REJUVENATING TIRED ANNUALS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22422, 17 November 1934, Page 20

REJUVENATING TIRED ANNUALS

THE USE OF KNIFE AND STIMULANTS Annual plants do not require a. great deal of attention during the summer months. As a result, there is always a tendency to leave them to their own devices after the final thinning has been completed: but to do so is a grave mistake. Although the needs of the plants are simple, the few points which do demand attention are of vital importance, and hove a dii’ect bearing on‘their continued health and blooming powers. The foremost consideration must always be to protect the plants . from their natural impulse, which is simply to set and ripen seed pods in the shortest possible space of time. Plants which have not been severely thinned are particularly prone to seed quickly. Overcrowding, with its inevitable consequence of lack of air and light, has a retarding effect on lateral growth. As a result the root energies <pf the plant are concentrated on only a few flowers, and seed production is correspondingly accelerated. In any case, the fact that the duration of the plant’s life cycle is only a few months should serve to illustrate the need for prompt action in this rspect. They are without exception free seeders, and if even a few pods are allowed to develop, the root energies will be diverted to the fulfilment of this natural function, to the exclusion of the formation of further growth and flowers. The removal of spent blooms must be a regular task, and, what is even more important, it must be undertaken as soon as the flowers fade and before the pods have a chance to swell. Although, strictly speaking, perennials, antirrhinums are now invariably treated ns being of annual duration, and form an apt illustration of the necessity for prompt action. If, as is generally the case, the plants have not been pinched in the early stages of growth, the centre or main spike will develop and flower some considerable time in advance of the lateral growths. By the time these have developed sufficiently to form flower buds, the lower portion of the main stem will be commencing to set seed. Despite the fact that the later flowers and buds at the top of the spike have not yet passed, it must be cut away without delay. The effect of this operation on the lateral growths will be very marked. Further growth will be more rapidly and evenly developed, and of an infinitely more vigorous nature. A sharp knife is the best tool to use, and the cut should be made just above the highest of the strong-growing laterals. Larkspurs, annual delphiniums, and lupines, godetias. clarksias. and anv other varieties which produce their flowers in spikes or trusses, must be accorded identical treatment. In all too many cases the main spike is the only bloom which is allowed the chance to develop properly, and growers who have hitherto neglected to encourafie further lateral growth will be astonished by the prolonged flowering period and the remark-

ably fine blooms which: will be produced by such growths. . . . • With calendulas, mangolds, scabious, the annual chrysanthemums, and, sitnijar flowers, which produce their blooms singly on stems, the labour involved is even greater. In many such cases, however, the cutting of blooms for indoor decoration lightens the task with these varieties, and it is not a tedious job to remove any faded ones at the same time. In every instance the full length of the stem should be cut away with. a pair or scissors, or, if the stems are of a hard, woody nature, a sharp knife can be’ used: Constant attention in the way of hoeing, watering, and feeding, with stimulants during the summer months, will also: bo duly appreciated and rewarded, but some discretion must be used in the case or the two latter operations. Thera are soma annuals which do best on poor, dry,, sunbaked soil. Nasturtiums, .cosmos, and French marigolds are outstanding examples. Feeding or watering these varieties will invariably result in the production of an overabundance of leaf growth. This can only be developed at the expense of future flowers. The , same stat(v .of affairs is instanced if any of, these varieties are planted in over-rich. soil. Dwarf nasturtiums which produce runners five and even six feet in length, and heavily-foliaged, bushy plants of cosmos which fail to develop a single flower, are riot unknown 'in such circumstances. The great majority, however, must be assured of a normal supply of root moisture. Where hoeing ,is not possible on account of the seeds having been sown broadcast some other measures must be adopted to keep the surface soil well broken and friable. Stirring it between the plants with a pointed stick to a depth of one or two inches will serve. Artificial fertilisers are a valuable stimulant, and will give tired and jaded plants a remarkable “fillip. They will, of course, have a much more noticeable effect on plants which have not. been previously inured to their use by frequent dosings or by growing on a soil which has been largely enriched by their means. Most gardeners will be satisfied to purchase a good complete fertiliser from a reputable source. Whatever brand is shown preference must bo used in accordance with the maker’s directions, but remember that food of any description cannot be assimilated by the roots unless presented to them in the form of a solution. If the compound is sprinkled dry along the rows it must immediately be hoed into the surface soil and thoroughly watered in. A mixture of one half-ounce each of. kainit and sulphate of ammonia, dissolved in two gallons of water, will also prove very suitable. The sulphate of ammonia will have an immediate effect on rihe growth of the plants, while the kainit, bv reason of its binding effect on the soil, will help to retain much needed moisture.—D. T. M., in Amateur. Gardening. ■■