GARDENING NOTES

Hawera Star, Volume L, 27 February 1931, Page 7

GARDENING NOTES

(By “iWaratali.”)

CINERARIAS. Cinerarias may be sown now to pro- , slants to grow in the border 01 in for greenhouse or house decoration Sow the seeds in a pan or box •aid -; us t cover with sand or light soil, 1 "the box with a sheet of brown inner until seedlings are up. When the seedlings have two pairs of leaves pne) thorn out two inches apart into boxes' of rich, light soil. It planted mti c oardeu plant them in a position whm 1 will not reteive much frost, i ’ UL 'h ‘ ■ •i build-in 0 ' or uuder trees 01 sbimbs If grown in pots place one in,a in q oo t iUsc small pots, and as plant i i P f U )I of roots shift S T fir- o/sK inch pots, which arc int .«V,lc enough if the plants be fed |Sh lkiuid manure. Keep shaded from Uight sunlight, mnd beep the soil in a j constantly moist condition, but not which attack cinerarics are eaSpK, aphides and red spider, all which may bo kept, m check bj dusting plants occasionally with flowers of sulphur. marguerite carnations.

These arc very useful plants, either for o-arden decoration or foi cuttm purposes. Sowings made now will produce plants that will flower m the Mirin”~ Sow in boxes of sandy soil. Cover' the seeds lightly Papcr until seedlings appear. When the plants arc large enough to handle, puck C out three inches apart into shallow boxes filled with light, soil. A soon as large enough plant out jn a sunny position m good soil. Hant one foot apart, and after planting give the soil a good dressing of lime. If any plant shows signs of running up on a single stem, it should be pinched back to keep it dwarf and bushy, but as a I’ulc the plants usually; oieak well naturally and do not require any stopMng In places where the soil is very | wet during the winter plant m raised beds or borders.

OVERFEEDING PLANTS.

Many plants are killed or made sick by the application of either excessive quantities of artificial fertilisers or by the application to plants which resent their presence and to which they arc poisonous. This applies more to plants in pots for the simple reason that, in beds or borders the roots grow iu a more extensive area and heavy rains wash away some of the excess manure. In the confined space of a the soil is more wet and the roots cannot extend away from the fertiliser into soil which is free from it. The soil soon becomes very soui and the bacteria essential to plant life cann exist. Under these conditions the roots soon decay and the plant dies. .Th owners of plants which look sickly usually think it is from want of nourishment and proceed to give it more and the plant dies from overfeeding Even if the plant has not been made sick by previous doses ot manure in excessive quantities, a sick plant should never be given manure as it is not in a condition to absorb it to ad vantage and will only make it worse. Any sick plant m a pot should be re potted as usually its condition « caused bv either sour or unsuitable soil. The soil should be removed from the roots and the pot washed, the plant should then be repotted into fresh sandy sod. Artificial manures should only be ap plied to plants m pots when the pots are full of roots and the soil is becoming exhausted, and then only m a weak form and at intervals of two or three weeks. Liquid manure made from cow or horse manure is the safest thing t use for pot plants and it should be very weak, about the colour of straw. . Artificial manures' should never bo applied to hard-wooded plants such as azaleas, boronias, heath or rhododendrons, neither should lime be applied, as these kinds of plants are poisoned bv them. When using artificial manures either in the flower or vegetable "arden the quantity applied should be applied at the rate of four ounces per square yard to correct the a acidity caused by the manures The lime should be dusted on the surface and lightly forked or raked in.

ROUTINE work. Spray potato foliage with Bordeaux mixture (summer strength, one pound Bordeaux powder to each ten gallons of water, add one pound of treacle in showery weather) to prevent attacks o Irish blight. , ■Spray apricot, peach, plum, and nectarine trees with Bordeaux solution (summer strength) or lime sulphur solution hone part to 135 parts of water). Where trees are badly affected with I leaf-curl, bladder plum or dic-back dis- | ease spray every fourteen days during I the. "rowing season. 1 .Spray apple, pear and quince trees | with arsenate of lead solution (two teaspoonsful of paste or one if in powder (form) to destroy grubs of codim moth. Spray the whole of the trees thoroughly with a mist-like spray every three

weeks. , , 'Spray winter vegetable plants, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc., with a mixture of one teaspoontul Black-leaf 40 and two of arsenate of lead in paste form (or one if in powder form) to destroy aphides and caterpillars of the cabbage moth. To make the mixture a'dhere better one quart of skim milk should be used to three quarts of water, adding one tcaspoonful of nitrate of soda to each gallon of the mixture. Gather up and burn all fallen fruit I not lit for use. . Sow seeds of biennial and perennial flowering plants. - Sow dwarf peas in a sunny sheltered position. Sow beet (round), cabbage, cauliflower, cress, lettuce, mustard, -radish, silver beet, spinach, kohlrabi, and turnip.

Keep tomato plants tied to their stakes as they advance in growth, pinch out all side shoots which grow at the base of each length at its junction with Iho stem. Pinch off the tops as soon as the plants arc five feet in height. Spray with Bordeaux solution (summer strength), adding two teaspoonsful of arsenate of load (or one if in powder form) to destroy caterpillars on the fruit. Spray every fourteen days in dry weather,'more frequentl yin showery weather.

Clip evergreen hedges. Spray dahlias with arsenate ,of lead to control caterpillars. # Plant cabbage, late broccoli and leeit plants.