Gardeners’ queries

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32885, 7 April 1972, Page 11

Gardeners’ queries

I enclose two leaves from my cineraria. The young plants were first affected about mid-Decem-ber. As we have just had the house spider-proofed I blame the material used for spraying. However, the few plants which did survive and which are now in bloom have become similarly affected. The leaves develop yellowy-orange spots and the plant eventually withers. We have sprayed with lindane and also dusted with rose dust without success. Could you please advise me as to treatment — A.B. (Ashburton). Cinerarias, like very many other plants, are susceptible to one of the various rust fungus diseases and this is what your plants are suffering from. Dithane or zineb could be used but unless the plants are lightly infected it would be preferable to pull them all up and bum them; this should include all fallen leaves. Neither lindane which is an insecticide, nor the rose dust would give control, and spraying against spiders on the house would in no way affect the cinerarias. We have recently harvested our first crop from our Red Haven peach planted three years ago. The enclosed leaves are from a large branch that shows this brownish colour while the remainder of the tree is a healthy green. There was some leaf curl early in the season. Also enclosed is a clover-like weed that is steadily invading our lawn on the shady side of the house. Could you please identify the problems and advise on any treatments we can take. — “Keen Gardener” (Belfast). The clover-like plant is oxalis, one or two species of which tend to be invasive in lawns. There is no chemical treatment which will eradicate this weed from a lawn. However, good lawn management to encourage a flourishing turf should help to keep it in check though this requires more effort where the lawn is partly or wholly in shade for most of the day. Odd colouration of leaves of stone fruit is not unusual at this time of year though it is not usually confined to just one branch. The problem could also be physiological possibly due to conditions in which the tree is growing. Would you kindly inform me (1) When and how should a pink camellia . bush, five years old, be transplanted. It has not I flowered and is in a border facing east and gets the [ morning sun. (2) When and how should old gooseberry : bushes be pruned.—“ Lyn” (ChCh.).

Providing adequate care is taken in the process of lifting, shifting, replanting and subsequent attention, it has been found possible to transplant camellias at any time of the year. The ground around the plant should be thoroughly damp so that the soil will not break away from the roots. A root ball of adequate size should be retained around the roots and replanting should not be deeper than the original depth of planting. The usual time for pruning gooseberry bushes is in winter. Actual pruning procedure is difficult to relate to a particular bush as much is dependant on how it has been treated in the past. The main objective on old plants should be to encourage new growth, thin out all overcrowded and really old wood and if possible attempt to give it good clearance from the ground. Gooseberry bushes should be maintained in such a way that it is reasonably easy to pick the fruit without having to resort to intricate manoeuvres to get at it