Mulching and regular hoeing help to conserve moisture

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33094, 8 December 1972, Page 15

Mulching and regular hoeing help to conserve moisture

As I write these notes a steady but light rain is falling—the first for some considerable time and several centimetres are most desirable right now. It is always quite remarkable what a difference rain makes in comparison with artificial watering. Rain washes in nutrients, falls evenly and over a complete area all at once, and when it is all over everything appears bright and clean once more.

Dry conditions always make one moisture-conser-vation conscious. This, of course, can be promoted by timely mulching and regular hoeing. To be of benefit a mulch must be applied to a reasonable depth, much depending on circumstances and the composition of the mulch — the coarser and larger it is the greater the depth required for effectiveness. An aggregate such as a fine sawdust mulch should generally be lin to 2in thick.

However, before mulching any ground, thoroughly water it Avoid using really fresh material irrespective of what it is, but if there is no alternative mix in 2oz of ammonium sulphate per square yard with it. Regular hoeing of beds, borders, between row crops and around trees and shrubs has several advantages: it helps to conserve moisture and also facilitates penetration of water with the minimum of run off or leaching usually experienced where a soil is allowed to get as hard as rock; it eliminates weeds and prevents weed seedlings from becoming competitive for available food and moisture. Vegetable section One of the disadvantages of roughly prepared ground for seed sowing is that it is not possible to place the seed either at an even or a proper depth. Such preparations can result in variable germination through loss of seed to birds who find a shallow covering no problem in their foraging for food, and also because excessive depth may cause seed to rot. Apart from this aspect some vegetable seed requires more thoroughness in preparation as it can be difficult to obtain a good percentage germination from it at the best of times. Parsnips, in particular, as well as carrot and lettuce seed, readily come to mind in this respect. Now is the time to mould up potatoes. If the ground has been regularly kept friable with a cultivator there should be no difficulty in getting a good ridge formed on either side of the row. It may be advisable to repeat this action once or twice over the next few weeks, but wait until the ground has absorbed a good rain or received a watering. Moulding up helps to support the tops, keeps the tubers well covered so that they are less likely to green, and lessens the incursion of potato tuber moth larvae—potato grubs. The ridge also helps to funnel moisture to ; the roots providing it is formed with a central trough and not brought up to a peak. Onions should be developing steadily now and singling

to 2in to 3in apart should be completed now. Thinnings can either be transplanted or used as spring onions. Keep weed-free, and be most careful with the hoe when working through the rows as damaged bulbs will be reflected later on by possible “thick necks” and poor keepers. Where plants appear to be making less than desirable growth they can be given a boost with a nitrogenous fertiliser — ammonium sulphate or nitrate of soda — sprinkled along the row. Training tomatoes

Beans, tomatoes and cucurbits dislike being exposed to strong wind so choose a sheltered position if possible. Sweet corn is often used as a wind break. Early training of staked tomatoes pays dividends as they are much easier to look after. Make sure that soft ties only are used because stems will develop and thicken considerably from now on and an unpliable tie can easily cause constriction of the plant. There is considerable value in allowing each plant to develop two stems but all side shoots which arise from the axils of the leaves should otherwise be pinched out. It may be rather early to be thinking about next winter when spring is hardly over, but there is an urgent necessity to sow now the seed of any vegetables intended for winter use. This includes cabbage, cauliflower, sprouting broccoli, curly kale and brussels sprouts. All these plants are very susceptible. to caterpillar and aphis attack and it pays to give them, thorough and early protection before signs of pest activity become evident. Lindane is recommended for this purpose. There is still plenty of time to get a good variety of beans sown, also salad crops, cucurbits, beetroot, carrots kohlrabi, peas, salsify, silver beet, spring onions, swedes and turnips. Plantings of the following can also be made: tomatoes, sweet com, lettuce, cucurbits and silver beet. Fruit section Dry conditions can severely affect ali forms of fruits and once they start to swell this aspect of their culture should not be neglected. Regular application is important Too much too suddenly can often be worse than not enough for

it can lead to splitting of the skins and other problems. Dry conditions also present an increase in such troublesome diseases as powdery mildew and pests such as mites. Both these problems can cause considerable debility in the plant, both now and later on, and good control is advisable.

Specific miticides include kelthane (“MF” is necessary for citrus) and tedion while karathane and benlate can be recommended for powdery mildew control. Watch also for codling moth caterpillars but better still apply D.D.T. or carbaryl to pip fruits for protection. Muggy weather can cause rapid spread of botrytis infection in strawberries. In this case control can be achieved with thiram, for which there is only a two-day waiting period. Grafts should be developing steadily now and any bindings used to hold them in place should be slackened if not entirely removed. At the same time check all large cut surfaces to see that they are well sealed.

Thin top fruits so that they are well spaced out. Peaches and apricots could well be singled, apples reduced to clusters of three to four, plums given enough room to develop fully but, generally, only the variations of Winter Cole and Winter Nelis amongst the pears need much attention. Cherries can be left as they are. Grapes will need periodic pruning from now to reduce excessive growth and allow air circulation and light penetration. Beware of overdoing this, because leaves play a most important function in the development of grape vines. Do not expose the young fruit. Ornamental section There is still time to complete the pruning of spring flowering shrubs. Included in this category are philadelphus, broom, flowering currant and forsythia. The first flush of rose blooms will be over and all dead heads should be quickly removed, not only because they look unsightly but also to prevent them from seeding, and to induce fresh growth. Where one of the complete granular proprietary fertilisers has been applied in August there is probably no need to give the plants a boost now.

Climbing plants can be most easily trained in the desired direction when the shoots are still young and

pliable which is now. i Unwanted growth can also be removed at the same time. By giving these points attention during the season control is achieved from the outset of development and thus the almost hopeless task of trying to straighten out a tangle of one or more year’s growth is avoided. Long-established clumps of narcissi may have given a meagre display of flowers. If this is the case they should be lifted just as soon as the tops yellow and picked over before replanting later on. Only the best should be retained and these should be dusted over with lindane, D.D.T. or rotenone to give protection against bulb fly. Store in a cool, dry well ventilated place until required. Bearded irises can be lifted, divided and replanted now. Replanting requires care; avoid covering the rhizome completely with soil. Add lime to the soil if this has not been done in the last two years.

It is a bad mistake to cut the lawn almost to ground level, particularly during hot drying conditions and especially so if minimal water is being applied. This is just one of the common malpractises of socalled lawn management which leads to its rapid deterioration. Another glaring error is to allow growth to become very rank and then to cut it hard, leaving the clippings where they fall.

Ventilating and watering are two important tasks vital to the health of plants in the glasshouse at this time of the year. Good air circulation can be obtained by opening all the vents and leaving the door(s) open. Sharp drops in temperatures, however, should be observed and the effects minimised by closing up as deemed necessary for the conditions prevailing. Watering may be necessary several times a day in the larger glasshouse and more lasting effects can be obtained by damping down floors and benches as well as plants.