THE GARDEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 306, 25 November 1937, Page 17

THE GARDEN

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

THE FLOWER GARDEN. From this time of the year onwards the weather conditions should be more settled than they have been for some time past. The warmer air will bring the plants along quicker and it behoves one to keep the surface of the soil well stirred so that the brokenup surface will act as a blanket. We believe that more surface cultivation and less use of the hose is better for plant life than the continual superficial waterings that many gardeners give them. There are certain plants which are being grown for special purposes which we admit require a certain amount of water, and as w& cannot always rely on the rain to supply this we must give it by other means. Water straight out of the mains will retard growth rather than otherwise. It is too cold and has hot been aired. If such water can be run off into an open tank and allowed to sunned and warmed up it is alright, and as Water is drawn off from it more can he added to take its place. Far too many people sprinkle the surface of a flower bed and are satisfied that they are helping their plants. It is only a halfinch or so of the surface that has been wetted, and it does a great deal of harm because it induces the plants to send their roots to the surface, where the hot sun and drying winds will, shrivel them up. Make these plants send their roots deeply into the soil by surface cultivation and you will soon notice what a difference it will make to them. Even if you give the plants a good soaking one da.v, follow it up the next with a good hoeing, and the water you have given them will remain below until it is transferred through the leaves of the plants. It is a curious thing, but vou will find that sandy soils are harder to moisten than heavier soils. The water consolidates the surface of the sandy soils, making it greasy, as it were, and then begins to run off.

There is another thing about watering, and that is if it has to be done use a. sprinkler and break it up into tiny particles like rain, and it will soak m without consolidating the surface. Even then, be prepared to break up the surface as soon as it is dry enough to work. Those who are planting out young seedlings of any kind will need to be particularly careful to see that they have enough moisture to give them a start in life. If they have been pricked out into boxes, these boxes can be well soaked before the plants are lifted with a ball of earth round* their roots, and when this ball is put into the soil and some more water given to them they will soon become established. The same thing applies to plants growing in pots. These should bo well soaked before the plants are taken out,"and when they are transferred to the soil they will have enough moisture to keep them going until their roots begin to explore fresh fields.

There are some plants that like the hot dry conditions of the summer, such as portulaca, petunias, phlox, zinnias, ursiriia, venidiums, salvia, verbena and nasturtiums. All of these can be planted out now, or seeds sown where they are to grow, possiblv With the exception of petunias, which have such fine seed, that it is impossible to raise - the" plants In'the-open ground in the hot sun. Portulaca seed is fine also, but it will grow even when it in scattered on gravel in paths. When bedding plants begin to cover the ground with their leaves they will keep it fairly moist by stopping evaporation to a certain extent, but until then keep the soil worked and the plants should do well. Phlox can be pla.nted -at intervals of a foot apart, two seeds being dropped in each hole, and if both come up remove one of them. CALCEOLARIAS.

“Hobbyist” says: I have got a small glasshouse and I want to see if I can grow some calceolaria plants in it. I have seen them growing and have always admired them. When is the best time to sow the seed and how should it be done?” The best time to sow the seed of calceolarias is in December or January. Get a clean seed pan or large pot' and put plenty of crocks in the bottom and cover these with spaghuum moss. Fill the pan to within half an inch of the top with clean sand and leaf mould which has been well rubbed together, and a little good, clean, turfy loam. It is

essential that this compost' should be fine and should be passed through a fine sieve. When the plan is full of soil put it in an oven and bake it for an hour, or until it reaches 150 degrees. Then take it out and cool it off and place it in water until, it is thoroughly soaked again. _ Allow to drain for 24 hours, when the seed can he sown on the surface, barely covering it with clean sand. Then cover the pan with a sheet of glass and shade With, some paper and.stand in a shady place in the glasshouse. In about a week or- ten days the seeds will be showing and the paper must be removed, ami from this time onwards gradually allow more light and air; in a few days remove the glass altogether so that the seedlings will not become drawn. Be careful never t,° expose the young plants to a strong sun ; and if they are beginning to dry do not water them overhead; but put the pan in a dish of water until it is soaked and remove at once. When the young plants are fit to handle, which will be when the set of leaves has grown, prick them off into three-inch pots and keep these pots in moss so that they do not become dry. When growing well transfer to four or fiveinch pots and eventually to seven or eight-inch ones, but establish them in the smaller ones before transferring onwards. When they are growing strongly and branching out they mnst be carefully staked. Give them plenty of fresh air by keeping the ventilators open. A good mixture for the filial potting can be made in the same way as for sowing tile seeds, but adding some well-rotted cow manure and more of the kianrv soil. A little powdered charcoal added to fhe soil will help to keep the soil sweet. Do not over-water at any time, but at the same time do not let them dry out.

ROSES. It is rather unfortunate that the heavy winds of late have dried up the moisture almost as sloon as it lias fallen. So far this has been a very unfortunate season for roses. The late frosts in the end of September and early October cut them back, in some cases so badly that they have not recovered, hut now heavy winds and the absence of rain are holding them up still moi'e. The season seems to be a bad one for mildew also. Several gardeners have stated that they have never seen it so bad in the early part of the season as it has been this year. The effects of sulphur dusting have been practically nil, because, except for one or two days, the weather has not been warm enough to give the sulphur time to turn to sulphuric vapour, which is the real effect of it. When the weather is about 70 degrees the effect is good, but below that very little good is done and resort must be had to sprays. Lumc sulphur at the rate of one part of it to 120 of water is quite * good. Liver of sulphur at the rate of one ounce to four gallons of water will also give good results, and we would advise giving it a trial. QUESTIONS.

A sweet pea grower lias sent in some flower stems from which ho says all the blooms have fallen before they have even begun to open, and also, a few leaves which arc slightly mildewed, and wants to know what he can do to make them bloom. He says he lias watered them well, but they do not appear to he any better for it. There is nothing wrong with the sweet peas as far as blossoms falling is concerned. Most growers find that this happens in the early part of the season and will probably persist for about a fortnight, when the flowers will set alright. The mildew trouble is one that must ho stopped as soon as possible, and the plants should be sprayed with colloidal sulphur at the rate of about one ounce to a gallon of water. They may have to be sprayed several times before the trouble is overcome. Keep the soil round the plants well worked and they will then have a chance to draw tlieir supplies of nitrogen from the air. Do not give any, more water, from the mains until your blooms have set. This Water is colder than the air and may have been the cause of starting the nuisance. The mildew on the roses is not the. same as that on the sweet peas. “Amateur” says: “Earlier in the season a friend and I purchased a packet of carnation seed of the perpetual type, and wo have had a good strike of seedlings which are at present growing in a box. We have been afraid to plant them out because of the dry weather, but now they are growing so fast that something will have to be done. Do you- advise planting now, or shall we wait until later? We have been told that they must not be watered. What is the best soil for them, and can wo give them some manure? We have some really old stuff.” You can use some of the old manure to work into the ground before planting. Old stable manure that lias done fluty and has lost its fire is excellent. Old mortar rubbish with some soot in it is also good and a handful can be put into each hole as the plants are set out. Lift each plant carefully from the box with a ball of soil and plant firmly but not too deeply. It is quite snfe to water them to settle them into the soil, but they do not require too much water when they are well established. Another thing is not to be in too much of a hurry to get flowers. Pinch the leading shoots out of the plants to induce them to become bushy. You may find that a lot of the plants are not worth keeping when you flower them, but you will get a percentage that are well worth, while, and it -is these that you can mark out to pronugate by means of cuttings when you have proved their worth. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

Cultivate the soil between the rows of potatoes and draw the earth up to them as they grow. It is better to do

sel Sprouts and broccoli for the winter. When planting these use ground if possible that has not grown any of the cabbage family or turnips berore, and then put a handful"of basic slag in every hole. It does not matter if this staff comes in contact with the roots; it will do them no harm and is a help to prevent club root. In cases where it is impossible to plant in clean ground the following recipe is often used to advantage. Put one tabloid of corrosive sublimate in one and a-lialf pints of water and dip the roots of the plants in this before putting them in the ground. This stuff is a poison and should be poured away directly it is not required. Plant out tomatoes where these have not been grown pieviously and stake each one. As soon as side shoots begin to form pinch them out and-tie the plant to a single stake. The single stem system is the best for ordinary garden, purposes and the plants are easily handled. Stop cutting asparagus and allow the shoots to grow as they like. A good dressing of manure at this time of the year will help to keep the moisture in the soil .and will give the plants something to feed on. Sow runner beans, French beans, and peas in well-worked soil. Runner beans must be staked as soon as they begin to climb. Beet, carrots and parsnips can bo sown now for the main cron. These plants must bo kept well cultivated during tho growing season and thinned out when they requiro it. Lettuce seed can bo sown in the open ground now, but tho soil should be well prepared iu the way of manuring. When the plants come up they can be forded along by the use of, nitrate of soda and frequent waterings. The main thing in the vegetable garden at the present time is to use the hoe as often as possible to keep' the plants growing and to conserve the moisture that is in the soil. Plant out pumkins, marrows, cucumbers and Melons in well-manured soil. They may require some water to make them start into growth, but do not overdo this, as it will only make the plants grow at the expense of tho fruit. They like a well-manured soil and can be trained over unsightly objects if re ~ | quired.