THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19505, 13 June 1925, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

WOEK FOE THE WEEK. NOTES BY D. TANNOCK. F.R.H.S. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Continue to cut over the chrysanthemums as the flowers wither, placing the plants out into cold frames, where they will make nice strong shoots, which will be put in as cuttings later on. Cinerarias will bo showing colour, and a little liquid manure once a week will assist development. Continue to fumigate both the cinerarias and calceolarias once a fortnight to destroy green fly, stake out freesias, and prepare for potting or boxing bedding geraniums. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Complete the pruning of rambler roses as soon as possible, trench new beds and borders, lift and box up the bedding chrysanthemums, and plant oat ornamental trees and shrubs. A start should also be made to prune ornamental trees and shrubs, for it is quite as necessary to prune these as it is to prune the fruit trees and bushes. In most districts sparrows are very hard on primrose polyanthus, they nip ‘off the buds and tear the flowers to pieces, and the most satisfactory protection is two strands of black cotton, stretched along each side of the rows of plants. A little poisoned wheat scattered among the plants usually destroys a number of these pests. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Continue to dig and trench all vacant (ground, to clear off spent crops, to prune fruit trees and bushes, and to make fresh plantations. Beetroot, parsnips, carrots, and artichokes can bo lifted and stored in sand in a collar or pitted in soil beside a path. PRUNING FRUIT TREES. The pruning of fruit trees should be undertaken as soon as possible, for, though they appear to bo at rest, we know that this is not strictly speaking the case, and that there are changes going on all the time in preparation for the sudden development of bud and flower in the spring and early summer. As many of the twigs and branches have to bo removed during the process of pruning, it is a waste of energv for the tree to go on developing the buds on them and much better for thorn to concentrate on the leaf and flower buds which ore loft. ■ The objects of pruning are as follows: (1) To assist the tree to attain the desired form. (2) To encourage tho formation of fruiting spars, and thereby increase the quantity of fruit. (3) To improve the flavour and quality of the fruit by admitting the air and sunlight to all parts, and thereby securing perfect ripening. _ (4) To remove dead or diseased wood, which forms an excelent shelter for all kinds of undesirable insect pests and spores of fungoid diseases. Before commencing pruning we should first of ail bo able to distinguish between fruit buds and shoot buds, tho extent to which our trees are to develop, and the shape we desire them to become. For small and town gardens it is more satisfactory to keep the apple trees to what js commonly called the bush form —that is, a tree with a distinct stem of about 2ft, with a number of branches arising from it, probably 6ft. 9ft, or 12ft, and none attaining a height of more than 12ft or 15ft. By keening our trees dwarf and restricted in growth it is possible to get a greater number of varieties into our gardens (sometimes called domestic orchards), thereby securing a succession, ,vul also varieties suitable for different Purpose-. T t >s much easier to shelter them from cold winds, and also possible to collect all tho {out-by haa4»

To some extent every variety requires special treatment to obtain the very best results, but. if the general rules which I am going to lay clown are followed with intelligence, quite satisfactory results will be obtained, and later on, as experienced is gained, the peculiarities of the varieties can bo observed and special treatment provided. Beginning with newly planted young trees, which usually have a clean stem of from 18 inches to two feet, with three or more vigorous, young, clean shoots, and few, if any, laterals or side branches. It is most important to do the pruning at once to bring the head into harmony with the damaged roots, and the reduced roots system, due to transplanting. If there are any laterals or side shoots these are shortened back to about an inch from the main shoots, and these, which are afterwards to form the main branches, are shortened back about half their length. The general rule in pruning is to shorten back the weak shoots severely, and to prune the strong shoots lightly, because if we cut strong shoots hard back they_ just form more strong, woody shoots, and if wo leave weak shoots a good, length, they have more buds than they can develop properly, and growth is again weak. When the shoots are pruned properly the top buds grow' out. making further shoots, which are used to increase the number of main branches or to continue the growth of the trees, and the more dormant buds near their base grow out a little, then become arrested and finally develop into flowering shoots usually called “ fruiting spurs.” If not pruned the fruiting spurs develop near the top of the shoots, and the lower buds remain dormant, rendering the centre of the tree barren. When pruning use a sharp, clean knife or a pair of sharp, clean secateurs, and cut to within about half an inch of a, bud, which is pointing outwards or in the direction in which we desire the branch to grow. A fully grown tree has usually a number of young shoots springing from near the ends of the main branches, and also a number of more or less vigorous shoots arising frem various parts of the branches lower down. If summer pruning has been practiced, the young growths will have been shortened back about half their length, and now these and all the other laterals .are shortened back to _ about an inch from the main stem. Occasionally tin top bud of a fruit spur grows out. into a shoot, and this, too, is shortened back to about an inch. The main or top shoots which are to continue the growth of the branches are then shortened back a bit according to the vigour of the tree, and also its development. When a young tree is being built up from 12 to 18 inches i? not too much to add each year, but, when it has nearly reached its maximum growth six to nine inches will bo enough. From observations in different districts, 1 am convinced that many trees are spoiled through being pruned too severely. To maintain the trees in good health wo must add a certain amount of new wood every year, and when they have attained their maximum growth this is managed by bringing up new branches from low' down on the tree, and occasionally cutting out an old branch altogether. In addition to the above all dead and decaying branches are cut out, also those which cross and rub one another, and those which grow in towards the centre of the There are a few apples such as Irish Peach which produce their flower buds at the ends of the current season’s growth, and therefore, if these varieties are treated as already described, they will bo cut off. After the trees are formed, therefore, pruning should be confined to thinning out the shoots where they are crowded, all otherbeing loft nearly their full length. Old neglected trees are a problem, and unless they are clean and healthy it is better to dig them right out and replant again, or to out thorn down and rograft in the spring. If healthy and vigorous there is no use trying to bring them into line in one roar by pruning as already advised. It is better to cut out a number of the branches altogether and to shorten bade the young wood a little, thereby lotting in sun and air and encouraging the development of fruiting spurs. Fruit bearing, though natural, has a weakening effect on the troos, and unless they .are primed sensibly, cultivated and weeded regularly, and manured', they become more and moie susceptable to the attacks of both insect and fungoid blights, and though spraying is most useful in keeping these blights in check it won’t make an unhealthy tree healthy and productive. If it is proposed to do any grafting, bundles of the young twigs should bo collected. labelled, and buried in the ground to keep them fresh, but all other branches and twigs, shrivelled fruits and leaves must be collected and burnt. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A. M., Temuka—lt is probable that wire worms have eaten the eyes out of your seed potatoes. And old clover paddock provides the conditions favourable for the breeding of the worms, end ordinary lime has no effect on them. An application of gas lime would be an advantage, but it is not likely that they will bo so abundant next year. “Holly,” Dunedin.—The holly berries are ripe now and should he collected at once. Mix them with a quantity of dry wood ashes, and rub them with a wooden roller or a bottle to separate the seeds from the pulp, the wood ashes absorbing the moisture and preventing them from forming a sticky mass. As holly seeds usually he in the ground for a season before germinating it is better to mix them with an equal quantity of sand, place them in a tin or box, and sink them in 'the soil to maintain moist cbnditions. They would be ready to sow next autumn, but they can also be sown now in drills in a w'ell-drained border.