THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 308, 26 November 1936, Page 15

THE GARDEN.

Notes are published under this heading, and readers interested in gardening are invited to send in questions relating to matters upon which thev wish expert advice; answers will be published with the weekly notes.

THE FLOWER GARDEN

“A Worker” says: “I must thank you lor your weekly gardening notes, which have helped me considerably ill my teeblo efforts to make a garden. Until recently I have never felt the urge to do any gardening at all, but I began - casually to read the garden notes m the ‘Standard' and was so interested in something that I read them right through and began to look tor them eaeh week until 1 actually bogan to dig up some ground and plant a tew things according to instructions. After a while 1 became so interested that I began to talk gardening to my mates and was really surprised to find what a lot some oi them knew about the various plants that were growing 'about us. Even the homely cabhuge is interesting when you begin to understand it, and I have found that that stuif you mention called derris dust \is most useful to keep bugs and things away. 1 am writing simply to thank you and hope that you will continue to give your notes as usual. I am going to try sweet peas this year, and when the time comes for sowing the seed will you give a list of the best varieties tor a purely amateur grower.” We thank you for your letter of encouragement and must say that it lias always been our endeavour to give gardeners something to go on with, and to help them in their work. There are so many points about gardening that it is impossible to discuss them all at the proper time, but it will be found that if one can grasp the essential things the others will come to hun as the work proceeds. We have always recommended the use of the lioe in preference to the casual watering that some gardeners are inclined to indulge in.' By using the lioe frequently, the surface of the soil is kept stirred and evaporation does not take place so rapidly as it does when the surface soil is allowed to become hard and dry. Flowering plants of all kinds will respond to good surface cultivation quicker than they will do by the continued use of water. Of course, when it comes to forcing plants to give larger flowers or fruits, that is a problem that must be considered from another angle and will be found to bo extra to the cultivation given above. To increase the size of flowers, for instance, it is necessary to reduce the number of flowers that are carried by each plant. A rose,

for instance, is heavily disbudded and more than two-thirds of file flowers are removed before they have time to come to maturity, thus giving the remaining buds the benefit of tne juices of the plants. This will not only increase size and colour, but give them lasting power over those that are grown in the ordinary way. Chrysanthemums are plants that are not only disbudded,- hut the number of branches are reduced to two or three so that the whole strength of the plant is i creed into these channels, and this forcing will result iu the large blooms one so often sees at shows. The size in this case is helped by cultivation, and a certain amount of liquid manure which is supplied after the buds have been selected.

Chrysanthemum plants can still be put in. They should bo firmly planted in the soil, because sott, spongy planting gives soft, sappy growtns which are not wanted. Short, hard, stocky growths are the best for all purposes, and these are only got by planting firmly. Very soon the first oud will be appearing on these plants, but this bud is of no value so nip it out and train three of the brandies that appear below straight up, and when tne next bud or first crown appears, nip this out also and continue with one shoot on each until the second crown bud appears, in February, when it is selected and all shoots are rubbed out below.

Dahlias are grown in somewhat the same way, except that any bud will produce a flower. In the case ol growing for shows, the centre bud on each shoot is kept and all buds below and also most ot the shoots are rubbed out, and liquid manure is freely given; but it must always be remembered, when giving liquid riianure, that it must be weak. The food for the plant is taken up in the water and this in turn is taken up by the root hairs, and then the plant strains out that which it wants and the water is given off through the leaves. Leaves on a plant should not be taken off, as they act as lungs, and when you reduce them you are reducing the working power of that particular branch. If the plants are only to be grown for garden decoration, all shoots and 'branches are retained and are carefully staked. ROSES. From now onwards roses will stand plenty of cultivation and those who wish to have a good summer display should keep the surface of the soil in good friable condition. It is only the top two or three inches that require working. Give each plant a tablespoonful of sulphate of potash and sprinkle this on the ground around them, working it into the soil when the hoe is used. Mr H. Hazelwood, who was the first to suggest its use, when writing recently said that he had found that on beds where this stuff was used the plants not only were more disease resistant but that they came away quicker after each succession of flowers. We tried an overdose on a few plants' giving them two tablespoonsful each, but as far as wo can see no harm has been done. The bushes are full of growth and are coming to their second flowering in great style. We do not recommend an overdose, but mention this to show that no amateur need be afraid to try it.

Sweet peas have also responded to a light dressing and are bright and healthy. QUESTION.

“Window Gardener” says: “I want to get a collection of fuchsias so that I can return to the lost art of window gardening. What is troubling me is that I do not know how to raise the cuttings when I do get them. Could you give me a few hints about this part of the work? I can collect a lot of varieties which I think would be suitable.”

Hard wood cuttings arc easy enough to strike if they are taken in the autumn, about April or May. Choose a nice sheltered spot in the garden and open a trench about four inches deep and put some sand in the bottom for the base of the cutting to rest on. The cuttings should be about six inches long and have two or three nodes. As soon as the cuttings are rooted they can be potted up into small pots. Professional growers strike them under glass during September and October from soft green cuttings taken from the current season’s growths, but one must have the use of a glasshouse for this purpose, and one with some bottom beat is to be preferred to a cold one. As soon as they are rooted in from three to four weeks they are potted and are grown on for a while and then gradually hardened off. When hardened they can be planted wherever you may want them. The New Zealand variety should not be forgotten, as it is a creeping plant that hangs down. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. The good growing weather we have had lately has brought those plants that have been grown from 6eecl, and were planted out, along very quickly lately. Tomatoes are making exceptional growth now and each one should be provided with a stake to which it can be tied. They may be quite alright as long as they have no fruit on them, but as soon as the fruit begins to swell the weight of it will pull the plant to the ground. Nip out all side growths and keep each plant to a single stem. About five bunches of fruit is all that the average plant can manage, and when you have got these stop it by pinching out the top. As soon as the first bunch of fruit has set the plants must be sprayed with Bordeaux, using the summer formula (3_1_40). There is one thing we must warn gardeners against, and that is mixing this stuff in iron or tin containers. It must be mixed in wood or porcelain. If it is mixed in iron, or tin it is useless before it is put on the plants. Sprayers made of brass can bo safely need to put it on the plants as brass is not harmed by it. Wo have used both the Bordeaux made with lime and Burgundy made with washing soda, and cannot say that we have noticed any difference in the effectiveness. That made with soda is certainly the easiest to make and should commend itself to gardeners on that account. Either must be used within eight hours of mixing or it will be useless. A lot of complaints have been received this year about the way carrot seed has been behaving. Very few who have sown it have had what could be called a good strike. The reason has been for these failures that the soil has been too wet and heavy. In cases where the seed was sown in clean dry soil it has come away quite well, and as long as the surface weeds can be kept down it will continue to do well. Parsnips also do not like a wet cold soil, and in some cases they have failed also. However, it is not too late to sow again and this ca.n be done when the weather is fine. One grower says that ho always finds that both of these plants give the best results when they are 60wn in November or early December. Sow celery seed now for planting out after the holidays. This seed is easier to manage when sown in boxes and pricked out so that each plant can be

put into the prepared trench with a good ball of earth on the roots. Celery is one of the few plants that can be grown in almost pure manure, but at the samo time the manure must not bo fresh; any old, well rotted stuff will do.

Keep the surface of the onion bed open and free, but when hoeing keep the soil away from the bulbs as much as possible. When the earth is allowed to become heaped up against tho/bulbs they are liable to grow too many thick necks. Spraying the plants with permanganate of potash is a good remedy against onion mildew. One teaspoonful to a four-gallon bucket of hot soapy water is strong enough. Runner beans can be planted now in well worked ground, but they should bo put in rows and the beans set our at least a foot apart. They are climbing plants and require something about six feet or more ill height. When they are kept well picked they are heavy croppers and are well worth having in any collection of vegetables. Plant out marrows, pumpkins, cucumbers and melons in well-manured soil. We have never had much luck with water melons, but find that piemelons will grow well here. Kumaras can be planted now in mounds of coarse sand. If the weather is warm they will give a crop, hut in wet, cold weather on this part of the coast they are not much of a success. Sweet corn is not as much grown as it should be. It is an easy plant to grow if enough room is allowed from plant to plant, but when it is crowded the heads are small and poor. It is a plant that requires plenty of manure in the ground and a. little superphosphate will help it along. Set the rows three feet apart and sow the seed eighteen inches apart in the rows. Keep the soil clean and free from weeds.

Earth up the late crop of potatoes as soon as it is ready. At the first signs of blight spray the plants with Bordeaux mixture made from the washing soda formula.