Gardening During Long Summer Days

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 307, 28 December 1944, Page 3

Gardening During Long Summer Days

The deciding factor in gardening operations over the next few weeks will be the weather. Digging sunbaked clay or WINTER heavy loam is PREPARATIONS not the most attractive pastime, but there are ways of overcoming this. It is usually only the surface spit that is troublesome and flooding the soil the day before digging will make the going easier. It is wise to clear ground where peas, broad beans, potatoes and early crops have been grown, and prepare for winter greens. This wintergrowing programme is now one of the most important of the gardening calendar, and the huge prices charged for cauliflowers and cabbages in the winter should be a sufficient inducement to householders to make themselves independent. Deep digging is essential, and if the ground is impossible now, is is better to delay preparation for a few weeks, In the meantime, however, seeds can be planted. The main batches of celery and leeks may be planted, watering the trenches well. In planting savoys, broccoli, winter cabbages and cauliflowers, they should be set out in soil that is moist from a heavy watering the previous day, and they should be hoed daily until they become well established. Plenty of lime is necessary for the cabbage I family.

Liquid manure should be given frequently to runner beans, celery, marrows and cucumbers. Be careful to water first. MAINTAINING Beetroot, turnips THE CROPS and swedes may be sown on ground cleared of early, petatoes. Carrots are an increasingly difficult crop. To obtain late autumn supplies a shorthorn variety should be selected and sown thinly. Many failures of. carrots are due to the carrot fly, which leaves in its wake yellow and dying foliage. The fly lays its eggs in the surrounding soil, particularly if it is of a loose nature. It can thus be checked to a degree by pricking in horticultural naphthalene lightly after thinning the rows. If detected in the early stages on the foliage the fly can be checked by spraying with horticultural naphthalene. Dwarf beans and peas can still be sown, while lettuce and radishes should be sown at intervals in soil enriched with decayed organic matter. Frequent watering is necessary for these crops.

The main plantings of flowers now will be such autumn flowers as salvias, dahlias, salpiglossis, zinnias and marigolds. An early FLOWER sowing can also be GARDEN made of Iceland poppies, winter marigolds, stocks, pansies and cinerarias. The experience of the last few years has shown that Iceland poppies and winter marigolds can be flowered from May until November if planted out in mid-summer. Thv former are not affected by frost, but the marigolds will not survive more than 4 degrees. However, if planted in a sheltered border that gets the afternoon sun they will provide an abundance of blooms at a time when they are most welqome. Carnation layering can be started as soon as the shoots are long enough. A sandy compost is the best material to use. Pay constant attention to the staking and tying of dahlias and chrysanthemums. Dahlias will also need sufficient pruning to keep the plants fairly balanced, while all weak and sickly shoots should be removed. * * * * The worst of the scale diseases attacking' citrus trees is the citrus red scab. This infects the foliage and twigs, also the CITRUS fruit, lemons being DISEASES more prone to attack than oranges. This pest can be controlled by spraying in mid-February with summer oil 3 per cent (1 pint to 4 gallons), repeating the treatment three or four weeks later. Another insect pest that-has become very common is the hard wax scale. Young far-shaped scales appear on the upr r surface of the leaves and the ad' cs on'the stems and small branche In both cases there is sooty moi id. Spraying is again the remedy, using summer oil 3 per cent, as with red scale. Spraying can also control cerrucosis. The leaves will be seen to be distorted and often have raised pinnacles, while the fruit will also be distorted with yellow or light brown warts. Spraying should be carried out consistently. In October use bordeaux 3-4-50 and again in late November, also using acid lead arsenate 13 oz to 4 gallons. Bordeaux should again be used in late December and early in May. Treatment should be started immediately with a bordeaux spray.