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

Now available — the updated 164-page edition, newly released in a more affordable black-and-white format.

Written for Perth Gardeners

grow smarter, not harder.

If you’ve ever sacrificed your "plant money" to the Nature gods or watched water bounce off your soil like it’s made of Teflon, this book’s for you.

In 3 Easy Fixes to Grow Better in Perth, Cyrus reveals how shade, soil life, and syntropic principles can turn chaos into fruit, food and medicine — no degree required.

It’s not about perfect gardens. It’s about using science, a bit of mischief and lots of inspiring ideas to

make nature do the heavy lifting.

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.

"They look amazing! Some REALLY good advice in there! I'm so impressed!" - https://wendysgarden.com.au/

TABLE OF CONTENTS

0.1 This Book Was Written for You

0.2 A Losing Battle

0.3 About Primal Fruits & Cyrus Roussilhes

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SHADE

1.1 Why Shade

1.2 Perth Isn’t a Jungle, It’s an Oven

1.3 Summer Shade: Your Tree’s Sunscreen

1.4 Winter Shade: Not Useless!

1.5 Microclimates: Your Garden’s Secret Cheat Code

1.6 Structures Matter (Even Ugly Ones)

1.7 Tiny Tweaks, Big Wins

1.8 Frost-Proofing for Fussy Plants

1.9 Sunburn Prevention — For You and the Plants

1.10 Water Savings Without a Hose

1.11 Want a Greenhouse Without Building One?

1.12 Microclimate Takeaway Tip

1.13 West Facing Defensive Position

1.14 What Trees Give the Best Shade?

1.15 Perth’s Favourite Shade Trees:

1.16 The Label Says Full Sun?

1.17 How to Add Shade Without Wrecking Light

1.18 Real-Life Example: Why Shade Matters

1.19 What Happens Without Shade?

1.20 Shade Under Wraps

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SOIL

2.1 Building Healthy Soil from the Ground Up

2.2 Soil Is Alive (Or It Should Be)

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Seven Ways to Test for Good Soil

2.3 Testing for Good Soil

2.4 The Sniff Test

2.5 Look Test

2.6 Worm Test

2.7 Water Test (Drainage Check)

2.8 Squeeze Test (Texture)

2.9 Plant Test and Root Test

2.10 What Does “Root Room” Mean?

2.11 Bug Life Test

2.12 Use Your Senses and Trust Your Gut

BACTERIA

2.13 Bacteria — The Soil’s Little Builders

2.14 Bad Bacteria — The Troublemakers in the Dirt

2.15 Good Guys Turning Bad

2.16 Turning Bad Bacteria into Good Bacteria

2.17 Bacteria Bottom Line

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FUNGI

2.18 Fungi — The Internet Under Your Feet

2.19 When Fungi Turn Feral

2.20 The Bad Fungi - Rot & Roll

2.21 Fungi Fixes

2.22 Bottom line - Fungi Fundamentals

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NEMATODES

2.23 What Good Nematodes do for Plants and Soil

2.24 Nematodes First Job? Pest Control

2.25 Nematodes Nutrient Cycling

2.26 When Nematodes Go Bad

2.27 Some of the Most Susceptible Plants to Root-Knot Nematodes

2.28 Bad Nematodes Thrive in Lifeless Dirt.

WORMS

2.29 Worms — The Garden’s Quiet Champions

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

2.31 Worms in Pots

2.32 Worm Wee — Liquid Gold From Below

2.33 Worm Recap — What They Hate, What They Love

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ROOTS

2.34 The Secret Life of Roots

2.35 When Insects Attack Plants

2.36 Damage is Detected on Plant

2.37 Plant Signals

2.38 Plant Defence Kicks In

2.39 Underground Alliances

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WEEDS

2.40 Weeds — Garden Enemy or Secret Ally?

2.41 Top 10 Weeds in Perth

What Soil Life Needs: Micronutrients and the Helpers That Make Them Work

2.42 Micronutrients Matter — But Only If Your Soil’s Alive

2.43 No Point Adding Minerals Without Microbes

2.44 Silica

2.45 Sulphur

2.46 Iron

2.47 Magnesium

2.48 Boron

2.49 Rock Dust — The Slow Burn Superfood for Soil

2.50 Biocharcoal - Housing for Microbes & Nutrients

2.51 The Local Winner: Charlie Charcoal (Greenlife Soil Co.)

2.52 Mineral Magic - Holds Water, Minerals & Boosts Nutrient Exchange

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BIOSTIMULANTS

2.53 Biostimulants: The Boost Juice for Your Plants

2.54 Seaweed vs Sea Minerals: What’s the Difference?

2.55 Amino Acid and Protein Hydrolysate Biostimulants – Plant Recovery in a Bottle

2.56 Fish Hydrolysate vs Emulsion

2.57 Protein & Amino Acid Biostimulant Brand Recommendations

2.58 The Brave Singles Guide to DIY Home Brew

2.59 Humic and Fulvic Acids – Million-Year-Old Leaf Soup

2.60 Chitin and Chitosan – Immunity Building from Crustacean Shells and Fungal Walls

2.61 Plant Extracts – Herbal Therapy for Plants

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ALLELOPATHY

2.62 Allelopathy – When Plants Treat or Fight

2.63 Some Allelopathic Plants — some friendly, some not-so-much:

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pH

2.64 The pH Problem

2.65 Why Some Plants Love Acidic Soil

2.66 Groupings Suitable Plants Together

2.67 What if Your Garden Soil is too Acidic Anyways?

2.68 What Does Acidity in the Soil Do?

2.69 What Acidifies Soil (and What Doesn’t)

2.70 How the Life in Your Soil Naturally Acidifies the Soil

2.71 pH Myths That Deserve the Compost Heap

2.72 Final Thoughts on Acid

SALT

2.73 Halophytes - Salt Tolerant Crops

2.74 Edible Plants That Like Sea Minerals / Salt-Tolerant Plants

2.75 Gypsum – Medicine for Clay and Salty Soils

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SANDY SOIL

2.76 Three Types of Soils in Perth

2.77 What Works in Perth Sand (That We Call Soil)

2.78 Fixing Sandy Soil – Turning a Sandpit into Garden Gold

2.79 When Will Sandy Soils Improve?

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CLAY SOIL

2.80 But My Place Isn't Sandy At All?

2.81 Clay Pockets

2.82 What Might Grow OK in Clay-based Gardens?

2.83 Improving Clay-heavy Areas

2.84 Gypsum Improves Clay Soils

2.85 Cover Crops in Clay Soils

ROCKY GROUND

2.86 There is Worse than Rich Clay - Try Rocks!

2.87 Drill Deep Tree Holes

2.88 Plant Between Cracks

2.89 Terrace the Slope

2.90 Use Rocks for Thermal Mass

2.91 Create Swales or Micro-catchments

2.92 Build Soil on Top

2.93 Grow Natives and Tough Pioneers

2.94 Rocky Takeaway Summary

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SYNTROPIC

3.1 Cultural Shift

3.2 Terra Preta — Building Black Earth in Perth

3.3 Syntropic gardening is nature’s cheat code

3.4 Start by Leaving the Leaves

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CUT & DROP

3.5 Lazy Genius Gardening

3.6 Examples of the Best Cut and Drop Candidates

3.7 Don’t Spread Disease, Pests and Bad Seeds

DENSE PLANTING

3.8 Pack It In – Dense Planting Works

3.9 Stack It Like a Lasagna

3.10 Plants Are Social Beings

3.11 Fear Not the Roots of Doom

3.12 Seven Trees to Keep Away From Pipes, Pools & Houses

3.13 One Hole, Many Trees? Why Not.

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

3.15 Benefits of Super Tight Compatible Groupings

3.16 Trees Talk - Let Them

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LAYERING

3.17 The 7 Layers – Syntropic Farming at Home

3.18 Start at the Top. The Pioneers.

3.19 Drop Down to the Canopy Layer - The Main Event

3.20 The Sub-Canopy, the Middle Kids of the Fruit World

3.21 The Shrub Layer is Where the Fun Begins

3.22 The Herb Layer

3.23 Groundcovers, on the Floor

3.24 The Final Frontier is the Vine Layer

3.25 Examples of Layering

3.26 Layering Projects? Absolutely.

HOW TO GROW NITROGEN

3.27 Nitrogen Fixing Plants

3.28 Three Classes of Nitrogen Fixing Hosts:

3.29 How to “Seed” in the Bacteria

3.30 Details of the Process

3.31 Legume-type Plants Host:

3.32 Edible Legume-type Fruit Trees and Plants:

3.33 Top 5 Acacias to Grow in Perth Metro Gardens

3.34 Now Enter Elaeagnaceae

3.35 Most Popular Casuarina and Alder

3.36 What About Free Living Nitrogen Fixers?

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HOW TO MINE MINERALS

3.37 What Are Dynamic Accumulators?

3.38 Dynamic Accumulators - Often Medicinal As Well

3.39 Popular Dynamic Accumulators:

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COMPANION PLANTING

3.40 Companion Plants as Team Players That Boost Each Other

3.41 Grow Herbs and Veggies Between the Trees

3.42 Examples of Winning Companions That Work Like a Dream

3.43 Plant These Under or Near your Fruit Trees – Here’s Why

ROOTED WISDOM

3.44 Method of Madness Technique: Building a Syntropic Patch

3.45 Connection not Control: A Healthier Way to See Your Garden

3.46 Got Pests? Good. Leave them. Really.

3.47 Succession: Let the Garden Change

3.48 Diversity: The Messier, the More Complete

3.49 No Digging Required

3.50 Are Bare Hands Enough? …Definitely. Probably.

3.51 Start Observing

3.52 When it All Goes Wild

3.53 Beyond the Backyard

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WATER, WIND AND SUN

3.54 Work With the Elements

3.55 Water Wisdom - Wicking Beds

3.56 Ollas – Ancient Tech, Modern Magic

3.57 DIY Olla

3.58 Moisture Condensation

3.59 DIY Home System Idea: Water from Thin Air

3.60 Harvesting Road Runoff: Can You Get Away With It?

LEAVES ARE GROWTH PANELS

3.61 Photosynthesis Is the Engine

3.62 Have You Heard of Tip Pruning?

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SEASONS

3.63 Seasons in Perth - Ancient Ways

3.64 Six Seasons

3.65 Winter Transplants: Sneak Attack Gardening

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CHILL HOURS

3.66 Chill Hours

3.67 Chill Hour Zones in Perth

3.68 Picking Your Fruit Tree Varieties – Based on Chill Hours

3.69 How to Estimate Chill Hours for Your Garden

3.70 Chill Hour Myths

3.71 Design Ways to Maximise Chill Hours

3.72 The Broken Rules – Why Experimenting Works

3.73 Why & How to get Some Plants to Fruit Outside Their Chill Zone

BONUS: 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

Bananas

Top 10 Easy Eugenias for Perth