Gardeners’ queries

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32708, 10 September 1971, Page 13

Gardeners’ queries

Enclosed is a piece of my daphne bush. The condition is worrying me greatly as it has lost all its leaves in early winter after many of them had turned yellow. I wish to plant out daffodil bulbs which have been growing indoors. Is it best to allow them to dry out first or could I put them out as soon as the flowers have faded?—V.B. (Christchurch). Daphne odora is not hardy enough to stand severe frosts without sustaining some damage although in most cases it will come away again. Under such conditions it is not unusual for it to shed all its leaves and subsequent fresh growth may be even more vulnerable to freezing conditions until hardened up. Dryness at the roots or disturbance of them can also lead to leaf shedding. The bulbs can be safely planted outdoors as soon as flowering has ceased.

Could you please identify the enclosed shrub?—Mac, of Mairehau.

Glad to have provided some information of value to you. The branch belongs to a baeckea which is an Australian native.

I would be pleased if you could enlighten me on a couple of matters. First, what has caused a perfectly healthy peach tree to suddenly die off (sample twig)? It had been healthy until this last season when it had brown rot which ruined the fruit before it was properly ripe. Herewith also a sample of grass which has invaded my garden for the first time this last season. It has very matted roots and is hard to dig out and noone seems to know what it is. Also, all my fruit trees and some of the shrubs have got a green fungus on the trunks. What is the best thing to eradicate this? “Million Dollar” (Christchurch). Lime sulphur or Bordeaux mixture plus oil are the best killing agents for lichens, moss and algal growths on trees. Winter is the best time to treat subjects thus infested as it is usually deciduous ones which are worst affected, and these are more easily reached when bare of leaves. The grass appears to be what is known as summer grass and is also known by a variety of other names such as devil’s fingers and crab grass. It has a twitch like growth habit and can prove troublesome if allowed to spread. Spraying with dalapon is advocated .if there is a very extensive patch of it in the garden; otherwise careful digging out of individual plants is worth while. The single branch from the peach suggests more a lack of vigour than death through disease. The most obvious thing to me from examining this sample is a need for some bard pruning. However, since the tree suffered badly from brown rot last year it would be advisable to make sure that it is controlled this year by spraying regularly with captan. This material can be applied up to one day prior to picking and it is essential, particularly where brown rot has been very prevalent to spray during the blossom period. Could you please tell me how to plant and cultivate garlic? M.D. (Christchurch). Garlic cloves the separated portions of the bulbcan still be planted now. Usual procedure is to plant them about 2in deep at 6in

spacings. Generally, treatment is the same as for onions but lifting may be about a month earlier. As with onions,'garlic must be properly cured if it is desired to store them, the usual procedure being to field them on the ground after they have been lifted. I am interested in apricots as we grow them in this area and I note in an article of yours that lime sulphur should not be applied to them. I would be pleased if you could tell me why not to use this material and what other spray I could use on my apricots.—W.M. (Puru). Stone fruit, in particular apricots, are sensitive to lime sulphur. Bordeaux mixture at various strengths during the season, phygon and captan are the most generally used fungicides on these trees.