can test inputs, treatments, or techniques with a greater degree of accuracy by controlling your testing conditions and measuring the variables that have changed as a result of your efforts. As a bonus, you'll also be able to see where you got a good outcome but it wasn't because of the treatment you tried - because the control group experienced the same outcome.

This episode is part one in a three part series - stay tuned next week for part two where we'll learn about how to run a test and collect data, and then in part three we will learn about how to analyse and use the data we've collected.

EPISODE LINKS
Follow Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EcologIan
Ian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/driansmith
My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-fuller-180908208/

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

How can we protect trees during development? In this episode, consulting arborist Gary Moran and I explore his usual recommendations for clients wishing to protect their trees during development, whether that's for a private, commercial, or public project.

Trees might take a long time to show stress, so just because it looks great when construction finishes, that doesn't mean the tree hasn't been damaged beyond repair. It may take anywhere from a few weeks to a decade or longer for a tree to show signs of stress due to root damage, soil disturbances and compaction, and other common causes of compaction during development.

By the end of this episode, you'll have practical advice on avoiding soil compaction when there are heavy machines present, protecting tree trunks from mechanical damage, building around root zones, and much more.

EPISODE LINKS
Gary's Twitter: https://twitter.com/arborsmarty
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-moran-786240164
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tree_side_arboriculture/
Treeside Arboricultural Consultancy Services: https://treeside.com.au/

Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) calculator: https://www.councilarboriculturevictoria.com.au/encroachment-tpz-calculator-1

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com
You’ll find heaps of educational blog articles, including How To Prune For Natural Shape, What Relationships Do Plants Have With Other Organisms?, and What Is Healthy Soil, And How Can We Build It?.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.