Quite Contrary Flower Farm

Quite Contrary Flower Farm LOCAL + ABUNDANT + REAL

We grow good flowers. Quite Contrary is a boutique flower farm on the edge of West Gippsland for florists and flower lovers.

Clearing out the dahlia tuber shed (finally - yes it’s late, don’t @ me) to make it ready for this year’s tuber clumps t...
27/05/2026

Clearing out the dahlia tuber shed (finally - yes it’s late, don’t @ me) to make it ready for this year’s tuber clumps that will be dug from June.

I found this reminder of the resilience of dahlias.

This one was dug last May and so has spent the last 12 months in that crate in my shed. No storage medium to speak of.

They get a bad rap for being demanding divas sometimes, but then you discover one that will grow without soil, water, sun, or love.

If you want storage tips and tricks head to the link in my bio. There’s a recent Substack article that unpacks it all.

The class of 2025🌼 Serenade Aria🌼 Serenade Symphony🌼 Serenade Rebel🌼 Serenade CanCan🌼 Serenade ButtercreamEvery time I ...
20/04/2026

The class of 2025

🌼 Serenade Aria
🌼 Serenade Symphony
🌼 Serenade Rebel
🌼 Serenade CanCan
🌼 Serenade Buttercream

Every time I see them in my patch I smile.

They will be available as tubers from for the first time this year.

Here are some of my favourite second year seedlings.I don’t like to name any until third year, when they’re a bit more s...
15/04/2026

Here are some of my favourite second year seedlings.

I don’t like to name any until third year, when they’re a bit more stable and I know they can survive winter storage, because I don’t like to get too attached.

Each of these has good stem attachment and an upright growth habit perfect for cut flowers.

The little brown/dusty pink one is like a cross between Hillier Tanunda and Formby Duke and I’m excited to grow a whole row of them next year.

Part of my collection of third year dahlia seedlings. Some will see a release in 2027.It looks like I’m going to need to...
13/04/2026

Part of my collection of third year dahlia seedlings. Some will see a release in 2027.

It looks like I’m going to need to come up with some names.

Any suggestions?

Or, if you’re a breeder, how do you name your dahlia babies?

Yesterday I was lucky enough to meet some of my lovely customers while I was restocking the flower cart. It’s not someth...
03/04/2026

Yesterday I was lucky enough to meet some of my lovely customers while I was restocking the flower cart.

It’s not something that happens often because I am usually working in the field with other jobs, or cutting and bunching the flowers to make sure the cart is stocked. Part of the magic of the cart is that it is run on honesty: convenient for me and the customers.

But it was so lovely to connect with people who love those flowers as much as I do. To see that they do make a difference in someone’s day.

If you’re looking for flowers this Easter, pick local, and spread some joy.

My cart is out all weekend. Beautiful, and freshly picked with love.

Details in stories

Prepping for the main stage at Join me at 11.15am Thursday to chat about some lessons I’ve learned from farming that ca...
25/03/2026

Prepping for the main stage at

Join me at 11.15am Thursday to chat about some lessons I’ve learned from farming that can work in any garden.

Or pop by Growers Avenue by to meet whole bunch of passionate flower farmers and chat to me about dahlias.

01/03/2026

Dahlias All the Time. Disco Occasionally.

Inspired by Harry Styles. First Place in the Small Display category at the Dahlia Society of Victoria’s state show.

06/02/2026

Now that I’ve turned you off using Molasses to raise your Brix I’m going to tell you why I use it for feeding my dahlias.

1. When used as a foliar spray it might help raise Brix temporarily but also maybe not. Idk because I can’t find reliable information. But is there no info because it doesn’t work, or because it hasn’t been studied formally as molasses is plentifully available and there is no patentable product to sell? Too cynical? Am I just a bad researcher? Who knows. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it appears to help in the garden whether or not it actually raises Brix.
2. On a similar note - it does have some nutritional value (including potassium and calcium), anecdotally doesn’t appear to do much harm in an otherwise healthy garden, and it is cheap, easily available, and organic based.
3. It can be applied in combination with good bacteria to help colonise soil. When applied alongside good bacteria (think compost tea) it may help that bacteria thrive and outcompete the bad bacteria while you continue to work on your soil by adding compost, organic matter, etc. It is useful when used in addition to compost, etc, but is not a replacement for them.

In short: it’s fine to use molasses as one tool at your disposal to grow healthy soil and healthy plants.

It just shouldn’t be relied upon to be the sole saviour of plants and protector from bugs.

I used it this week on the dahlias for a few reasons:

1. I was foliar feeding anyway and this was no extra effort (I add roughly 1 cup to 15l of water - mix well)
2. My plants are otherwise healthy (despite the hot and dry conditions) so this is unlikely to do harm (even if it doesn’t actually do much)
3. I’d spied early evidence of mites on a plant or two but also lots of ladybirds. I’m hoping a small boost might be enough to deter the mites from breeding/sticking around and let the ladybirds get on top.

Low risk + high potential reward + low effort = my kind of gardening.

So there you have it.

TLDR: Brix is only one measure of plant health. Molasses is a tool but not a silver bullet for a happy garden. Nothing replaces the long term benefit of properly feeding and caring for your soil.

06/02/2026

In part one we talked about what a Brix is, why you want a high one, and why molasses is used to raise it.

Today we’ll look at why molasses can be problematic and whether it even works to raise Brix.

Actually, let’s start there.

Does spraying molasses raise Brix? I don’t know because I can’t find anything (ie. a scientific report and not AI) other than anecdotal evidence that it does. Couple that with Brix being an inexact measure to start with, by artificially raising the Brix by feeding sugar we may be ignoring underlying problems.

Remember how I said it’s not a silver bullet?

What molasses can do is become a food source for the bacteria that will feed your plant. A healthy soil full of good bacteria (and fungi and other beneficial living organisms) will help keep your plant healthy and that may be indicated by a high Brix. Ipso facto spraying molasses can help raise Brix - but it’s not necessarily the molasses raising the Brix. It’s the bacteria.

But spraying molasses has 2 problems:

1. it will feed good and bad bacteria indiscriminately. If your soil is sick or you’ve got something funky on your leaves spraying molasses could make the problem worse.

2. it’s not long lasting. It’s the equivalent of eating a lolly for energy. Feels great, then a slump. Feeds the bacteria, bacteria multiplies, then when the food runs out, the bacteria starves and dies off back to sustainable levels. Give the plant sugar, Brix goes up (maybe), sugar runs out, Brix goes down.

If all you do to fix your problems is spray molasses, then you will need to keep doing it - and frequently. Personally, I want long lasting, low effort, solutions.

What to do instead? Feed the soil a balanced meal. I’ve stretched this metaphor enough, but basically we need an ongoing, slow, food source for our soil to thrive. Compost and other organic matter, and a thriving soil food web, is the key. Feed the soil, not the plant.

But molasses does have a place as a tool in your garden - that’s why I was using it.

Oooh who doesn’t love a cliffhanger?

Find out more next time in Part 3 of the Brix and the Beautiful

05/02/2026

Well I didn’t expect a little story about humble Molasses to raise so many questions but here we are and, honestly, it’s something I’ve wanted to talk about for awhile.

Molasses is gaining popularity (or is it internet notoriety) as a silver bullet for raising Brix levels and solving all your plant problems…. But it’s not that simple.

Let me take a step back.

If you’re wondering what the F a Brix is, it is the measurement of sugar solids in your plant. You take a Brix reading using a refractometer. It’s an inexact measurement in a lot of ways and least of which because a plant’s Brix can change during the day based on photosynthesis.

So why all the hoopla?

Higher Brix levels can be indicative of healthier plants. There is also some research that higher sugar levels (ie. high Brix) may make plants less palatable to some insects and so you will have lower pest pressure.

So give the molasses (a sugar), raise the Brix and solve all of your plant problems forever.

It would be nice, right? I think I’d get more followers if that’s what I was promising you.

But you know what they say - if it sounds too good to be true it might just be bu****it.

In this case it’s just a bit more complicated.

Adding molasses may raise Brix but even if it does, it is not strictly necessary, and it’s not a long term solution.

High Brix is evident in healthy plants and the best way to healthy plants is healthy soil.

Fix your soil and you won’t have to worry about Brix. Continually feeding molasses won’t address the underlying problem - that your soil is lacking something - it will only mask it and may even cause some fun new problems.

So why can molasses cause harm and why did I use it?

That’s one secret I’ll never tell XOXO you know you love me….

JK it was too long for the caption so I guess there will be an official part two (my first ever) tomorrow.

In the meantime feel free to leave a guess in the comments or pass on my remix to the Grammys (I think I may have missed my calling)

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