PRACTICAL GARDENING

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 29, 28 October 1932, Page 3

PRACTICAL GARDENING

Helpful Hints for Amateur Growers

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Plant'the short, blue delphiniums freely and close. Used as a border for orange marigolds, they make quite a distinctive display. Don't try to make two sides of a pathway carry tlie same class of flowering plant. A difference iu the time the sun strikes a bed will be felt and seen in the work done by the plants. Ants on shrubs and plants indicate that aphis are present. Spray to kill the aphis, rather than the ants, with a solution composed of two tcaspoonsful of nicotine sulphate to a gallon of water, m which a small piece of soap has been dissolved. Heady-prepared mixtures may be purchased and used to good advantage. When the aphis have been destroyed the ants will move on. Tips of nasturtiums will root quickly in moist sand and soon be ready to flower. Almost down to ihe sealine the plants will thrive. Some rough support and a little brusli for a background will be put to good use. Seed can be sown at almost any time of the year. « « * Cape Gooseberries Cape gooseberries can now be planted out. They like light, rich soil and plenty of warmth. The plant Is a perennial, but in many places it dies down at the end of the second year. Allow three feet between each plant and six feet between rows. A Parsley-growing Tip To be sure of your parsley germinating and growing into strong, healthy plants, proceed in this way:—Sow the seeds in drills and cover over with soil. Then get a kettle of boiling water and run right over the drills with it. It must be poured on—not sprinkled. This will not kill the seeds, as many would suppose. It cracks the seed, causing quick germination and no "misses.” Monstera Deliciosa Many years ago, a Wanganui amateur gardener obtained a plant of the Mexican Creeper. Monstera Deliciosa. It eventually fruited in his hot-house. Cuttings grown from it have also fruited in the Wanganui City Council Gardens. The fruit lias a delightful flavour, a mixture of banana and pineapple, and it resembles a banana in appearance. The creeper is a relative of our New Zealand Kiekie, apd in its native country flowers and fruits high up on the forest trees. Why Lift Tulips Should tulips be lifted? Tin’s question has been raised time and again. While most authorities say that they should, many gardeners shirk the labour involved, and “take a chance” by leaving them in the ground. Apart from the risk of disease, tulips should be lifted after the foliage, has died down, as only then ean full-sized blooms be assured. An eloquent example of the importance of lifting these bulbs is to be seen in my garden. My tulips have never looked better. they are big, healthy blooms of glowing colours, and wax-like texture, on long, stiff stems, and free from aphis. But a little distance away is a solitary tulip that was missed when the main bed was lifted last year. The bloom is a little lasts Hinn half the size of the others, and is borne on a thin dwarf stem. It is not worth picking, and I am leaving it as an object lesson on the importance of lifting. Tulip bulbs left in the ground gradually diminish in size, but don’t lift until the foliage has tamed yellow. A Wistaria Hint One of the great faults of the wistaria is its extreme slowness of growth, especially during the first few years. This is especially so in soil which contains a fair amount of clay, and in such positions the plant will hardly develop at all for a considerable time. A great deal may be done to hasten the growth of a young wistaria by preparing the position well at the time of planting. Of course a sunny spot should be selected and a hole of considerable size opened up in the ground. This might very well be three or four times bigger than is really needed for the accommodation of the roots. Fill the hole, to about half its depth with loam to which has 1 been added an almost equal amount of sand. Then set the plant and complete the filling with the mixture. In the light warm soil the roots of the young wistaria will lie able to grow freely, and the result will be a much more rapid development or the plant above the ground than is usually the case. * Club Root Disease •Club root, or “Finger ami Toe,” is a troublesome fungoid disease, which is much in evidence in certain districts, and is confined to cruciferous plants, like cabbage, turnip, wallflower. The spores of the fungus may remain in a dormant.state on soil for years and can be carried about by infected roots or soil. A slight swelling of the root is the first sign of the fungus, followed by a knotted clubbed appearance which prevent proper development. Great distortion results, and, finally, the roots become rotten and the whole plant collapses. Those who buy lots of cabbage plants should examine.the roots carefully, and, if any nodules or swellings are to be observed such sjweiniens should be rejected and burned. It is a good plan, in the case of seedling wallflowers, cabbages, etc., to treat the plants, as follows:—Mix up in a pail a handful each of slaked lime, soot, and soil, finally adding sufficient water to make a solution about the consistency, of butter. Stir the roots of the young plants in this and even leave them soaking for a while before planting. Any plant which shows signs of dying should be pulled up, and. if there is any suspicion of club root, burn the plant without delay. Rotation of crops may be practised to avoid growing cabbage or turnip year after .rear on the same ground. Never allow cabbages to remain on land and gradually decay. Tlie fungus which is the cause of club root flourishes best iu a soil which is acid. Lime should be used to prevent the trouble, also in ground that is thought to be affected. When it is known that the disease is present, do not delay liming the ground at the rate of about 31b. of lime per square yard.

"The Hoe’

Have you ever tried using big stones or lumps of concrete to make “pockets,” in your garden? Those big or little pockets are extremely useful for the safe-keeping of anything small or very precious, where they are ever so small safer than in a big border. » ♦ * Plant Gerberas Now Gcrbera Jamiesoni. the scarlet South African veldt daisy and its many hybrids is a very popular flower. Given the right conditions, it flowers over :t period from four to six months, and the blooms are excellent as cut flowers. Many gardeners are afraid to plant, gerlieras, and although they have tlie reputation of being "tricky” subjects, I have found them - most accommodating. I have found that they prefer a light, medium-rich sandy soil, welltreated with lime. Like all the South Africans, they delight in plenty of sunshine, and will not tolerate wet feet. Just now is an excellent time to buy growing clumps. If you want immediate results, plant tlie whole clump, but if you want the greatest return for your money divide the clump into a number of sections, each having two or three leaves and several roots. Each division will soon increase in size if given the right conditions. Gerberas appreciate fish fertiliser and old manure that is sweet and friable. Don’t plant the crowns too deep, and when winter approaches cover them with a mulch of straw. • <> ♦ When to Lift Daffodils The daffodil gets practically no rest period, for no sooner has the ripening process finished than growth again becomes active, the production of new roots being the first move. Where, therefore, it is necessary to move the bulbs, either because they have become overcrowded or for any other reason, the earlier they are shifted the better it will be for them after they are replanted. As soon as the foliage has become quite yellow, dig up the bulbs. Lift with a potato fork, lay them out in shallow boxes and place in au open shed, where the sun cannot reach them and leave them there until thoroughly dry and firm. ■< While the bulbs, if kept in a perfectly cool and dry place, may be planted up till the end of autumn, although the daffodil dislikes ordinary manure, it succeeds best in fresh rich ground, but where no animal manures have been applied for at least a year. A dressing of bone-meal is permissible, however, if the soil is thought to be rather poor in quality. In planting see that the bulbs are four or five inches under the surface. This applies to the varieties which have large bulbs, the sorts with small roots being placed not quite so deep. A little sand or sandy compost should be placed under each bulb. The natural setting for daffodils is in grass, and they never look so eharming as when they are cultivated in this way; if they are under deciduous trees the effect is enhanced considerably and the plants thrive splendidly. $ w Dahlia Planting Time Dahlia planting time is witli us qgaiu. Many young shoots are already showing where the tuber clumps grown last year were left in their old quarters. Selfsown seedlings, too, are to be seen in quantity where the old stalks and seed pods were quartered for a time during the winter while a better place was being made ready for them. Even the tuber clumps being held for breaking up and for planting are opening out their eyes. Once Hie new growth b e g*n_s it does npt pay to stand idly by wondering what will happen next. The only tiling that can happen is wider activity among tlie tuber clumps, the seedlings and the plants you left to take their chance in their old working quarters. Look to Hie ground in which tlie plants are to do their flowering work. See that everything is made sweet and clean by deep digging and a very light manuring. Use a light sprinkling of blood and bone before you do the second forking or spading. In good soil little else is necessary. Dahlia plants are not fed all the way through life. All they ask to begin with is a nice free medium in which to piece together their roots and tubers. When that has been done the top growth can be given some attention while the buds arc being matured and are opening out. There is no necessity to feed for tubers and for dahlia stalks. Almost any dahlia plants can make those things! without, much help. Nourishment may be given when flower buds begin to form, but don t let us worry about that just now. Where tlie new growths come early the planting should not be too long delayed. You weaken the young stalks by allowing them to live too long on the starchy stuff in the tubers, which are in reality the storehouses of the plants. All the new growths should be allowed to make routings on their own account. That, is the reason for planting as soon as tlie stems are long enough to begin work. I know that, many j-h'Oplp keep the plants out of the ground too long. They slash off the tops and plant stems that are quite hollow, expecting good r results to follow such haphazard work.. Try and do better for yourself and for the dahlias. Begin with the root clumps that wore left over the winter to themselves. That company I would dig up whole, avoiding injury to the new shoots showing. it you leave such a cluster of tubers’ tlie plants will be almost useless. From one tuber and one piece of new growth a fullsized dahlia plant can be grown the same season. A dahlia finishes its life cyeic during each season: whether it be grown from a seed, a cutting, or from a tuber makes little or no difference. Carefully divide the root dumps you dig up and see that each tuber has a piece .of new shoot to itself. Hold these pieces somewhere out of tlie sun and wind. Exposure will shrivel and spoil them, lieplanting ns' early as possible will perhaps be best. Then little or no damage will be done. Plant the very early stock in the semishady places where the early dahlias ',o quite nicely. Later on lhe sunny spots can be filled up with the main crop stock.-:. Deep planting is bad and wide placing is wasteful. Anything from 18 to -4 inches apart will do for the best and the. biggest dahlias. Pompones are not rhe only elass that enjoy one anothers ennLet me give but one reason for clo.-e planting. One is quite enough. Ail dahlia plants carry their feeding roots near the surface, and do better ijork when the soil surface is shaded amt .kept, cool bv their own stems and '['hose whoiSe only idea is to turn out sli»« flowers follow Hie elose planting plan.

Protect Your Plants Against Rust Rust disease lias been very prevalent of late seasons, and you will need a good fungicide to protect your roses, phlox and other plants against it. Use a stock soap solution —half an ounce of soft soap to each gallon of water —and stir into it just before application a balf-teaspoouful of liver of sulphur. Always use the mixture fresh, making no more than you require for one occasion, as it does not keep. When using fungicide of any kiud, always spray the soil at the base of the plants, as well as the upper parts, because the seat of the trouble is very often in the ground itself. A little iron sulphate is also useful in this respect. Sprinkle the crystals lightly over the surface and water them in. You will not only destroy fungi, but the sulphate is a nice fillip to the plant, intensifying its greenery. Some Points on Manuring One of the most important points to be borne in mind concerning the manuring of the garden is that practically all plants must be given a balanced fertiliser—a fertiliser, that is, which contains the three essential plant foods: phosphates, nitrogen and potash. The effect of the phosphates Is, briefly, to encourage balanced growth and normal development and ripening. Without phosphates in the soil a plant tends to grow rankly without produo ing seed or fruit in due season. Nitrogen promotes the growth of leaf in a plant, and the presence of potash in tlie soil means bigger and better crops. It is because they contain all the essentials in correct proportions that farmyard manure and guano for instance, are perfect fertilisers. A good artificial also contains all the essentials, the proportions, however, varying according to the purpose for which the fertiliser is intended. Of course, at times only one chemical will be given, for a specific purpose such as to encourage quick growth. But tliat chemical must be carefully chosen. Legumes (such as peas and beans) require chieflv phosphates; therefore they derive little benefit from nitrate of soda. On tlie other hand, members of the cabbage family ask mainly for nitrogen, so little useful purpose is served by dressing them with superphosphate. Tlie less-experienced gardener sometimes appears to believe that ordinary slaked lime is a manure. This is not so. It is excellent for increasing what might be termed the mechanical condition of the soil and correcting acidity; but it has no feeding value. Value of Seaweed Few people appreciate the fertilising value of seaweed. In a country where supplies are so readily available to gardeners, it is surprising that it is not more generally used. Analysis bears out the testimony of practical users that seaweed is as rich in nitrogen and potash as an average sample ot farmvard manure. Indeed, it contains more potash than the latter, and its nitrogen, if slower in its action than that of dung, is more durable as a plant food. „ . The only fertilising elements of importance in which seaweed is deficient are phosphates and fibre, or humus. The former it is not difficult to supply and, as for the fibre, the weed partly compensates for the absence of this by its power of quickly reducing any other vegetable matter with which )t comes in contact into humus. Thus, where seaweed is mixed with raw vegetable refuse, or manure, it will accelerate decav and render such matter o, rise to plant life in a very much shorter time than if the latter were left to the ordinary process of decomposition, and in this ‘respect it is better than lime, inasmuch as it does not destroy humus as the latter will. Seaweed also has what one may call a mechanical effect upon the land. If it is used for light, sandy soils, which are liable to become very dry in summer. it will materially assist, in the conservation of moisture. Soil pests dislike seaweed, and there are many noxious weeds which disappear trom farms regularly dressed with it, while tiie seaweed in itself carries no weed seeds or spores of disease to the land as farm manures ate liable to do. Though there is hardly a crop to whica seaweed will not prove beneficial, particularly on light land, it has proved especially good for the Brassicae (in eluding turnips and Kohl llabi), potatoes, beet, mangolds and carrots, it has also been used with excellent results in fruit culture. » » * Help Swelling Fruits Now is the time to apply a quickacting stimulant to the swelling fruits. There is nothing better for use uos than tlie liquid that drains from the farmyard manure heap. This, watered down to the colour of pale ale, and applied at about fortnightly intervals from now on until ripening time, supplies pretty well all that the laden trees may require. Where this liquid cannot be procured, an excellent substitute can be made up from artificial manures which you can buy at the horticultural shop. Mix together 2 parts sulphate of ammonia. 4 parts superphosphate, and 2 parts sulphate of potash— measuring out these parts by weight and then put loz of this mixture into every 2 gallons of water given to the trees. This makes a safe and definitely helpful liquid for all the laden fruit trees. Remember that you should never apply liquid manure to bone-dry soil. Always water the ground first with clear water and finish off with tlie liquid manure, making tlie applications on the “little and often” principle. Always hoe the soil after the liquid has soaked in. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS Mrs -A ILL (Marton).— Strawberries do* not* need lime ns a general rule; they like a slightly acid soil. AH that growing plants need now is a mulch ot straw oi some similar material. The mulch preserves moisture, keeps soil from becoming hard, and keeps the fruit clean. A little nitrate of soda may be given Hie plants when fruit lias set, but do not pour it on Hie plants themselves.