Practical Gardening

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 10, 12 January 1929, Page 6 (Supplement)

Practical Gardening

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SMALLHOLDER (New Lynn) asks:— When is the best time to plant gooseberry bushes?— The be6t time to plant gooseberry bushos is in the autumn. The gooseberry commences to grow very early, and planting should be done as soon as the leaf falls, in fact, in mild autumns it can be done before all the leaves are off. The ground for gooseberries should be well cultivated and manured previous to planting the bushes. AMATEUR (Birkenhead) asks how to obtain young horehound plants. Do you take cuttings from the old plants or obtain seed ':— Horehound is usually propagated by division of the clump. Cuttings, of the tops of young shoots, made about three inches long-, inserted Into sandy sail and kept shaded, will root quite easily. Seed can also be ased, ? 11 1S not often obtainable. The seed should be sown as soon as ripe, and the young plants transplanted once they are large enough. It is not difficult to grow once there is a stock plant.

AS^rJ^h TI L (Mt - Eden > writes:—My French beans are attacked by myriads of email insects resembling an aphis in appearance. I do not ß like using an arsenical spray on account of its pSison°"B " atu , re - T Would a formalin spray be effective ?-I think the formalin Would not be of any use, although I have Sf'hn^f*?!. 1 * i H » d - Form alin is inclined th foU *B e ' and I doubt even it would be effective against insects. Nicotine would do. £ JS- *J e brands of nicotine insecticides on the market, so that there should be no need to use an arsenical ?£S y ** 1 1,J Act ', arsenical sprays are used for biting insects, euch as caterpillars. Aphides are sucking insects, and a contact insecticide such aa nicotine is used. Lime sulphur has insecticidal qualities and could be used. «•""««" KIMBOLTON asks:—How to improve the flowers of some carnation plants which are not doing too well?— The plants must be healthy if the flowers are to be good Of course, all varieties do not produce large blooms. The size of I. %A,°° ma can Improved by disbudding, that is, all the buds bit the ?? £ N t 8honl «l be pinched off. This should be done as soon as the buds are large enough to handle. Applications of S. eak _t Uqnld ma »»ure will also improve ™L *?i sut5 ut the U 9 nld ***** be weak. The soil for carnations should,be well and deeply dug, and some lime and boneduet added. The soil should be S.« M fi E? before Panting. *?he position should be open, that is, free from shade or roots of trees, in fact, the carnation will not stand coddling in any form. Drainage must also be perfect; excess of moisture soon causes disease. AMATEUR (Ponsonby) writes:—! intend to sow some cucumber seeds in a few days. What precaution should I take to ensure that a good crop wfll really result? What artificial manure/if, any should I use? What is the average number of fruits per plant that ehouid result? Are Knmaras as profitable to grow as potatoes? What should be a lair yield from a thousand plants?—lf the soil is in good condition and cultivation is attended to. cucumbers are, easy to grow at this time of the year I cannot tell you the average number of fruits per plant. So much depends upon soil, situation and weather that such estimates are of little value. Kumaras are as profitable as potatoes under certain conditions, and in certain places. The potato gives better results In a temperate climate. Kumaras need Bub-tropical conditions to do well The actual weight per acre would be someluS P ° tatOeS UDder faVOUr -

CYCLAMEN.

Old plants of cyclamen that Lave been kept on the dry side ehould have all the old leaf stalks removed before the corms start to make growth, as it is difficult to remove them afterwards without damaging the new leaves. Slmke the corms out of the pots and remove most of the old roots. Place the corms in flat shallow boxes in a light compost of leafsoil and sand, placing the boxes in a frame facing south, or shade them. Syringe the corms daily and keep the frame close until growth starts, when they may be put into pots of a size that will allow an inch and a-half between the conn and the side of the pot. The potting soil should be good and consist of about equal parts of loam and leafsoil, with a good sprinkling of silver or other coarse sand. If there is some well-rotted cow manure available it can be mixed with the compost; a little bonedust is also a good addition Plenty of drainage must be used in the pots, as cyclamen require abundance of moisture, but will not stand anything approaching stagnation. The plants are very susceptible to attacks of thnps and red spider, and either spraying or fumigation must be resorted to.

FINAL REPOTTING OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

This ia the season when chrysanthemums need to be finally repotted. Growers recognise that the main requirements in chrysanthemum cultivation is that the plants must be grown from start to finish without at any time experiencing a check. Only clean pots are suitable for use, and if new ones are employed they should be allowed to soak for twenty-four hours in clear water before they are crocked, as they are too absorbent when new for the roots of the plants. Chrysanthemums take a lot of water, and the crocking should be carried out with care, covering the hole at the base with a large piece of pot, hollow side downwards and packing around this some fairly large pieces, but finishing off with finer crocks, so that when covered with some of the rougher pieces of turf, grass side downwards, the crocks will be saved from the finer particles of the compost, which would be likely to choke the drainage and render the plant what is termed "water-logged." Many gardeners regard the ingredients of the potting compost at the final potting as of the most vital importance, but it is scarcely so vital as they imagine, because if we take half a dozen of the principal growers we shall find that not more than two employ composts that are similar. At the same time it behoves us to give our attention to the selection of the materials in order that the compost may be good; at least in the opinion of ourselves. There can scarcely be doubt about certain of the qualities it should possess, as, for instance, that it should last in good condition, sweet and unimpoverished, until May and later, and that it should be sufficiently rough that when rammed fairly hard with the wooden rammer it will be a good holding medium for the roots. A compost that will answer to these requirements can be formed from fibrous loam, well decomposed leaf mould and silver sand. The loam may be used to the extent of three parts, leaf mould one part, well-rotted manure one part, and sand one half part. Bone meal or broken bones may be used at the rate of one quart to the bushel. If on knocking out a plant from the pot it is not well rooted, it will be better to put it back for a few days than to plant in the larger pot at once, as there would then be a danger that the soil would become sour before the roots had time to spread through it. Every plant needs sufficient air and sunlight, and if it cannot have it owing to overcrowding the result will be unsatisfactory. Place the pot on bricks or boards or an ash and clinker base that will not allow earthworms to enter the pots, and place a stake to each plant directly after potting.

HOW TO GROW WATERCRESS. To grow watercress is by no means as difficult as the average person who does not grow it would have you believe. It is perfectly true that many fail to grow watercress well; in fact most of the stuff grown by many amateurs is uneatable; but so long as a few rules are followed, no great difficulty should be experienced.

PANSEES FROM SEED. The pansy is one of the easiest of plants to rear, and anyone possessing a cold frame or a greenhouse can raiee hundreds of fine varieties. Artificial heat is not essential. If care and common sense is exercised in sowing, transplanting, and watering, good sturdy flowering plants are bound to follow. The eoil in which the seed is germinated should be of fine crumbly texture, containing leaf mould and a liberal quantity of sand. Make the surface of the soil in pots firm and level by pressing it with some flat object. Then moisten the soil by placing the box or pot in a tub of water. Sow the seed thinly, and afterwards cover it with some very fine soil. Keep the pots or pans shaded with paper for a few days until the catyledons or seed leaves appear. The seedlings should be thinned out and transplanted one inch apart when the second pair of leaves have appeared and the leading shoot in the centre is beginning to grow. If the soil becomes dry, immerse the pots or boxes in a tub or bucket of water. This is better than a watering-can, as the soil gets evenly wetted throughout.

BECENTI/X'-PXAIfTED TOMATOES. Tomatoes that were planted some weeks ago are now well established, and are fitill making good growth. These will need frequent attention in keeping all side growths removed, and tying up the leading etems to their supports, also giving an occasional spraying with Bordeaux mixture as a preventive against disease.

HOW TO PACK ROSES.

Roses which are to be packed for transit should be gathered early in the morning while they are still covered with dew, and their stalks put into water for asi hour or so. A stout cardboard or wooden box having been lined with paper, the roses should be plunged in water and well shaken, and then carefully packed in layers as lightly as possible. The box must be quite full and so packed that the flowers cannot be shaken about. A brown paper cover will exclude the air, and, these precautions taken, the flowers will arrive fresh and in good condition.

HOW TO GROW COCKSCOMBS nr frames. This kind of plant ie soon attacked byred spider, and should be treated with overhead watering. It is easier to keep the pest at bay in a moist frame than in a dry greenhouse. In the first place the young seedlings must be potted up and placed in frame on aches. The soil for potting should be e&ndy loam and cow dung—one peck of the latter to a bushel of loam. Do not press the soil too firm, ae you would for geraniums; rather have it a trifle looser. By this means the plants spread and remain smaller than would be the case if they were potted in very hard soil. Some air must be admitted daily in fine weather. Select the beet plants, namely, those which give promise of having large combs, and keep the leaves eyringed daily. Artificial manures are very useful for assisting the development of the combs after the pots have become full of roots.

First of all it must be remembered that what sun is to the average plant, water is to the watercress plant. Now at first flight this may appear to be what is usually known as "Irish," but it is quite amazing how numerous are the gardeners who attempt to grow watercress in gardens without giving the young plants anything like a sufficient amount of moisture. Most people who own gardens are unlucky enough to be without a small stream, but this should mot deter anyone from growing so useful a salad crop as watercress. This vegetable has been cultivated almost from time immemorial. Even the Greek writer Zenophon issued advice to his followers to feed on it, and it was regularly used as a medicine in early days. As so few possess running streams it need only be said that the shoots should be planted from 4 to 6 inches apart and in sandy soil for preference, and furthermore, the plants should be kept as free from insects and weeds as possible. It is the aim to explain how to cultivate this crop in small gardens provided with only a hose pipe and watering can. Perhaps one of the most popular and simple ways is that known as the trench method. Dig out a trench 3 feet wide and 1J feet deep in an open portion of the garden. At the bottom of this deposit J foot of horse manure, on top of which place 4 inches of soil. Sow the seeds evenly and then cover them thinly with fine, sifted soil, after which give a thorough soaking of water. From this time forward, endeavour never to allow the soil to become at all dry. As a general rule cress so grown can be cut in about four or five months time.

UEEKS. There are two ways to grow good leeks. One is to plant in trenches and to earth up the plants as growth proceeds; the other is to choose a piece of ground that has been thoroughly well manured, fork it down to a fine tilth, and then to make it level and fairly firm. The leeks are then inserted in holes which have been made in rows, with a stout dibble, about eight inches deep. Simply drop the plant in and put in a few crumbs of soil, but do not fill up the hole. If the plants are dwarf the leaves will only just show out of the top of hole, but in a few days they will make enough growth to be well above it. It is common advice to put out the plants during showery weather, but in this climate it is not always possible. This season has not been so bad, bnt in some seasons, if planting was put off till showery weather it would be delayed longer than would be advisable. Take advantage of showery weather when possible, but do not wait too long for it. If the soil is watered a few hours before planting, and the plants puddled and planted during the late afternoon and evening, success may be relied upon.

IMPORTANCE OF CULTIVATION , . Too much importance cannot be attached to the process of stirring or working the eoil, as it is not only a means of keeping weeds under control, but has the effect of aerating and giving added warmth to the eoil and increasing the fertility of the plants. No observant grower can fail to notice the difference in the growth of almost any crop when the soil is frequently stirred, compared to those growing with little or no cultivation.

AQUXLEGIAS. < These lovely flowers are an ornament to any garden, and being so easily grown, and requiring no special care or treatment, it is within the power of all flower lovers to have them. At present (December and January) is the best time for sowing outside. The ground should be well dug, and if some leaf mould can be had to mix in with the soil, it is a help. After digging flatten the soil and make it firm, and sow the seed thinly, covering it very lightly. A shady place is best in which to sow the seed. When large enough, transplant to where they , are to grow. The newer hybrids rival the orchids in beauty, and are improved out of all recognition from the old parent columbines. The lovely shades of mauves, lavenders, blues and pinks form the most delicate tints. This is a plant of which it does not pay to buy cheap seed, as it takes equally long to grow and bloom, and there is no comparison between the beauty of the two.

BAMBOOS. The suckering variety of bamboo aif very troublesome, throwing up shoots from their roots that extend a considerable distance around the clumps that an growing in different parts of the garden * and grounds, exhausting the soil and preventing the growth of any plants that are within their sphere. By digging a trench around the clamps and alongside the hedge and rooting out all suckers by following them to their extremities, no further trouble will be experienced until next spring. The non-suckering varieties are confined to clumps which gradually increase in size from the new shoot* that come up around the plants.