Greater Activity Needed This Month

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30822, 6 August 1965, Page 6

Greater Activity Needed This Month

With August comes greater activity in the garden, it is to be hoped, and bud movement can already be detected on many plants. However, the extent of activities, particularly that of seed-sowing, will be largely influenced by the soil type and situation of the garden and the vagaries of’ the weather. When the ground is so wet. as at present, any form of cultivation or planting should be minimised as much as possible because of \the virtual impossibility of ' handling a saturated soil satisfactorily, not to mention the damage likely to be caused by tramping around on it. A general guide to suitable soil conditions can be obtained from clasping it firmly in the hand If, on relaxing the grip, the soil remains in a tight ball it is too wet, but if It just holds

then it is in a workable state; I Vegetable Section I Sowing and plantings will! probably be restricted to the; warmer areas at first, thought towards the end of the month this activity should become more general. Although seed-sowing in | the open may be precluded ! lit can be done in boxes and! started in the frames, glasshouse or cloches, so that the first suitable opportunity can be used to plant out the seedlings after they have been hardened off. The importance of some form of rotation has been previously dealt with on this page, and should be attempted if possible. The great thing about it is that it can be arranged to suit personal requirements and can then be used every year thereafter. Another valuable aid to gar-

dening can be instituted thiSi month —the compilation of a gardening record or diary.. Although this has perhaps! more application to the vegetable section, it can be applied with equal facility and profit for the recording of gardening activities and notes in general. !In this way one can compile i handy information concerning crops grown and so on which can prove of great [benefit in subsequent years. I For those with an in--1 terest in statistics, or an eye on maximum return from minimum outlay, the entertainment derived from correlating the facts and figures could make it all the- more interesting.

Asparagus and rhubarb should receive a top dressing of fertiliser mixture which could be made up of 4 parts blood and bone, 1 sulphate of ammonia, 3 super phosphate and 1 potash and applied at the rate of 4-6 ounces a square yard, depending on the amount of organic matter that has been applied. It is possible to force rhubarb now by placing an adequately-sized box over the plant. This is removed and the stalks pulled when long enough and results in an earlier first picking of more tender and sweeter rhubarb which has considerably less leaf. Potatoes that are greening should be checked and turned occasionally. A watch should be kept for the presence of pests, such as tuber moth larvae or aphids, and such chemicals as D.D.T. or malathion applied if necessary. The following seeds could be sown under suitable conditions:— asparagus, beetroot, broad beans, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, peas, radish, silver beet, spinach and turnips. Asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, rhubarb and shallots can also be planted. Fruit Section Pruning of fruiting subjects should be completed this month and a clean up spray of winter oil, bordeaux mixture, and perhaps 8.H.C., should then be applied to all deciduous plants. This will destroy mite eggs and lichens, fungus diseases and woolly aphids respectively, although of course not thereby offering immunity for later on in the season. While pruning is still the focus of our attention, I wonder how many gardeners realise just how instructive this job can really be to a person who is keen and observant. As you clamber up the ladder, an appraisal of the year’s growth can be made, young wood being easily distinguishable from the older by the difference in appearance, particularly colour. The effects, not only of the previous season, which was a very dry one this year, but of pruning cuts made in the previous year can teach much, and often dictates the extent and requirements of current pruning. The bare branches also make it relatively simple to detect the effect, or presence, of many common pests and diseases. Gall-like swellings, pinkish in colour very often, on twigs and branches of apple trees indicate that woolly aphids have been prevalent in previous months and further inspection of the loose bark low down on the tree may reveal them hibernating in a whitish covering. It is important to examine the twig tips for the fungus disease powdery mildew, which can be most destructive and completely inhibit the vigour of the tree. Infected twigs and shoots are easily recognised because of their sickly dried up, greyishblack appearance, particularly noticeable on the tips. All wood so infected should be cut right back to healthy material and the prunings burnt to avoid carry-over and subsequent reinfection. Although apples and quince are subject to attack by fireblight, this bacterial disease is usually more prevalent on pear trees. In winter time it is clearly discernible, for infected branches not only have a scorched appearance but all the leaves, though blackened and lifeless, are still hanging on and shrivelled fruit sometimes remains as well. Control is confined to light attacks and it is necessary to cut back at least 12 inches below the outward signs of the disease. The secateurs should immediately afterwards be dipped into a disinfectant such as a formalin solution, to avoid spread to other parts, or other trees, when used again. The tree cut should be painted with an antibiotic, such as streptomycin. Mite eggs can be found in clusters adhering to the bark of trees, especially below branch junctions and on the older wood. They are brickred in colour. Scales of many types are more common on fairly neglected fruit-bearing subjects of both tree and bush form. Very often it is the presence of sooty mould on the wood that leads to their discovery. Two other fairly prevalent pests, of berry fruit only, are the caterpillars of the currant clearwing moth which can be detected in the centre or pith of currant branches, and the raspberry bud moth larvae. The former is responsible for the hollowing out of

the pith and also destroys numerous buds when tunnel- ’ ling in or out. It is usually . more severe in black currants ; than the other currants. Raspberry bud moth caterpillars destroy the buds on the following season’s fruiting I canes and while the cane isi still soft will often bore through inside it for short dis-1 tances. These are but some of the troubles you may come across. They can be observed while pruning and in this way you can get not only evidence of! the successfulness of previous | spray applications but also see what controls are needed I next.

Berry fruit cuttings can be lined out or put into their permanent positions. When lining out allow six inches between each cutting. General fertilisers should be applied during this month to all trees, bushes, vines and plants. This can either be made up to suit by mixing the essential nutrients required, or the easier to handle but more expensive granular compound fertilisers can be purchased. Ornamental Section One of the most important tasks in this section is the completion of rose pruning in the next two weeks. As the sap will begin to rise later on in the month in most other subjects, all other tree and shrub surgery still to be done should be attended to without too much delay. Where needed,'winter oil, and perhaps bordeaux mixture, can also be applied to deciduous ornamentals, as . well as fruit-bearing plants. White oil must, however, be subsituted if it is desired to treat evergreens as winter oil . is too heavy and could cause severe damage if used on them. The addition of D.D.T., or a subsitutO, may be necessary, too if chewing insects have been, or are, active on the leaves of evergreens. The herbaceous border 1 should receive due attention. Tops should be removed from all plants and those that are to be divided should be lifted out. The area is best forked over, removing perennial weeds in the process. A dressing of blood and bone could be given and the divided clumps of plants replanted, allowing sufficient room between them to permit for easy cultivation all round. Only the outer growths should be retained for replanting and the ! rest discarded. On completion of pruning and spraying of the roses, the bed should be carefully ! forked over and organic mat- [ ter incorporated into the soil [if possible. In addition up ! to four ounces of blood and bone can be given to each bush.

Newly planted trees and shrubs should be examined to see whether they have been loosened or damaged and remedial measures taken immediately if necessary. With the weather as it is at present, many plants may need staking because of the very soft ground. In the warmer areas some hardy annuals, such as clarkia. phlox, godetia, candytuft and salvia can be sown. Under glass, sowings of gloxinias, coleus, lobelias and petunias can also be made in readiness for the summer display. Fuchsias should be pruned back and started into growth, similarly with dahlias, so that early cuttings can be taken of the young shoots. Cuttings can already be made from chrysanthemums. It may be possible to attend to lawn maintenance towards the end of the month. This should consist of a firm raking of the Whole area with a wire or bamboo rake to remove dead grass and other harmful material such as fallen leaves. Spiking can be carried out subsequently to aereate the soil. Lawnmowers should be checked and prepared in readiness for the first cut.