Seasonal Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume XII, Issue 12, 1 September 1948, Page 13

Seasonal Gardening Notes

(By “HOItTL”)

September is the busiest mo nth for the home gardener. As seed time and seed sowing are now upon us it is well that we make ourselves thoroughly fain iliar with the requirements of seed sowing and successful germinatio n instead of attributing the failures to the seed merchants for supply ing inferior seeds.

The Requirements of Seeds Seeds to germinate require light, heat, air and moisture. Seed should be sown only when the ground is mellow and fine, and if possible before a gentle rain. The soil should be gently pressed with the back of the rake upon the seed after sowing. The best of seed often fails from improper management. If sown too early while the ground is wet it is apt to rot. if the garden soil adheres co the feet it is a sure indication that it is too wet for seed sowing. All gardeners should bear this carefully in mind. When sown too shallow in a dry period there may not be sufficient moisture to sprout it, dr it may he destroyed by dry and hot weather after it has germinated, or then again insects may destroy the plants as soon as they appear above the ground. The first effect of air, heat, and moisture is to change the starchy matter of the seed into a sugary pulp, the proper

food of the embryo. If at this time the seed be withered by exposure to heat for want of sufficient covering it will perish, or if planted in freshly-dug soil and the above change in the nature of the seed takes place, but the earth is not pressed upon it, the seed dries up and the embryo perishes. Others again are buried too deeply, ■ and though the seed swells yet sufficient warmth and air are not obtained to give it life. The principal points to consider in sowing seeds is, as I have often mentioned, a thorough preparation of

the soil, so that the young roots may easily penetrate it. It must be made more or less fine for different seeds. The size of a seed is a safe guide as to the depth at which it should be sown. Beans of all kinds require two inches of covering, peas an inch and a half, carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, radishes, lettuce, cabbage and such seeds require to be sown shallow, almost close to the surface. The seed must be firmly fixed in t'he soil and pressed by ».he earth on every part, in order to encourage vegetation, yet not so firmly buried as to be deprived of air or to have their ascending shoots impeded by too much soil above. The soil should be pressed firmly” upon the seed with the back of the rake, or by smoothing the surface with the back of the spade. Never sow seed broadcast. When sown in drills, or rows weeds can be more easily destroyed and the ground kept open and loose. Almost all kinds of vegetable seeds may be sown thife month, with a prespe’et of success.

Protection for Seeds

What is more disheartening to, the home gardener than, after carefully sowing the seed, to find lafer that the work has been destroyed or damaged by the “back-yard cat” or the birds making a dust bath of your newly-sown plot? The following hints may be found to be of some assistance to gardeners to combat these menaces. Old dry soot (not straight from the chimney, as it is likely to burn tender seedlings) sprinkled along the rows will keep birds, slugs, and cats at a distance. Even the most persistent cat will acknowledge defeat if confronted by pepper-dusted rows. To discourage birds from indulging in dust baths, above the seed place twigs of evergreens such as manuka flat along the rows. This protection also provides shade in hot sunny weather and obviates any need for watering.

How to Solve the Weed Problem

There should be no need for you to worry about weeds in your garden. Ido not advocate you leaving them alone, as matters would only then become worse, as while you are ignoring the hoe and the fork the weeds are spreading and seeding. But if you make weeding of some kind a regular routine task the weeds will never get out of hand—in fact they will never worry you. If mie’s back is pliable both hands can clear a tremendous area of weeds

in an amazingly short time, especially such weeds as chickweed and groundsel. These are typical of the free-seeders you have to watch. Let them have too much of their way for just one year and you will regret it the next. The seeds get all over the place, and no matter how much digging is done in winter or how deep it seems that every one of these weed-seeds survives to produce its seedling. That indicates the folly of hoeing-up or forking up weeds that are flowering now and then leaving them just lying on the soil. By hook or by crook those weeds are going to seed. Always rake off hoed-up or forked-up weeds and transfer them either to the garden fire or to the compost heap, where they can rot down. The nature and condition of your soil will probably dictate what weeding tool you are to use. Hard-baked clay cannot be tackled with a hoe. You w;ant to get the weed roots out, not simply chop or scrape off the tops, although the latter is better than leaving the weeds to grow. The garden fork or the spade will he a more useful tool in such circumstances.

If you can work the Dutch hoe an inch deep that’s splendid. For deeplyrooting weeds you want a pronged hoe—a good heavy one to break up the soil deeper than the Dutch hoe. can possibly go. Paring off the weedy surface with fork or spade and turning it over and leaving it so will' hide the weeds for a few days, but the first rain will make them spring un again, apparently invigorated by the treatment, . Where that nightmare weed couch or twitch is abundant it must he forked out and every piece of root picked up carefully and burned.

These roots should never go into the compost heap. The same applies to bindweed or convolvulus. You hae off the tops of weeds of this type or pare them off with the spade but they will never be beateh this way. Whilst their roots remain in the ground they will make fresh growth year after year. Where you are clearing weedy patches between widely-spaced rows of vegetables the fork or spade can be used to bury the weeds deeply—barring roots, such as those just mentioned. You won’t see any more of those weeds, but you will if you simply pare off the top inch and turn it over.

Plants From the Bush Most gardeners' now realise that plants may be taken from the bush and be successfully replanted, but there is still much uncertainty as to the best time, best size, and best method of replanting. The greatest mistake that can be made is to take largo plants. Of course the subject decides the size, but in general they should be from»6 to 18 inches. Very little soil need be taken but the roots should be immediately wrapped in wet moss, and then small bundles should be made. If treated thus they need not be planted right away but the leaves must be left open to light and air. A second mistake is to take plants from the dense bush and plant them in an exposed or sunny position. For this reason the most suitable plants for transplanting are those found on the outskirts of bush or in low-grow-ing tea-tree. As for the time, almost any season of- the year will do if small plants are chosen. Tree ferns should have stems under 2 feet in length if they are to do really well.

Turf—lts Value in the Garden

* Often when opening up new ground or cutting beds in lawns there is a good deal of turf to be removed. The turf should be skimmed off to a depth of 3 inches or so and stacked. Turf of this kind is usually full of fibre and will form admirable soil for potting or for placing around trees or plants, for it is rich in plant foods. It is much more convenient to stack turf than to cut it When needed, and in addition it improves by keeping.