BULBS, TUBERS, CORMS HAVE SIMILAR FEATURES

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27907, 2 March 1956, Page 13

BULBS, TUBERS, CORMS HAVE SIMILAR FEATURES

garden notes

I Specially written for “The Press”!

[By

T. D. LENNIE,

A.H.8.1.H., N.Z.]

Friday, March 2, 1956. The time is approaching when the treatment of bulbs is on our minds. We are all in love with them because of their beauty and utility. However, we accept the term “bulb” as covering all those things that grow from dormant swollen roots. The term “bulb” is a very elastic one. Actually, so-called bulbs are grouped under three or more headings. All are solid similar-shaped roots, mostly devoid of foliage in the resting period, but possessing characteristics that determine individual classification.

Thus a bulb is built up of rings, or scales united under an outer skin sheath. Good examples of true bulbs are the onion, narcissus, lillium, and hyacinth, each with a ring base from which the roots emerge. Another section has solid flesh when cut through. These are corms, for instance, the crocus or gladious. The tuber is exemplified in the dahlia, potato, paeony, and ranunculus. With these, the roots have many eyes or points of growth, and can be divided and the plants thus propogated. The other two sections increase from offsets or young bulbs produced beside the parent. FLOWER GARDEN Not all the so-called bulbs can be bracketed under the general advice that March and April are the months for bulbs. It does apply to true bulbs and some of the other spring-flower-ing ones. Where your bulbs, narcissi or sparaxis, have been undisturbed for some years, they should be lifted and the best ones replanted. Tulips should not be grown in a hot position such as would suit hyacinths, German iris, or montbretia. Crocus, snowdrops, anemones and ixias like a cool shaded aspect.

There are bulbs of the uncommon type that appeal. The scarlet wind flower—Anemone fulgens—is one with its lovely double flowers in November. Iris reticulata, dwarf purple and gold, is another; so is the lovely little yellow hoof petticoat narcissus, easy to grow and lovely as a border edging. About the first to flower is the glistening yellow winter aconite, and a later flowering favourite of mine is the dainty dog’s tooth violet, which also makes a charming pot plant for the sunporch.

Crocus, friezias, sparaxis and grape hyacinths are well suited to front row or path edgings. Sweet peas should be sown now for flowering in November. They can be sown facing north or east for winter shelter, provided plenty of compost or manure is well-mixed into the soil. If the seeds are soaked in water overnight, they will soon germinate.

With the passing of the perennial phlox the dahlia is in the front rank of garden display, and will continue so until the frosts come. They are noticeably cold night growers as is evident by the quick progress shortly to be made in their greenery. To improve the display quite a lot of the side branches should be thinned out, leaving only enough to make a nicely balanced plant. Do not overlook the value of liquid manuring for growing plants. Apart

from liquid seeping from animal manures, it can be got quickly from fertilisers such as fish or ammonia sulphate. Preparations for lawn making can be made. The most important points are levelling and freedom of weed seeds. The former will be helped by much raking over the area, as nothing finds out the soft places like boot heels. Taking a crop of potatoes is the best and most profitable way of germinating and destroying weed seeds in the patch. Fairy ring in old lawns can best be destroyed by copious watering with a solution of iron at one ounce to the gallon.

Layered carnations should not go short of water in dry weather. Cuttings of American or tree perpetuals can be pulled off the main stems and inserted in cool sandy soil. Another March job is the sowing of flower seeds for next season. They can be either hards annuals or the more desirable perennials like pansy, polyanthus, hollyhock, wallflower, primula, lupin, or delphinium. VEGETABLE GARDEN

Celery making good growth should be well watered. More advanced plants can be earthed up. Dryness at roots is liable to cause a serious check. Liquid manure now and then will be a great help. Loosely tying the outer leaves together is also a good practice. A good liquid manure can be made by adding 71b fish manure to 20 gallons of water.

No good purpose is served by leaving marrows and pumpkins on the vines when matured and ripe. This can be determined sufficiently by finger pressure and good colour. If the skin is hard and resists pressure, the fruits can be cut off and stored under cover. Following fruits will be greatly helped thereby. Potatoes which have ripened should be dug and the space sown in barley, lupins, or mustard for digging in later. Lettuce should be sown for succession. So should an early cabbage variety like Flower of Spring, followed by Golden Acre for spring use. Onion, shallots and galic can be dug and dried off for storing under cover. It is to be expected that garden pests will revel in the hot conditions, and be more numerous than usual. I think this applies specially to the grub onslaught. Codlin moth, roller grubs, and diamond back moths are numerous and active, and only a poison spray or derris is effective against them.

Round the garden on leaves of many shrubs, leaves stuck together indicate a grub ready for hibernating. Many can easily be killed by squeezing the leaf nests.

Growths on tomatoes should be restricted. Only clusters showing green fruits should be left on as following ones will have little chance to mature. There again some liquid manure would help, as it would with growing runner beans, marrows and pumpkins.

It will soon be time to sow autumn onions, and the ground should be manured and lightly dug over. Farm manure with sawdust can be used, or compost spread over and forked in. A simple way is to use a mixture of blood and bone and superphosphate placed two to three inches below the seed line. Hoeing and weeding are more than ever now necessary. Weeds have wonderful vitality, and quickly produce seeds. They are more easily countered while the weather and soil are dry. FRUIT GARDEN This is definitely a bad season for garden pests, evidently because of the hot summer. Even where I know the normal arsenate spraying was done, codlin moth is responsible for more spoilt apples than usual. These fallen apples should be gathered up and used or composted. In most cases, it will be found that the grub has left the fruit and hived up under cover of the foliage. Where not treated lately, the foliage of raspberry, pear, cherry, and runner beans will be found perforated or eaten by the grub of various moths. This calls for a quick arsenate spraying.

Most apples and pears can now be gathered for stewing, leaving such varieties as Sturmer, Lord Wolseley, or Granny Smith for two of three weeks yet.

Some pruning of currant and gooseberry bushes can be done to facilitate ripening of the wood. This should aim at improving shape by cutting out spreading branches and crowded shoots.

In Britain, grease banding of fruit trees to trap ascending grubs is much practised, and must have a deterrent effect on codlin moth. It is due by tying sticky paper around the stem on the principle of fly papers. The grubs seek to crawl into bark cracks and those from fallen fruit are intercepted. It is a practice that can be recommended for if done each year in early February, less codlin damage would occur.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENT Constant, St. Andrews Hill.—You are quite right—the spray must be applied before the grub sticks the two leaves together, therefore begin in January for early visitors. You would perhaps read last week’s notes, the life story of these unwanted grubs. Dusting plants with derris or three-in-one powder is advised at frequent intervals.