December garden work quickens in all sections

Press, 1 December 1978, Page 5

December garden work quickens in all sections

GARDENING

By

M.Lusty

r Work in the garden for the month of December should now be considered. VEGETABLE SECTION Tomatoes originate from a sub-tropical region and, as such, love warmth. Boisterous, cold spells of weather are not to their liking and shows up rapidly on the plants, particularly those which have not been established for long. Those which are to be trained on a stake can be allowed to develop two main stems but all laterals which arise from the leaf axils should be pinched out regularly. If allowed to remain they soon overcrowd the plant and impede management. Tomatoes which are being left to grow at will — generally referred to as “dwarf” — are inclined to produce a rougher and often dirty fruit. This can be mostly overcome by growing them on a plastic mulch or by providing some other material such as straw as a base between plant and soil. There are far fewer problems associated with the growing of outdoor tomatoes than in glasshouse crops where constant attention must be paid to their culture as a whole. Outdoors, tomato worm and aphids can be a major pest problem and spotted wilt is a common ailment. The latter is a virus transmitted by thrips and once a plant has become infected there is no cure for it. Thrips can be controlled with various materials such as maldison and carbaryl which can be used to deal with tomato worm as well. Menazon or maldison are suitable for the control of aphids. Asparagus is cut continuously for a period of nearly two - and - a - half months, harvesting usually being tapered off by December and stopped altogether by mid-month. This is 'done primarily to allow the plants time to build up their food reserves before autumn, when the foliage turns yellow, and also because by this time the natural process of forming flowerheads is speeding up and the spears become less palatable. By the time cutting for the season has ceased the bed usually has a rather untidy appearance from weed growth. Where the

bed is of a reasonable size it may be more expedient to apply a weedkiller, particularly if there is a prevalency of perennial weeds. Before applying any chemical it is safer to cut down all asparagus growth to just below ground level. Glyophosate and the combination of paraquat and diquat. are suitable alternatives for this purpose. It is essential to comply with spraying instructions governing the use of respective chemicals.

The addition of a good over-all layer of compost over the bed after spraying the weeds can also be recommended but the ground should be well watered first.

Many gardeners will soon have beans to pick. These can be bettered both in yield and quality by giving them a little extra attention now. Before the flowers open an application of a residual aphicide would be appropriate against aphids. Maldison can be recommended for this purpose. Once the flowers have opened moisture is most beneficial and indeed dryness at the roots can cause a shedding of blooms, particularly in runner beans.

Once the beans begin to size up picking should not be left “until they get a little bigger” because they are nicest when young and tender: regular picking also ensures a continuity of supply and assists in better development of oncoming beans.

There is still time to put in some parsnips. Only fresh seed should be used for germination rate is never high and when seed is older than one year it is more often than not unreliable.

A moist germination period is highly desirable and seedlings should be thinned to 80-100 mm apart when about 50mm high. Popular varities include Hqllow Crown and Student Prince.

Early celery such as White Plume and Golden Self Blanching can be planted towards the end of the month. However, good celery does not develop on its own, so unless one is prepared to devote some time to its culture it rather should not be grown. A heavy pre-planting application of organic matter such as poultry manure is most desirable and this should be thoroughly worked into the soil. Seedlings should.be well watered prior to' transplanting and the ground

should be moistened after planting. From then on the crop must be kept growing and the most important aspect in this respect is to ensure that the plants do not lack moisture.

The suppression of weeds and the fungus disease, leaf spot, are also vital to securing large, good quality sticks of celery. December-January is usually the period when a second main sowing of carrots is made. This is a vegetable of considerable value with its high vitamin content even when cooked and its suitability for a variety of purposes.

The seed of carrots is slow germinate and initial growth can also be comparatively slow. For this reason a few radish seeds are sometimes put in along the row to define it at an early stage. Weeds can severely restrict growth and white spirits applied at the 3 to 4 leaf stage has proved an excellent selective herbicide for home garden use. Cucurbits are another line of vegetables which resent cold, windy conditions, particularly in' the early stages of establishment. The production of more vines, and therefore potentially more flowers and fruit can be encouraged by pinching out the tips of all runners when about 0.5 m long. Male and female flowers are produced .on the same plant, the male ones appearing first. Insects assist in pollination but this can also be done by hand. The seed sowing and

planting lists are still extensive and there is still time to catch up with many sowings which may have been delayed or missed. Sowings which can be made include: beans, beetrot. cabbage, cauliflower, endive, kohlrabi. lettuce, peas, parsnip, radish, silver beet, spinach, swedes and turnips. Plantings can be made of cabbage, cauliflower, endive, lettuce, silver beet, sweet corn and tomatoes. FRUIT SECTION

There is usually considerable anticipation of the big crops to come when planting young fruit trees but from a long term point of view it is better to forego this pleasure in the initial year from planting or else severely reduce the number of fruits. This will alow for more displacement of resources into establishment of a good strong framework and a capable root system which, after all. is an exceptionally important consideration for something which can be productive for a lifetime.

The natural fall .of top fruits will have started to take place now and thinning can soon be attended to. This is particularly applicable to stone fruit such as apricots and peaches, and to a lesser degree to plums. It also applies to most apples; but pears, with the possible exception of a few varieties such as Winter Cole and Winter Nelis, do not always require such treatment. The purpose behind thinning is to improve size and quality of remaining fruit, whch s precluded where set is heavy. It also assists in keeping down pests and disease spread and mechanical damage caused by fruits rubbing against each other or through over burdening a branch. Grapes are normally thinned in early January and again the purposes and reasons for doing so are similar. December can be a vital month in the chain of keeping crops free of pests and diseases, incidence and influx being often influenced by the prevailing weather conditions. With the greater leaf areas to be covered spraying must therefore be more thorough and it will be necessary to use more spray as a consequence. Beware of using the wrong materials, particularly on ripening fruit; read the "labels on the packet or bottle of chemical first to make sure that an appropriate substance is used. ORNAMENTAL SECTION Work in this area of the garden is not extensive during December yet it is important enough not to overlook it, particularly as it is at this time of the year that things can get rapidly out of hand as thoughts tend to dwell more on such matters as the festive season and holidays. Early flowering shrubs such as flowering currants, forsythias and deutzias should no w be pruned back.

Flower heads of azaleas, rhododendrons, annuals and perennials should whereever possible be removed as soon as they fade and not be allowed to form seed. Tie in new growths of climbing plants so that they do not become twisted or broken. Canes of rambler and older types of roses which have completed their flowering may now be cut. All new plantings should be regularly inspected; watering and careful weeding in their vicinity should be maintained, particularly in dry’ weather. Neglect is one of the chief reasons for losses of new stock and not, as so often is- made out to be the case, because a poor specimen has been passed on from the nursery. Bearded or flag irises can be lifted every three to four years. This is a job which should be attended to just as soon as flowering is over as late planting may prevent flowering next spring.

Cut back the leaves by about one-third and replant in well drained limed soil in a sunny open position. Plant the rhizomes firmly with the top portion above the surface of the soil. Leaves become yellow and rhizomes may rot if planted on badly drained soil or if the ground has been heavily manured with nitrogenous or animal manures.

Long established clumps of spring flowering bulbs such as narcissus, hyacinths and tulips can likewise be lifted, but only when the foliage turns yellow. Only the healthiest and best looking bulbs should be retained.

These should be dried, dusted with D.D.T. or lindane and stored in a cold, dry atmosphere until time is right for replanting. Autumn flowering bulbs — belladonna, colchicum, miniature cyclamen, etc., can be planted immediately. Bulbs such as belladonna and nerines require full sun and the neck of the bulb should be left above ground. Delphiniums will be flowering of be in the process of opening their buds. The removal of faded stems will help to secure further blooms; they should not be cut to ground level as this results in the loss of too many healthy leaves. Some attention will be warranted to rock gardens; duties such as weeding, trimming and topdressing usually being called for. Soil and/or shingle topping may be necessary in several parts; the more spreading types of plants such as arabis and those which have flowered profusely like Cytisus beanii will respond to pruning; weeds must be prevented from establishing and, above all, not allowed to seed, as they become more difficult to eradicate once well established in a rockery.

Do not overlook regular mowing and watering of the lawn, do not cut it too close to avoid having to cut it more often and do not wait until the grass looks as though it needs moisture before watering it; none of these factqrs art- conducive to good upkeep. Now is a good time to commence layering carnations. All that is necessary to be done is to split the stems down 1500 mm from the tip and peg them down with a fairly shallow covering of soil over the top.

Additional propagation can be centred around such house plants as African violets and Rex begonias. Leaf cuttings are used, selection being from well formed, healthy leaves only.

These are removed together with about 25mm of stem and then laid flat on sand and pegged down or plunged upright into a sandy rooting medium. Humidity is essential for success; a polythene bag being useful as a cover for maintaining it at a reasonable level.