GARDENING NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 December 1924, Page 8

GARDENING NOTES.

(By *‘ War a tali. ’’) BLOWER GAR DEE. The recent ruins came at a good time and -were very welcome as the soil'was becoming dry and watering necessary. The gale experienced' on Saturday last did a great deal of damage in exposed gardens, and will serve as a lesson to those who do not stake any tall-grow-ing plants in the early stages of tlieir growth. Such subjects as clirysanmums, carnations, dahlias and gladioli should always be adequately staked, as one never knows when a gale may spring up and do irreparable damage to plants of which much was expected. Chrysanthemums and dahlias will need a'great deal of attention now, as they are growing freely and must have plenty of water and occasional doses of liquid manure until the flower buds show-if the blooms arc to be first class. Chrysanthemums are liable to be affected by .the fungoid disease known as “rust,” the first indication of which is the small rust-coloured patches on the leaves. As soon as these are observed spray the plants with limesulphur, one part to fifty, parts of water. If this is not done the disease will spread with great rapidity and seriously cripple the plants. Weeds will be growing -apace--now, and to-keep them down, alid also to conserve the moisture in the soil, it' will be necessary to make constant use of the hoe.

. Anemone, seed' should be sown now. Tito percentage of germination is much higher while the seeds are fresh. Sow in a bed of rich soil in drills nine inches apart. The seeds are sown more easily if rubbed,in the hand with some dry, sand, as the down with which the seeds are covered causes them to adhere together and makes it difficult to sow them thinly. The seed-bed should be made in a shady position or artificially shaded during'the hottest'part of the day. Pull up early flowering annuals that have finished flowering and plant seedlings of phlox drummondi, bonfire salvias, celosias, French marigolds, or zinnias. All these stand dry weather conditions well’ and will' flower profusely until destroyed by the first severe frost of early- winter. VEGETABLE GARDEN. Those who have beds of asparagus should cease cutting now and dress the beds ivi-tli salt at the rate of lib. to each square yard, and also a mulch of well decayed manure or material from, the compost heap. During dry wea'tlier the bed should be given a good soaking with water once a week. If animal manure is not available to topdress the bed use 2ozs. basic superphosphate and 2ozs. bonedust to each •square yard. The quantity and quality, of asparagus cut next spring will depend upon the treatment the bed receives during the summer and autumn, ‘when the: plants are making the crowns for ,the following spring! Sow the turnip-ropted variety of ,beet : for late summer and autumn use, and tiie variety for use in winter;

; Sow (lwaj’f French and butter beans .for succession.

Sow peas, for succession. Sow St. John’s Day or Succession cabbage for autumn use. Sow, EarJy . I-lorn carrot for ■ succes--

sion. ' Sow mustard,. cress and radishes for use in salad's, ' , Sow lettuces for succession, in a shady, position. ~Spw' garden swede.. ■ Sow turnips for succession. . Sow edible-podded, or sugar peas. Sow ATew Zealand variety: of .spinach. This variety cfoes not holt to, seed in hot, dry weather, as the ordinary round seeded kind does. When sowing beans or peas now sow in a trench six inches deep and cover the seeds with three inches' of soil. The trench 1 will facilitate watering when necessary,. and as tiro plants are nearing maturity the earth can he drawn bade .into the trench and will ..keep, the roots moist and cool. Plant cabbages, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts and broccoli for winter nsc. Make the ground firm with' a light roller or by treading. Plant cauliflowerand'cabbage 2ft apart and broccoli and Brussels sprouts 2ft 6in. If the weather is dry at' the time of planting “puddled ’ the plants ind The best way to do this is /to make the holes ready tp receive,.the plants,.then.fill-each' hole with; water, aiul as soon as it lias,, drained away put/in the plant. Cabbages' and cauliflowers need rich soil with plenty of .manure iu it, but broccoli and Brussels'sprouts do better when planted in soi } that is .in good order, blit lias not : recently been manured. The most important point in planting these is to make the soil very firm before planting. Celery may still be planted. Pinch out the growing points of broad beans and peas as soon as they arc well covered with flowers, to divert the, strength of the plants to the formation of pods. ' . < Tie up the steins of tomato plants as they advance in growth, and keep the laterals or side shoots which appear at the junction of leaves and stem pinched ofL' as soon as they can be handled. Spray the plants at intervals of three weeks with Bordeaux mixture (I.lb Bordeaux powder to 10 gallons of water) to prevent the attacks of various fungoid diseases .which' affect the tomato plants. If the weather should be very dry after these notes appear give lettuces, spinach, peas, cucumbers, pumpkins, marrows and celery a thorough soaking. A sprinkling on the surface does more harm than good by encouraging the plants to develop surface roots, which are soon destroyed bv the heat of the sun’s rays. If not already done, draw up some earth round the stems of cabbages, cauliflowers and sweet corn. If this is not done the action of winds causes a hole to develop round each stem, through which the moisture in the soil very rapidly evaporates. Peg down the long stems of cucumbers, marrows, pumpkins, and melons. Place the peg near a joint and draw some soil over the joint; the vines will send out roots at the places where tlie.y are pegged down, from which the plants-will gain additional nutriment, besides being protected from damage by winds, which blow the long shoots about if they are not pegged down. When the stems of encumbers or melons are about Ift, long pinch out, the tip at the end to induce the formation of the laterals on which the fruits are formed.