3 Easy Fixes to Grow Better in Perth: Shade, Soil and Syntropic Principles

3 Easy Fixes to Grow Better in Perth - free shipping worldwide.

Perth isn’t a jungle — it’s a sun-scorched oven with a sea breeze and dry sand for soil. Growing fruit trees here can feel like a losing battle… unless you know the tricks.

This book is your shortcut.

If you focus on just three things — shade, soil life, and smart planting layers — you’ll turn struggle into abundance. You'll boost biodiversity, reduce work, and start growing delicious fruit in spots where people say it’s impossible.

We’ll look at:

Why shade helps more than it hurts

How to fix dead sand without spending a fortune

How weeds, fungi, and microbes become your best workers

What to plant, where to plant it, and how to let nature handle the hard stuff

This isn’t about perfect gardens. It’s about productive chaos. The kind that works with Perth’s harsh sun, salty winds, and wild weather. Messy, layered, alive — just like nature intended.

Let’s grow.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

This book was written for you

A Losing Battle

About Primal Fruits & Cyrus Roussilhes

WHY SHADE MATTERS

Why Shade

Perth Isn’t a Jungle, It’s an Oven

Summer Shade: Your Tree’s Sunscreen

Winter Shade: Not Useless!

Microclimates: Your Garden’s Secret Cheat Code

Structures Matter

Tiny Tweaks, Big Wins

Frost-Proofing for Fussy Plants

Sunburn Prevention — For You and the Plants

Water Savings Without a Hose

Want a Greenhouse Without Building One?

Microclimate Takeaway Tip

West Facing Defensive Position

What Trees Give the Best Shade?

Perth’s Favourite Shade Trees

The Label Says Full Sun?

How to Add Shade Without Wrecking Light

Real-Life Example

What Happens Without Shade?

Shade Under Wraps

HOW TO IMPROVE THE SOIL

Building Healthy Soil from the Ground Up

Soil Is Alive (Or It Should Be)

Testing for Good Soil 

SEVEN WAYS TO TEST FOR GOOD SOIL

The Sniff Test

Look Test

Worm Test

Water Test (Drainage Check)

Squeeze Test (Texture)

Plant Test and Root Test

What Does “Root Room” Mean?

Bug Life Test

Use Your Senses and Trust Your Gut

BACTERIA

Bacteria — The Soil’s Little Builders

Bad Bacteria — The Troublemakers in the Dirt

Good Guys Turning Bad

Turning Bad Bacteria into Good Bacteria

Bottom line

FUNGI

Fungi — The Internet Under Your Feet

When Fungi Turn Feral

The Bad Fungi - Rot & Roll

Fungi Fixes

Bottom line - Fungi Fundamentals

NEMATODES

What Good Nematodes Do for Plants and Soil

Their first job? Pest Control 

Next up: Nutrient Cycling 

When Nematodes Go Bad

The Worst of the Bunch? Root-Knot Nematodes. 

Some of the Most Susceptible to Root-Knot Nematodes  

Bad Nematodes Thrive in Lifeless Dirt.

WORMS

Worms — The Garden’s Quiet Champions

Worms in Compost Bins — Nature’s Clean-Up Crew

Worms in Pots

Worm Wee — Liquid Gold From Below

Worm Recap — What They Hate, What They Love

ROOTS

The Secret Life of Roots

“Oi, caterpillar attack on leaf three! Everyone, prepare!”

Damage is detected

Signal sent

Defence kicks in

Underground alliances

WEEDS

Weeds — Garden Enemy or Secret Ally?

Top 10 Weeds in Perth

MINERALS AND MICRONUTRIENTS

Micronutrients Matter — But Only If Your Soil’s Alive

No Point Adding Minerals Without Microbes

The Main Micro Minerals That Fix Most of Perth’s Problems

Silica

Sulphur

Iron

Magnesium

Boron

Rock Dust — The Slow Burn Superfood for Soil

Mineral Magic — What Perth Soil’s Screaming For

DIY Diluting Sea Minerals

BIOSTIMULANTS

Seaweed vs Sea Minerals

Amino Acid and Protein Hydrolysate Biostimulants

Fish Hydrolysate vs Emulsion 

The Brave Singles Guide to DIY Home Brew

 Humic and Fulvic Acids

Chitin and Chitosan

Plant Extracts

Allelopathy

Some Allelopathic Plants

pH IN THE SOIL

The pH Problem

Why Some Plants Love Acidic Soil

Groupings Suitable Plants Together

What if Your Garden Soil is too Acidic Anyways?

Why Some Plants Love Acidic Soil

So What Does Acidity in the Soil Do?

What Acidifies Soil (and What Doesn’t)

pH Myths That Deserve the Compost Heap

Final Thoughts on Acid

SALT IN SOILS

Halophytes - Salt Tolerant Crops

Edible Plants That Like Sea Minerals / Salt-Tolerant Plants

Gypsum – Medicine for Clay and Salty Soils

THREE TYPES OF SOILS IN PERTH

SANDY SOILS

What Works in Perth Sand (That We Call Soil) 

Composted Mulch 

Mushroom Compost

Soil Improver

Landscaper Mix.

Fixing Sandy Soil – Turning a Sandpit into Garden Gold

Step 1: Add Organic Matter

Step 2: Layer Mulch 

Step 3: Use Clay if needed

Step 4: Feed the Soil Life 

Step 5: Add Rock Dust and Minerals 

Step 6: Water Deep, Not Often 

How Long Will This Take?

But My Place isn't Sandy at All?

CLAY SOILS

Clay pockets

What Might Grow OK in Clay-based Gardens?

Improving Clay-heavy Areas

Warnings!

Gypsum Improves Clay Soils

Cover Crops in Clay Soils

There is Worse than Rich Clay - Try Rocks!

Drill for deep tree holes

 Plant between cracks

Terrace the slope

Use rocks for thermal mass

Create swales or micro-catchments

Build soil on top

Grow natives and tough pioneers

Rocky Takeaway

UNDERSTANDING THE CHAOS

Culture Shift

UTOPIA

Terra Preta — Building Black Earth in Perth

INTRODUCING SYNTROPIC PRINCIPLES

Syntropic gardening is nature’s cheat code

Start by Leaving the Leaves

CUT AND DROP

Lazy Genius Gardening

Examples of the Best Cut and Drop Candidates 

Don’t Spread Disease, Peasts and Bad Seeds

DENSE PLANTING

Pack It In – Dense Planting Works

Stack It Like a Lasagna

Plants Are Social Beings

Fear Not the Roots of Doom

Top 7 Edible Trees to Keep Away From Pipes and Pools

One Hole, Many Trees? Why Not.

Fruit Trees You Can Plant Bark to Bark (And They’ll Still Be Friends)

Benefits of Super Tight Compatible Groupings

Trees Talk. Let Them

THE 7 LAYERS

Syntropic Farming at Home  (Perth-Style - Chaos Edition)

Start at the top

Drop down to the canopy layer — this is your main event: 

Then there’s the sub-canopy, the middle kids of the fruit world. 

The shrub layer is where the fun begins.

Then you’ve got the herb layer. 

Groundcovers, on the Floor

The Final Frontier is the Vine Layer

Layering projects? Absolutely.

HOW TO GROW NITROGEN

Nitrogen Fixing Plants

There are three classes of nitrogen fixing plant hosts:

How to “Seed” in the Bacteria

Details of the Process

Legume-type plants host these nitrogen-fixing bacteria:

Edible Legume-type Trees & Shrubs

Edible Legume-type Vines & Herbaceous

Now Enter Elaeagnaceae

Most Popular Casuarina and Alder 

What About Free Living Nitrogen Fixers?

HOW TO MINE MINERALS

What Are Dynamic Accumulators?

Medicinal As Well

Popular Dynamic Accumulators

COMPANION PLANTING

Team Players That Boost Each Other

Grow Herbs and Veg Between Trees

Examples of Winning Combos That Work Like a Dream:

Plant these under or near your fruit trees – here’s why:

ROOTED WISDOM

Techniques to the Method of Madness: Building a Syntropic Patch

From Control to Connection: A Healthier Way to See Your Garden

Got pests? Good. Leave them. Really.

Succession: Let the Garden Change

Diversity: The Messier is the most Complete

No Digging Required

Are Bare Hands Enough? …Definitely. Probably.

Stop Controlling. Start Observing.

When It All Goes Wild

Beyond the Backyard

WATER, WIND AND SUN

Work With the Elements

Water Wisdom - Wicking Beds

Ollas – Ancient Tech, Modern Magic

Moisture Condensation

DIY Home System Idea: Water from Thin Air

How Much Water Can It Collect?

Photosynthesis Is the Engine

Have You Heard of Tip Pruning?

Tip early. Tip often. And let the branching begin.

FAVOURITE FRUIT & FOOD TREES

Acerola (Barbados Cherry)

Moringa (Drumstick Tree)

Peanut Butter Berry (Bunchosia argentea)

Jaboticaba

Other Must Haves Fruit Trees That Work Well in Perth

Top 10 Easy Eugenias for Perth