LAWN UPKEEP

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 159, 2 April 1937, Page 18

LAWN UPKEEP

Need of Humus In these days many lawns are kept going almost wholly on artificial manures. These artificials are very valuable, Prepared as a balanced dressing and put on at the right time and in the right way, you can produce a splendid turf with them. But it must also be pointed out that these add no humus to the soil —Hint magic stuff which keeps the texture right, encourages the formation of innuniera'ble fibrous roots, and tillers or branches which make that closely-knit sward that every lawn-proud gardener desires to have.

For this reason we don’t advise you to rely on artificials all the time. Every third autumn dress your lawn with an inch layer of an equal part mixture of finely-riddled soil and well-decayed stabie manure. If you have wood-ashes by you, mix 6oz. to Soz. with each pailful, This fine old-fashioned mulch will very soon wash in, add food, and supply humus.

SHRUB LABELS

How to Use Them The thin “tag" labels supplied on new shrubs, roses and so on by the nurserymen soon become illegible. They should, therefore, be replaced without delay, for one cannot do without labels and hope to remember the names of all the varieties of plants in the garden. When supplying the new wood or metal labels, avoid the practice of attaching it to the shrub by means of a wire running round the stem or a main branch. This fastener is apt to be overlooked, and as the branch or stem increases in thickness the wire grows into the bark ami cuts off the supply of sap. The best method is to fasten a label to a nearby wall or to push it: into the ground in front of the tree or shrub. If the shrub is staked, the label can, of course, be attached to the stakw