Hot Weather Mulching

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 308, 28 December 1940, Page 6 (Supplement)

Hot Weather Mulching

MULCHING is the answer tt> fill ** eatheir ' b «th in the flower and vegetable garden. Although so effective, it is at the same time one of the simplest of garden operations. It often happens that in the holiday period gardens are neglected for weeks at a time. If this period coincides with dry conditions havoc can be caused. It is useless watering a hard, ouked surface. The first prerequisite to restore the garden to efficiency is to resort to the hoe, breaking up the surface. If it b too hard, give it a thorough soaking first. Then apply your mulch, this consists, in most gardens, of roughage. You need not worry, in fact, if the weeds you spread over the ground angreen. The thing is to get the surface covered ae soon a« possible. Watering will then be effective, and it will be un" necessary to hoe extensively. A uniform covering of two or three inches of roughage will be found sufficient, though g,. a9S dippings should be use d kse _enerously. As the mulch iota it will iteelf fertilise the soil, and during the process will add valuable manure in liquid form when there k watered* thC gar * en l 8 artificia »y Liquid Manure Problems To extend the benefits of mulchina liquid manure should be used. For the average small holder this may present a problem. But actually the problem resolves itself into seeming a suitable receptacle for the manure, 4 lar<*e barrel is most valuable, and it is po°ssvl.le often to obtain these local 1 v. rlowever, an oil drum can be substituted Most valuable substance for liquid manure is cow manure, but for most people in the city this is out of the question. However, a valuable substitute is grass clippings, particularly if these have a percentage of clover. If

the clippings are allowed to decay for .about a week, then put in a sack and immersed in a barrel of water, thev make an effective substitute for cow : manure Some people add a handful of ; artificial manure, but this is by no means necessary. Some gardeners, more fortunatelv placed will be able to secure supplies of fowl manure. The best method of preparation is to place this in a barrel or oil drum, cover with water and leave in the hot sun. This aids fermentation, and within two days there is available one of the finest stimulants it is possible -* - ■ ■

— to get. Dilution is necessary, especially in the case of delicate plants. To prevent the barrel filling with solids, the manure should be. tipped "out every few day* and replaced with fresh. When applying liquid manure it is necessary to soak the ground first, following this with small frequent applications, not too strong. Such crops as dwarf and runner beans, peas, melons, pumpkins, rhubarb, show immediate results from the use of liquid manure, while most flowers, in particular dahlias, also respond excellently.