In the Garden

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 39, 14 August 1926, Page 27

In the Garden

VALUABLE MANURES

REQUIRED BY THE SOIL

HINTS TO .AMATEURS.

Notice to Readers.—Correspondence on natters pertaining to any branch of gardening, as well as inquiries, are invited. As thli column goes to press early in the week, correspondence to be dealt with in the following Saturday's publication must reach the office of "Tho Evening Post" not later than ' Monday. All correspondence must be addressed to "Practical." A nom-de-plume may be used for publication purposes If desired, but the writer's name must also be signed.

M.8., Otaki.—The black caterpillar which does so much damage to cinerarias is hard to get rid of. Spra3'ing the plants with arsenato of lead helps to poison them, but the only really effectivo way to treat this pest is to pick them off by hand. You also ask what is the best manure for roses, pyrethrurns, iris, carnations, and thalictrum dipteracarpum. For roses the following is a good mixture: —Lime, 8 parts; nitrate of potash, 10 parts; superphosphate, 12 parts; sulphate of magnesia, 2 parts; and sulphate of iron, 1 part. Crush to a powder and thoroughly mix. Apply the mixture at the rate of 4oz per square yard. If this mixture is used annually, in the winter or early spring, no other fertiliser should be necessary. Avoid fowl manure on roses. Soot, when matured, is a good, ell-round fertiliser, containing the three essential plant foods —viz., phosphato, nitrogen, and potash. It should not be used when fresh, however. Irises of the bearded or German varieties and carnations love lime. A small amount of superphosphato may be used, but in the case of carnations care must be taken in the use of chemical manures. For ordinary garden purposes lime should be applied in the autumn, followed by a dressing of superphosphate, bonedust, and sulphate of potash; 2oz of each of tin first two and loz of jfttash to the square yard applied in spring. Nitrate of soda may be given in liquid form during growth. This should be applied in ■weak doses at intervals of three weeks. Manures are dealt with more comprehensively in this article. E.S., Miramar. —your loganberries are making a mistake in the season. Fruiting should have been over months ago and the plants be practically dormant noTf A or only just starting into growth. These plants may be grown from seed, tut there is no advantage in so raising them, as they are so easily propagated by layering. If the tips of the shoots are plugged down into the soil and eovercd about two inches deep they ■will root readily and may then be severed and planted where required. The method you adopt of training the vines on wires is a good one, but a better plan is to train in one direction only, in the form of half a fan, and the following year take the opposite direction. As soon as the growths have finished bearing cut them right down to the ,fcase, leaving only sufficient of the new Wands for the following season's fruiting. The rhubarb seedlings may be transplanted now. Make the ground as rich as possible, with stable manure for preference, but failing this, work in as much garden rubbish as possible to a depth of three'feet at least, and add some dry fowl manure. Allow plenty of space between the roots, at least three or four feet. As you have probably got far more plants than yon require, retain the best, only discarding ;the inferior ones. "Turnip-rooted Beet." —You omitted to sign your name. Please remember this rule in future, otherwise your queries cannot be answered. The trouble with your beet was that the ground was too rich in nitrate. Your previous crop of celery needed lots of nitrate. This fertiliser oncourages leaf, but is no use for root crops. Superphosphate is required for the development of roots. See note oh "artificial manuring.'' VEGETABLE SEEDS. Whenever weather conditions permit, and the soil is in suitable condition, the Bowing of vegetable seeds of most kinds should be got on with. It isa waste of seed and labour, however, to sow when the ground is in unsuitable condition. A fine tilth is necessary for successful •eed raising, as when the ground is rough much seed is bound to be buried ,too deeply, while if there is an excess iof moisyire the seed will, in all probability, rot in the ground. The soil ■hould in all cases be thoroughly work-, ed to a good depth, drainage being proyided to take off surplus surface water and a sufficient amount of fertiliser being -worked in to sustain the future crop. Boot crops such as carrots, beet, and parsnips should not bo sown in ground newly manured with stable manure, otherwise the roots fork and are spoilt. Do not be in. a hurry to sow French beans, bntter beans, marrows, pumpkins, or tomatoes for outdoor growing. Frequently theso crops are sown much too early, Tsith the result that they are 'destroyed with the cold and have to be town over again. Beans, marrows, and pumpkins may be sown at the end of September ot in October in the open ground, but tomatoes should be raised under glass, sowing tho seed towards tho end of this month or the beginning of next, pricking off the young seedlings when large enough and thoroughly hardening them off before planting . out in November, or at the end of October at earliest. All theso plants are es- j eentially hot weather subjects, and it j ia useless to attempt to get them beforo jtheir season. Peas, broad beans, turnips, carrots, parsnips, red beet, spinach, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, and parsley, also lettuce, radish, and cress, may all be sown now. Parsnip and beet will only be required for early use, the main crop being- sown later. All the following may be planted out in. properly-prepared soil:—Cabbage, cauliflower, onions, garlic, shallots, and aeakals, and also rhubarb. THE ROSE GABDEN. Eoses are starting to send out growth, po bo delay should be allowed in the matter of pruning. This' matter was yery ably dealt -with in the article by the Director of Eeserves, published on 81st July, but a point worth emphasising is the necessity for care in making the, cuts as close to an eye or bud as pofsible, and that the cut should be ma#e to an eye pointing in the direction in which the new growth is required—which should never be towards the centre of the bush. CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND GLADIOLI. The propagation of chrysanthemums for decorative purposes should be completed. The young sucker growths jnake the best cuttings. Choose thoße .•which are short and sturdy, not more ,than six inches long iff preference. As Boon as they commence to grow, and before they get too tall, stop the young plants by pinching out. the top, and so encourage lateral growths. In this way good bushy plants are obtained. Plant gladioli eorms now. Place the conns four to six inches deep, according to their size and the nature of ground; in heavy soil they do not require to be set quite so deeply. It is an advantage to place the conns on JPTOB olean sand, and to surround them

BY -'PRACTICAL"

with the same before filliug in the ; soil. Many hardy annuals may be sown now, and, where seedlings are obtainable, it is a good plan to plant out for early flowering such things as stocks, gaillardias, antirrhinums, etc. FERTILISERS AND MANURES. The question as to what kind of manure to use for different crops is' constantly coming up_j and the following notes should prove of assistance to readers:—There are three main essentials to plant growth, viz., nitrates, potash, and phosphate. All plants do not require the same proportion of each, however, so it is necessary to understand the action of each to know what is the particular requirement of any special plant. Nitrates promote growth 2 especially of the leaves. An overdose of nitrate is liable to encourage such luxuriant growth of foliage as to ruin the plant from a fruiting or flowering point of view. Potash increases the quality of fruit and flowers, improving the scent of flowers, and increasing the sugar in fruits of various kinds. Phosphate promotes fruitfulness and early ripening. All soils contain to a greater or loss extent each of these necessary plant foods, but unless lime is present in the soil in sufficient quantities the other substances are not available as plant food. Lime releases these substances, which would otherwise remain unobtainable by the crops. Hence lime is absolutely necessary, except in the case of rhododendrons, heaths, and other I peat-lqying plants. Humus is also I necessary for the sustenance of plants. ' It helps to retain moisture in light soils, \ makes heavy soils more porous and easier to work, it forms carbonic acid which helps to liberate phosphates and potash, and also helps to hold ammonia and potash, making them uniformly available for the plants as required. Nitrates may be applied by means of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia. Nitrate of soda is immediately ready for absorption by the plant, but is not retained in the soil, being constantly washed out by rain. Applications therefore should not be excessive, and should be given to established growing crops only. Sulphate of ammonia has the same effect as nitrate of soda, but while nitrate must be applied in small doses during the growth of plants, sulphate of ammonia may be applied in one dressing in spring. This substance will bo retained by the soil and gradually and steadily liberated as required. Potash is usually present in sufficient quantities in'ordinary soils, especially if of a clayey nature, and all that is necessary is for a sufficiency of lime to be present to make it available for use. Very light or sandy 6oils, however, are sometimes deficient in this substance, which may be supplied by means of Kainit, which should be applied to vacant ground in autumn to allow of the common salt, which is a large part of its composition, to be washed out before the ground is used.« Sulphate of potash is nearly four times as rich in potash as Kainit, so must be used in correspondingly smaller quantities. Wood ashes contain potash in varying quantities. The ashes from hedge clippings and garden rubbish should be scattered over the ground dry and may safely be used at any time as the percentage of potash is very small. Phosphates may be applied by means of superphosphates, bonedust, giiano, or basic slag. Superphosphate is the most commonly used, and is perhaps the most useful, being available at once, while bonedust is a slower-acting fertiliser, remaining longer in the ground. , This subject will be concluded in next week's notes.