PRACTICAL GARDENING

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 274, 19 November 1927, Page 26

PRACTICAL GARDENING

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BROAD BEANS.

„„-.s!? rre^ pon<le w , ni S, reat, y oblige by observing the following rules'ln aendinn questions for publication Id tiiese columos addrp^VWn sh , ould „ b ®., ln ri ° t ' at ® r than Tuesday to be answered the same week— addressed to Garden Editor. "Star"- Office, Auckland. possible X T rite oa one Bide of "«>e paper, and make all communications as concise as

n no L-^f lowe . rs ' etc - Bent tor namln S must be sent separately, and, 11 possible, tnn«it L .h D or woo - de " box—cardboard boxes are very liable to be broken In transit and the contents damaged r , «»«■«• w name u and ! address of the sender must always be sent, but a nom de plume or initial may be given for publication. 1

TO CORRESPONDENTS. JAV.S. (Otahuhu) sends some specimens for identification: (1) Tropaeolum pentaF„ h /H nm ,A 2 )„? ose (3) Silene IS ?i - a ik\ Rhododendron, probably vlra^leaf 3 cannot give correct name from

E '£l V. Albe J ; t ) writes: Enclosed Is a fc/f Carnation stalk. I should be hr » - you cou W tell me what the blight affecting it is, also, the best means of curing it. Lime sulphur and potash P™ n^"? te do not seem to have much 77 due to a r »st, and is verv difficult to control. No doubt the lime sulphur will help to control it, but the results will not be apparent for a time * L shou l d think, that occasional applications of White Island product to the soil would help to control the disease. What ever is done will not, show results for a time, as the parts already affected cannot be cured._ and the only real signs of control will be on the new growth. If this can be kept clean it can be considered that you have the disease under control. OLIVER (Mount Eden) asks re Guava trees: (1) Ought the top to be thinned, or the centre opened up? (2) When pruning should be done. (3) Best artificial manure to ose.—(l) The top can be thinned out, bnt as a rule the Guava needs very little pruning. (2) Do the pruning as soon as, the fruit is gathered, i just before trees 4 begin to make new growth. (3) Use superphosphate and

also a little sulphate of potash. Use this latter at the rate of about two ounces to the tree. Will answer queries re seedlings next wees.

r>Y ? asts re White Island ? hnSH V (J* Can I nut it over seed it «> How close can I put Vkf 88 J 3 ) How near big plants? (4) Is it more beneficial to root or green befnrp°nr lri t? (5) Shonld be applied after rain? (6) Should it be applied to the surface or dug in ? (7) What quantity should I use plr foot? (8) Could you give me any other general advice?-White Island Product No 1 is nf "TO combination of various forms ' ar V? ,s chiefly what may he termed as a soil corrective. It acts »« ?_,, 60 L fumigant, and checks fungi and Insect pests which hibernate in thesfil it should be applied to the soli month or three weeks ~££ nt 8 planting to allow it time to acTan§ ?n get properly mixed with the soil m hZV L c , an el J« htl y dusted over a seed «lu B s!^te re (af wn^rol f!iw S, i should not be pu^wtthhT'a no! h to small plants whin wet the 2s°siZ »? 7 rß four ounces per square yard.

, J - G- (Hamilton) sends (1) weed tnr I identification? (2) Is the climate suit-I /1 \ mt or Watermelons in H"-Mlton'— (1) 11m pleat is the Cm»-olvnjp->s<

and is a most aggressive pest. Xutli'ng but continual hoeing and working will contro l it. Whenever digging th» ground .ill roots should be carefullv Ifro-i J', p - . w "tennelons should do in Hamilton in warm, sheltered posi.iou--Uhey require a warm, well drained situation The best soil is a sand,- loam or a good quality. SUBSCRIBER (Ohaupo) writes :—1 wnuM like advice on the following: I have a large area under Gooseberries-. o<> part is on a hillside, which washes Willi heavy rains after ploughing and harrowing. Another part is infected with <>\eve Daisy and Canadian Thistle, which defv eradication, even with repeated working I propose to plant some fodder crop that would smother the weeds, and uK-, (<, SO .Y. so , me Permanent grass, feediiv off with pigs and sheep. What would" von advise?— Apparently nothing \vi 1 h'ol.l J 0 ! 1 ' hillside by pasture. The Canadian Thistle and Oseye D.iisy are going to take some smothering. I should think that pigs would be the most u olul; they would root out the suuf. In any case it Is a matter of cultivation, whether by plough a» pigs. SOLANUM (Mt. Albert) writes: -Twi years ago I planted two Solanum We dlandii. They were well manured, grew vigorously, and flowered well. The next sp 5 1 ?f 1 found the plants were dead, and the stems soft and pulpy. I cut them off and planted another in their place. This spring I find this second plant gone. 1 took some cuttings last year, and have ? 8 a ~,r e® }l lt , half * dozen young pltilts. U? ced a . lso that the original root, which was left in the ground, has sent out three healthy stems. Can you teil ine what is the matter? I have dug in a liberal allowance of lime and sulphur. Will these do any good?—Solanum Wendlandii suffers from a fungoid disease, a kind of rust that attacks the stem, and this Is what is wrong with your plant. Try a dressing of White Island Product Nt>. 1. Your dressing of lime and sulphur will also do good. I think you will find that you will succeed in establishing the Solanum if you take ' precautions to apply some soil correc- I tive.

H.A.C. (Kaltieke) writes :—ln your garden notes a few weeks ago you advised a f° r Brown Rot. My trees are laden with plums, which are already showing signs of the trouble. Can you repent what spray to use?— The spray is Lime sulphur Solution, but the main point in spraying is to start as soon as the petals fall, again in about three weeks, in fact, spraying about every three weeks till fruit begins to ripen. The fruit on your trees that are showing signs of Brown Eot are doomed, and it would be better to gather and destroy all affected fruit. Spray now and you will prevent clean fruit from getting affected, but how far affection has gone is impossible lU* e Lime Sulphur one part to fifty parts water.

AMATEUR (Ponsonby) says:—(l) Some insect seems to be eating the new leaves or the Dahlia, Can yon roe a remedy? (2) Can you go on spraying the Peach tree after the fruit has formed? —(1) Spray the plants with Arsenate of Lead, using about half an ounce or a dessertspoonful to two gallons of water. (-) Yes. Spray the tree every three weeks or so until the fruit begins to colour.

PASSIOX (St. Helier's) #ends some flowers 0 u Passion Vine wishes to know what Is wrong witk them. The vine 3 were sprayed five w««fcs ago with Bordeaux .—I think the flowers have been damaged with the spray. No doubt the blooms which are coming will be all right.

CONSTANT READER (Helensville) sends a specimen of borer found in mangrove stem and wishes to know if It will thl «» bu,,di "S timber?—l do not think that it would attack dry timber

CULINARY PEAS. The following awards have been made to the undermentioned Peas by the Royal Horticultural Society after trial at Wisley;—Late Culinary Peas, highly commended: Glory of Devon, The 1927, Anticipation, Union Jack, Chancelot. Commended: Celebrity, Dainty Stratagem, Reliable, Win. Richardson, Masterpiece, Senator*

BRUSSELS SPROUTS. Plants that were sown early will now be ready for putting out in their permanent quarters. Well manured ground is necessary; ground that has just had a crop of Potatoes or Peaa taken off Ti\ ,'of n< l need onl y be forked over. Allow 18m between the plants, and the same distance between the rows. Where space is limited, the plants can be planted m the furrows between the rows of Potatoes,

SPRAYING. • 3 the season and the weather is all that c&n be desired, when snravine must be done if control of black spot and codlin moth on apples and pears, and brown rot on peaches, etc., is to be controlled. The pears are now out of bloom, and with the good weather the spray should be applied at once. Use lime sulphurone part,waters0 parts and add half an ounce of arsenate of lead to each gallon of spray mixture. It must be put on with force and from a fine nozzle, the object being to drive the fluid into the Calyx of the flower and to cover the fruit with a thin film. It is not the quantity but the quality of the spray that tells. Arsenate of lead is heavy and is only held in suspension in the mixture and a good stirring at the start is not sufficient; it must be kept stirred or the result will be that the last fruit will get all the arsenate, and the first be food for codlin moth, and evervone will be blamed but the operator. Peaches, etc., must be sprayed for brown rot, using lime sulphur or Bordeaux. It is the care and thoroughness with which the first application is put on that decides whether the diseases and pests are got under control. They attack the fruit when in an embryo 6tate, and it is then that frequent applications are necessary. Checked then, and after control is easy, but once allowed to get hold, after-sprayings are chiefly practice for the spray-pump. Spray well and often during the first month or six weeks after the petals begin to fall, and afterwards an occasional spraying to keep codlin moth in check will give you clean fruit.

MORNING- GLORIES. One of the quickest growing amongst climbing annuals is the old-fashioned Morning Glory. The plants are easy to : grow, the conditions to successful culture being a moderately rich soil, and above all a sunny position. For covering a trellis, or arch, no one need have any misgiving that he will have to wait long, providing seed is sown at once. The Japanese Morning Glory (Ipomoea rubro caerulea) is one of the best, but needs a very Warm sunny position to get the best out of the plant. Ipomoea caerulea has brilliant scarlet flowers. Under the name of Convolvulus Major there is a whole lot of colours, embracing purple, rose and khite, blue anrl scarlet striped. The seed cau be sown where the plants are to grow. There is also Ipomoea Bona-nox, or as it is sometimes called I. grandiflora; this ha? large white flowers six to eight inches across. The flowers open during the evening and close in the morning, it is ■ also known as the Moon Flower. These j annual Ipomoea or Convolvulus should be more often used for covering untidv •ornera,

FLOWER SEEDS TO SOW NOW. During November seeds of several beautiful flowering plants should be sown to provide for next year's display. They are hardy biennials or perennials, and they include many old favourites. A little trouble should be taken in preparing the seed-beds, so as to secure a tine tilth, the soil having been previously well dug. The addition of manure is not advised, provided the plot has been regularly well cultivated in former years. Choose a day for sowing when the soil is becoming dry, following rain if possible, but if dry weather seems probable, rather than defer sowing indefinitely it is better to water the drills j before sowing, and give the bed a soaking through a "rose" immediately after sowing. Following are some of the most important kinds to sow:— Antirrhinum.—Those who are unable l<> raise Snapdragons early in the year through lack of a glasshouse can sow any of the varieties out of doors now, in drills 6in apart. Sow thinly 60 that the seedlings can remain in the seed-bed until large enough to plant out in beds or borders. They will flower next year, and earlier in the season than plants raised in warmth next spring. Aquilegia.—These old favourites—better known as Columbines—are valued as cut flowers in late spring, and the newer long-spured varieties are very graceful. Plant out in autumn.

Canterbury BelL—Everyone admires this handsome summer flower, and it is worth while purchasing a good strain of seed to begin with. Prick out the seedlings when large enough at 6in apart and plant them in early autumn where they are to bloom.

Delphinium.—These, of course, are perennials, and they should be seen in every garden if only for the lovely shades of blue they introduce. Young plants to flower next year can easily be obtained by sowing now or in December. Thin the seedlings early if they are crowded. Dianthus.—The gorgeous effects produced by masses of Indian and Japanese Pinks are well known, and seeds should be sown annually about this time when there is no greenhouse in which to raise them in warmth in spring. Make the soil very fine for these Pinks, and after once transplanting plant them in early autumn where they are wanted to bloom.

Digitalis.—Once they become established in a garden there is seldom any need to sow Foxgloves, but where only the common variety is present, some of tii© spotted colours should be introduced. Plant the seedlings in autumn, and they will take care of themselves afterwards. Hollyhock.—Seedlings can be raised on a warm border as well as under glass. Thin the seedlings to Gin, and in cold, heavy soils it will pay to move them into a frame for the winter. In more favoured gardens they will do very well without this trouble. Myosotis (Forget-me-not).—There are now some fine strains of this for spring bedding. Seeds may be sown broadcast if so desired, as little attention beyond thinning is necessary till tliey are planted out.

Pansy. Sow any time during the next two months, thin the seedlings early, and plant out in the autumn. The Giant-flowered strains are extremely handsome.

Polyanthus.—This and the Primrose should be given a shady border, and the seedlings moved to a similar position for the summer. Plant them in a sunny spot for spring flowering, however. Brompton Stocks are not usually well grown in Auckland gardens. It is advisable to make the soil very firm about the roots when pricking out the seed|l"? s and also when planting finally, litis ensures hard growth, which will stand severe weather well. Sweet William.—These should be treated as advised for Indian Pinks. Wallflower. These are often sown too late, bow in November, and transplant twice if possible before planting out. Very rich soil is not suitable for mowing good sturdy Wallflowers. °

disbudding roses. ft is a well-known fact that many growers of Roses consider that the only plants they can get satisfactory results ma'dens, or plants that have been budded the season before. No doubt with a few varieties this is true, but the majority of Roses will be found to be quite good, even after five years. Much niay be done at the present time to increase the size and fulness of blooms Ud 6 |f? e - A j«di«ous thin®°f * h i; Be Wlll in many cases make enongh difference to enable the grower to win the much-coveted prize The Z°lr l" diciou . 3 is . «sed advisedly,' because after all much will depend on the variety and conditions under which it is growing. Taking a normal variety, the buds are produced m clusters of three or more, and it is for the owner to decide whether or not it is advisable to remove any of them. When the variety has to be shown as a single bloom it would be folly to allow all the buds to develop, one being quite enough. In ordinary cases the bud to leave would be the largest and upperthU V b " fc tl , lere are exceptions to tlus. Naturally the bud must be so far as can be ascertained perfect, and if the best placed and largest of the cluster is damaged or malformed in any way the next promising one should be chosen Again, m some varieties, such as Bessie Brown, where the flowers do not open well it is advisable not to thin quite inend V th & , many e r °wers recommend the removal of the largest buds, tiie smaller ones opening better. When garden roses have to be grown in sprays some thinning of the buds may still be necessary, removing any very small weak and damaged examples and taking car« to retain and even enhance the natural contour of the spray. The work ought to j* done »t once before the buds git too rge, so that the whole energies of the plant will be devoted to those retained Many amateurs disbud to a less degrea' where extra good blooms are reqSred for purposes otjjer than exhibitions, but this is a matter for personal taste. Some Roses look better with their buds nestling round them - Ulrich Brunnar, for instance. The actual work of thinning szzssir* finser " ° r a ""p-

ANTIRRHINUMS. These are charming, hardy and easy to grow and the advance made during the last few years has been wonderful. Bv all accounts the novelties which will be sent out next spring promise still further improvements on the older />cts The named varieties by rese!ecig>-> can be relied upon to reproduce themst'ves true from seed, and very few, if any, rogues appear in a sowing. More attention is being given to habit and size of bloom and further improvements are promised 38 rsst futwrv 1

THE IRIS IN 1927. A correspondent in an English gardening periodical, writing of the iris in 1927, says:—"As "-was anticipated by iris lovers, 1927 provided an iris season which was of quite exceptional interest. The outstanding events were, of course, the Iris Society's first show, which was held in London in June, and the iris trials at the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Wisley. Both were more successful than had been expected. The list of awards given at the Wisley trials have been published, and the judges may be commended upon the discretion they have shown in making awards only to those varieties which were really outstanding, and for giving their judgment on the varieties actually seen in the trials and not upon their record elsewhere. No doubt several varieties of the highest merit were passed over because they were not at their best when judged, or becausc the plants were not sufficiently well established, but these will come up for judgment again in future years. Out of upwards of 800 varieties in the trials, only 25 received awards, and several of these were varieties which had been previously honoured, the judges confirming the earlier awards. It is interesting to note thrift of the awards given or confirmed, - '.o-thirds go to the varieties introduced to commerce since J. 914, and that although the trials were thoroughly international —English, French, Dutch, German, and American varieties being well represented—more than half the awards go to varieties produced by British raisers. It is evident that progress is being made in the improvement of the iris, and that British raisers are well to the front in the good work.

YOUNG GROWTH 111 FRUIT TREES.

Young growths in fruit trees, not required for extension purposes, are pinched in midsummer at about the sixth leaf. Subsequently side shoots are stopped at the second leaf.

LIQUID MANURE. Notwithstanding the previous abundance of rain, that excellent vegetable, Asparagus, should at this time be assisted in every possible manner by the application of liquid manure, which will, if applied in showery weather, have a much more beneficial effect, not only on Asparagus but also on all growing crops, whether of the garden or the field, than when the soil is dry from the continuance of fine weather. Liquid manure circulates to a greater extent, and soaks in with a far greater expedition to the extreme points of the fibrous roots when the soil is damped or moistened by rain, and may at such times be given in smaller quantities and a much greater degree of strength. The advantage of the application of liquid manure on growing crops may very readily be tested by anyone who has a row of cabbages, cauliflowers, asparagus or any other vegetable, even in the short space of 24 hours, by applying a moderate soaking of manure to one plant and leaving the others without a stimulant. A vast difference both in colour and luxuriance will very soon be perceptible. No matter what kind of liquid manure may be applied, all will effect some benefit.

Pinch out the tops of Brnad • Beans. It assists the plants to set pods. The tops can be cooked a vegetable

SWEET PEAS UP-TO-DATE. There does not appear to be any decline in the popularity of the sweet pea, if the list of new varieties offered and about to be offered are anything to go by. Each year the selection becomes more difficult, as novelties are rarely new breaks, but only slight improvements upon standard varieties: or slight variations from them. The following appear from accounts to be the best of the newer sorts:—Mrs. A. Searles, a dazzling cerise; Pinkie, white ground, pink, the blooms beautifully frilled and much brighter than hebe; Sunkist, cream ground picotee with plenty of vigour and size, it is considered a great advance on Jean Ireland. Prince of Orange, a fine dark- orange, by some seems to be considered as an advance on Royal Sovereign. Magnet, a warm salmon pink, one of the best of the recent introductions. Venus, pale cream pink, has long stalks and large blooms. Chieftain, a large flowered mauve of very vigorous growth, slightly better than Royal Mauve. Mermaid and Gleneagles are two pale lavender blues better Wembley and Lord Lascelles. Gleneagles is the purer blue, Mermaid is more lavender. Fortune is a vigorous and large flowered dark blue with a lone stalk. Boy Blue is one of the best blues, but will not be sent out till the end of next season. Ivory Picture is a rosetinted cream vigorous grower, with long stalks. What Joy, is a.new cream, said to combine the good points of Matchless and Majestic Cream. Olympia is said to be an improvement on Royal Purple Avalanche is said to be the best white" yet raised, it is large pure, nicely frilled and a free bloomer. Vectis is another new white even stronger and larger than A\alanche. Mammoth is an excellent orange scarlet, but it burns badlv. Bov Blue won the Carter Cup, offered'for the greatest advance towards a true blue oweet Pea.