Whangarei Ladies' Gardening Club

Northern Advocate, 21 May 1949, Page 4

Whangarei Ladies' Gardening Club

Delphiniums will last for 10 years when grown under suitable conditions, said Mr A. D. Cameron in an address to the Whangarei Ladies’ Gardening Club on delphinium and gerbera culture

, Mr Cameron said the Northland climate was particularly suitable for these sun-loving plants. For delphiniums the ground should be deeply dug, with plenty of humus and a little bone dust incorporated. A dusting of lime and potash should be given to counteract any acidity in the soil. Delphiniums required plenty of nourishment. Condy’s crystals and burnt shell lime were recommended for keeping pests away Given good treatment, a succession of blooms would result for nine months of the year. Mr Cameron gave several remedies for the pests which attack delphiniums in summer, such as blight, black spot and mildew. The best antiaote, he said, was a dry spray—applied with a blower, consisting of powdered lime sulphur, or spraying with bordeaux mixture, 1 teaspoon to the gallon. TOP DRESSING Recommended as a good top dressing was sulphate potash 1 part, sulphate ammonia 1 part, super 2 parts. Liquid manure could be varied with guano, fish manure and cow, applied when the plants reached the bud stage. No manure, dry or liquid, should be applied when the ground was dry. ' Speaking of gerberas, Mr Cameron again stressed the suitability of Whangarei and district for these flowers. In their native habitat, South Africa, they had to stand the sun’s heat and a dry, sandy soil. While they benefit from a light dressing of lime and potash, they should not be over-manured.

The best time to plant was early spring and well-maintained plants would return blooms from eight to nin-> months of the year. CHIEF PESTS

The chief pests which attacked gerberas were blight, leaf spot and the bronze beetle, which destroyed the petals of the flowers. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture coupled with DDT would combat blight, and the bronze beetle. Potash was a preventative against leaf spot.

The winner of the decorative competition was Mrs W. M. Fraser 1, Mrs R. G. Hosking 2, and Mrs G. Burke 3. Winners of points prizes for the past chrysanthemum show were:—Cut bloom: Mrs R. G. Hosking 1, Mrs G. Burke 2, Mrs S. Crawford and Al D. Cameron equal 3. Decorative: Mrs S. Crawford 1, T, rs R. G. Hosking 2, Miss I. Killen 3.