Seasonal Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume XXII, Issue 10, 18 August 1948, Page 13

Seasonal Gardening Notes

(By “HORTI.”)

The past week lias roused man y gardeners, particularly “seasonal ones”, to the necessity of having the ground in suitable condition for the reception of seeds and plants that a re invariably brought home during the week-end. When this happens to the gardener who ha® delayed soil preparation until the spring the re is often a hurried effort made to get something done, with the result that in many cases the plants which have been raised under favourable c onditions are re-planted in newly dug or uncultivated soil and consequently receive so severe a check that they never properly recover.

Where the soil is in favourable condition plantings may be made of cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet and onions. Be sure and plant firmly and use a trowel in preference to a dibber when setting out the plants. Sowings of seeds such as peas, parsnips, early carrots, lettuce and radish may be made in small quantities if your garden is well drained, otherwise delay sowing until early next month. LTME—HOW TO APPLY

intervals and the weeds are allowed to run to seed. By using the catcher the lawn mowings can bo conserved for making compost, and are invaluable for mixing with coarser materials. Eventually they are returned to the soil. / Moreover the loss of plant foods and humus can be made good by the use of suitable top-dress-ings and fertilizers. Whether the grass catcher is left on or; not it is important to mow frequently once or twice a week at least and regularly. Do not think that a close cutting mower will solve your problem for a well kept lawn can only be maintained in first-class condition by allowing the grasses to grow thick enough to hold their own with the weeds. THE CULTURE OF PAEONIES

Lime should be applied on the surface; of the ground, and it does, not need to he dug in. It washes down very quickly, and there is no need to fear that it will not get to the roots of plants. Unfortunately this washing gway means that applications of lime have to be made regularly to keep land sweet. Never put liine on at the same time as you are applying farmyard manure, or any of the acid artificial manures. It is, however, quite safe to dig manures in and then apply liine on the surface.

j Gardeners who delight in digging up tlieir. plants frequently and like to rearrange tlieir border's"every year or two should not try to grow paeonies for they will only flourish if left undisturbed for a number of years. ■They should not be interfered with until the growth is so overcrowded that flowers are few. In some gardens there are clumps of paeonies that have been left alone for many years and still bloom well. -There are few garden plants that give more pleasure than well grown paeonies; their large single and double flowers showing well above the foliage are most attractive. The plants are not difficult to grow if attention is paid to a few details of cultivation. As they must not be moved for years the soil should be deeply dug and compost, or rotted manure added, otherwise they will not be seen at their best. They like cool, moist conditions and. should be planted in partial shade, particularly in gardens where the soil is light and dries out quickly in hot weather. The best way of keeping the roots moist in hot weather is to topdress the soil with stable manure or material from the compost heap. MANURING THE ROSE BEDS.

4 Lime, besides being useful as a plant food is also important for various reasons. It can do much to improve the workability of soils. Lime can make clay easier to work. Lime helps to set free other plant foods — particularly potash. Lime counteracts the acidity in the soil. Lime helps to build up the salts which are used by the plant as food, and it is very useful in helping to decompose organic material. Not only does it do all thesd valuable things, but if it is applied regularly it can prevent attacks of that dreaded disease, club root. "

Though most plants require lime there are some that are lime-haters, the most important of which are, perhaps, rhododendrons, azaleas, ericas, several primulas, and several of the gentians. Some wild plants or weeds will only flourish under acid conditons and so are taken as indicators of sour soil. TYPES OF LIME There are three main kinds of lime which can be used and these are (1) Chalk or Limestone: These may be ground and sold as ground limestone, and contain about half their 1 weight in oxide of lime. Use at from 5 to 7 ozs per square yard. (2) Oxide of Lime. This is sold as lump lime or quicklime. It can also be ground and is then sold as ground lime. Use 3 ozs per square yard. (8) Hydrate of Lime. This contains about three-quarters of the amount of exide of lime as quick lime, though it is very conveniently handled and does not burn. This is the lime that is sold in bags under various proprietary names. Use at from 4 to 6 ozs per square yard. It will be seen then that quicklime is the most active of the limes. If ground limestone is used nearly twice the amount is necessary, and with hydrated lime 1-1 times the amount.

All rose pruning should not be completed, the clippings gathered and destroyed by burning and the ashes either spread or stored in a dry place for future use on the rose bed. - It will be appreciated that established rose trees are continually extracting nourishment from tile soil and these losses must be renewed if the plants are to remain vigorous and able to resist disease.

At this time of the year a good dressing of animal manure or wellrotted compost spread around the rose trees and forked in will give the plants a good start for the new year. Do not be particular about breaking up the surface soil, it will be all the better if it is turned up slightly rough and left for a week or two to allow the air and sunshine to operate. As soon as the buds begin to appear the rose trees will benefit by a light dressing of bonedust, one or two handfuls to each plant will be sufficient.

Keep a sharp, lookout for green aphis from now' on, it is in the early stages that the greatest damage is done to the blooms. The rose bushes should not require any further manuring until the flower buds form. Remember that over-manuring will only' produce long lanky shoots and unripened wood which cannot produce good flowers and will also be most susceptible to disease.

A NATURAL MULCH FOR LAWNS. Perhaps there are many gardeners who are not aware that each time they cut 1 the lawn and use a catcher they are robbing the plants of nutrients and gradually depleting soil fertility. Obviously the easiest way to avoid, this is to leave the catcher off the mower, but there are other reasons for and against the use of the catcher before any hard and fast rule is made.

Begonias—Starting Tubers

Tubers that have been started during the winter may now be started in growth, although those gardeners who may not have propagators or access to some bottom heat such as a hot water cupboard would be advised to wait until nex’t month otherwise the tubers may be inclined to rot. Prepare a mixture of half of coarse sand! and leaf mould and dampen this down thoroughly. Any tubers that appear to be shrivelled should be soaked in warm water for about two hours before planting. Press the tubers into the compost but do not cover them completely. They may be packed fairly tightly provided they are not left too long in the propagator once roots have formed. The tubers should be showing some signs of growth after about ten days. Whilst. in the propagator they should not require any watering other than perhaps a light spraying overhead with warm water if the plants appear dry. Run the propagator at about 70 degrees and keep the tubers dark until growth appears. Watch the tubers carefully for any signs of fungus or mildew as this disease spreads rapidly under these conditions.

The chief advantage of mowing without the grass catcher is that fertility losses are minimised. The cut grass blades are re-absorbed into the soil, they decompose and enrich it with hurqus and plant foods liberated from their structure. The result is that regular mowings of the lawn make the turf softer and more lush, pleasant to tread upon, and moister, with greater resistance to drought. Again, a lawn enriched by its own eutttings becomes less liable to the growth, of moss which quickly becomes established where the grass is closely cut and the mowings removed. Another result is that the lawn remains greener and begins to grow earlier in the spring If a lawn is required for games, however, a too soft lush growth is not required and mowings left on the lawn would be a nuisance to players. Another disadvantage is that the mowings attract worms and lead to an increase in worm casts.

One of the strongest arguments against not using the grass catcher is that weeds and undesirable grasses tend to increase, but this is true only where the lawn is mown at irregular