GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22824, 7 March 1936, Page 24

GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS

Lawn weeds are a sore problem, for, like the poor, they are always with us. No matter how carefully a site mav be prepared, and how much time and trouble are expended in keeping it clean, seed, spread by the agency of wind and birds, will soon produce another crop. Actually, it is not a difficult task to keep a lawn clean if a little time is regularly spent in weeding, but, once allow it to pet really dirty, and the soil riddled with perennial root-stocks, and the task assumes colossal dimensions. Annual weeds, although probably the most prolific, are not actually a great problem in a well-kept lawn, for the simple reason that constant mowing will prevent them from seeding, and, in the natural course of events, they will disappear before the following season. It is essential, however, to see that they are not allowed to seed. Most annual weeds are extremely rapid in growth, and a week or two's neglect might easily be the means of befouling the entire lawn with seeds which will provide the identical problem not only next year but for several seasons to come. Holiday time naturally presents a problem in this respect, but it is usually possible to make some arrangement for the lawn to be cut regularly for such time as the owner is away from home. It is the perennials which present the real trouble, for these must be promptly eradicted or the lawn will soon go from bad to worse.* Fibrous-rooted perennial weeds, such as daisies, chickweed, etc.. though very common, do not present such a problem as tap-rooted kinds, for. so long as they are not too thick and numerous, it i« possible to get rid of them without recourse to the arduous task of hand-weeding, This is possible because of the fact that their foliage is broader than the narrow blades of the grass itself, and one is able to dust the patches with corrosive agents, which, though settling on and burning the weeds, do not do lasting harm to the grass on which they cannot find settlement. Most seedsmen and lawu specialists offer these daisy-killers, and the summer, when hot, dry weather prevails," is the best time to apply them, for their action is nullified bv rain on account of their solubility. Even with this simple task there in a right and a wrong method of procedure. In the first place, it is essential that none of the patches be missed. Therefore, it is prudent to commence by dividing the lawn off into strips by moans of a garden line. Each one can (hen be separately dealt with. The daisy-killer is most easily applied by means of a dredgertopped canister, and should be dusted sufficiently thickly over the patches to whiten them. In dry, hot weather it will require only a day or two for the corrosive agents to burn out the foliage of the weeds, and, though the grass will probably assume a brownish, unhealthy tinge for* a little while, it will suffer no lasting harm. In some cases it may be necessary to repeat this application, but, if the work is thoroughly done, two doses should be sufficient for even the most stubborn patches. There is, of course, the possibility that large clumps of daisies may have starved the grass entirely from good-sized patches of the lawn. The daisy-killer is still effective in these cases, but the result will

be to leave nglybare patches, over which fresh growth will not spread for some considerable time. The best plan with very big clumps is that of lifting out the complete patches, making sure to cut well into the surrounding grass, and re-lay with fresh turf. As nn alternative it is. of course, possible to use the daisy-killer and later fork up the bare patches and resow. This, however, is a slower method.

It is useless to burn away the foliage of tap-rooted weeds, such as plantains, docks, and dandelions, for, even though the top growth is destroyed, they will simply break afresh from the uninjured roots. There is only one method of procedure in their case, and that is handweeding. Again, it is wise first of all to divide off the lawn into strips, which are tackled singly, so minimising the risk of small weeds being missed. ' Very small specimens can be drawn from the turf without injury. A finger is placed on each side of the weed to keep the soil in position, and it can then be drawn out without undue disturbance. It is a mistake, however, to attempt to accomplish this with larger specimens, which are firmly anchored in the soil, for, if the root is broken, the plant will simply grow afresh. Actually, the method is most useful with freshly-sown lawns, where the soil is soft and disturbance is most to be avoided on account of the slender root system of the young grass. A weeding fork or a dinner knite, with a short or broken blade, are the best tools with which to attack larger specimens. Even though it is necessar" to cut fairly large holes in the turf, the root must be got out intact, and, to avoid such holes spoiling the level and interfering with the work of the mowing machine, they should immediately be filled in with some fresh compost, which can be pressed down with the fingers. Incidentally, it is quite a good plan to mix some good grass seed with this compost before commencing. There is one other weed which must be dealth with, and that ie couch or twitch grass. Actually, this should not make its appearance on a well-prepared plot which has been properly managed, but ifit does so, then it can prove the worst of all lawn weeds on account of its creeping root-stock. To pull up little bits here and there merely aggravates the trouble, for it will break into fresh growth at every joint, and spread with alarming rapidity. Experience has shown, however, that in a lawn which is kept very closely mown, it will eventually sicken and die out. —Wtm, in Amateur Gardening.