GARDENING NOTES

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 29 September 1933, Page 10

GARDENING NOTES

(By “Salvia.”) '■< . . . ' • BOUVARDIAS. Bouvardias should be pruned this month. The young plants are usually t hard back to the level of the soil. By doino- this new growths are forced from below and a much stronger plant is obtained. Hard cutting is necessary for young plants, but older plants need not be cut so hard. All the straggly growths: showing about ithe lower stems should be cut away, and the main stems cut back to with n a few inches of where the last growth started. Always prune just above a joint so as to leave no stubby ends.

GRAFTING. Where the o-rafting of old and worthless apples or pears is desired it should he done at once. The sap is now coming into full activity', and the work should he attended to before it is too late. Cut the trees down to just above the lower forks and smooth down the rough marks of the saw. The most successful kind of graft for these old trees is what is known ns wedge or cleft grafting. The scion or piece to lie grafted on is cut Wedge-shaped, tapering off to nothing on the inside. This should be done with a very sharp knife, and if possible with, one clear cut from top to bottom. Then a similar cut, but rather narrower, should be made into the side of the top of the stock. A sharp chisel is then driven in to open the stock and the scion inserted rather more than level, as Hie old bark is thicker than on the young, and this must be allowed for so that! the sap of both may come into direct I contact. The chisel is then withdrawn | and the scion is then held fast. Throe eyes wid be sufficient to leave on each 1 scion. AY hen this is done wax over the face and ton of the cleft with grafting! wax. To make this mix equal parts! of beeswax, mutton fat and resin; put i the contents into a tin or jar •nd place it inside a billv partly filled with water and bi};l until the whole is] melted. Lift the jar out and let tlie. contents cool, and rub a portion overi the graft as advised above. Should the wax become too hard, .'•often it b\ ’ making it warm, but lie careful not to let it come into contact with fire as 1 is very inflammable. Alter the wax :s put on it should be bound round with wide strands of raffia to keep the graft firm and the wax from cracking u, separnt ng from the woou.

Another method of wedge graftin'' is to open up the branch of tl7e stock with a sharp chisel and hammer and keep open bv inserting a wedge. Parc the .sides of the cleft smootjh and straight for the reception of the grafts The scions are then prepared by be mg cut wedge-shaped at the base nd tapering off to a point. One is Uien inserted on each side of the cleft sr that the inner bark is in contact w.tb the l bark of the stock for its whole length. Carefully remove the wedge, bind with strips of raffia, wax over and bind over the wax again with raffia. There are many other methods of grafting, but those mentioned are the easiest and most effective for the inexperienced to attempt. All cuts should be made with a clean and very sharp knife, and care taken that clips or dirt do not get between the scion and the stock. The scions used should be of strong, healthy wood, free from disease or defects in I the bark. Any growth which may r p-j pear on the tree which has been grr.i t ! ed • should not be removed untiT the grafts have commenced to grow, when they should be removed. These growths will assist the flow of sap and/ the successful union of the goons to[ the trees on which they arc grafted. The grafts should be exanrned at frequent intervals to see that the scion: have not been disturbed by any means and the wax not displaced; should

cracks appear in the wax they must be sealed up. as it is necessary to completely exclude air from the grafts to ensure a successful union of the scion with the stock. The wax and ties should not be removed until late BR,OA.D ! BEANS j As soon as broad beans have reached a height of two feet the tops should be pinched off. This will be of advantage in two ways—the plants will , not be so liable to damage from bois- , terous winds as they would if allowed to grow higher, and the plants will set the flowers better. The beans will also , be larger, as the strength of the plants will be diverted to the formation of the beans instead of upward growth of \

tne stems. DELPHINIUMS Established delphiniums should now he pushing their way ( through the ground if they- have not already done so. Slugs are very partial to" these plants and they must be kept at bay Iby sprinkling wood ashes, soot or tobacco dust round the plants. As soon as they are well started in growth Ipi id manure should be applied once a week. As soon as the flower spikes show a stake should be placed to each and the spike securely tied to it, as tliev are very brittle and easily broken off bv boisterous winds. Seeds of delphiniums may he sown now and the plants will bloom in the autumn. DAHLIAS' Dahlia tubers should be brought out from the place in which they have been stored and started into growth

by plunging the tubers into boxes filled with light soil. The bunches of I tubers should he broken up into single j tubers with a strong shoot or two on 'each when the shoots are a few inches [high and planted out five feet apart 'in. deeply dug soil to which plenty of i manure, animal or fowl for preference i has been added. When a bunch of j tubers is planted a dense mass of [growth appears and the. flowers will be small. Leave a slight depression after I planting so that plenty of water may 'be applied when necessary. A stake should be placed to each plant at the I time of planting ; it should be driven I in firmly and be about three feet above ground. As soon as the growth is a foot or so high, tie it securely to the stake with Tafia, anci as growth progresses it should be tied again. It may be necessary when growth is vigorous to place three or four additional stakes to tie the side branches to. Slugs arc very troublesome to the young growths, and a circle of soot or tobacco dust should be placed round each plant. As the plants grow, when the weather is hot and dry, an abundance of water must be given. This should be done once a week; this will bo quite sufficient if

each plant is given about eight gallons of water. A mulch of manure or grass clippings spread round each - plant will prevent evaporation of moisture in hot, dry weather. Earwigs attack the flowers and disfigure them by eating pieces out of them. They should be trapped by inverting small flower pots, with a little hay or moss placed in them, on the .stakes. The pots should be examined | each morning and the insects in them destroyed. WORK FOR THE AVE’MC. Spray peach and nectarine trees affected with leaf-curl with Bordeaux mixture, summer strength (one pound it’ Bordeaux powder to 10 gallons o. water—one pound of tronelc added will make the mixture adhere better) Trees badly affected should he sprayet several times at intervals of seven days. Spray plum trees affected with “bL.dder pi.. in ’ with Bordeaux mixture (summer strength, see above). All affected plums should be picked ofl

and burnt, also any lying on the ground. ! Spray roses affected with aphis (green fly) with “Black-leaf 40,” one teaspoonful to each gallon of soapy water. I Plant violets. I Plant gladioli corms in rich soil and a sunny position. Plant from six to nine inches deep, according to the size of the corm. Prepare sites for planting dahlias by digging deeply and adding a liberal quantity of well-decayed animal or fowl manure or vegetable refuse. Prune spring flowering shrubs as soon as they have finished flowering. Sow seeds of hardy annual flowering! plants as soon as the soil is in a suitoKlq orm/li + iAii

able condition. i Sow in shallow boxes of sandy soil, placed under glass or on a. sunny verandah, seeds of half-hardy and tender varieties of. flowering plants. Sow peas for succession every three weeks. Sow beet, broad beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, cress and mustard, lettuce, onion, parsnip, parsley, radish, rhubarb, spinach, silver beet and turnip when the soil is in a suitable condition. Plant cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce plants. Sow under glass encumber, pumpkin, squash, melons and tomatoes. ! Top-dress rhubarb with animal or artificial manure in liberal quantities, and force it by placing boxes or tins over the roots. Rhubarb grown in this way is more tender and has more flavour at this season, as it grows

more quickly when sheltered from cold/ winds and frosts.