GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 6

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. . Bx D. Tannock. THE GEEENHOUSE AND NTJBSERY. Pot plants in the greenhouse, such as forns and palms, should be looked over. Those which have become pot-bound and are becoming stunted should be given a shift into a larger-sized pot. The others can have'-their drainage looked to; if it is blocked up, the old crocks should be cleared away and replaced wi#h clean ones. With regular watering the soil is washed out of the top of the pots and the roots exposed. These can be top-dressed with some fine loam, sand, and leaf-mould, with a liberal dusting of Clay's fertiliser. Ramthe new soil as firm as the ball of roots .and make quite level. Climbers are liable to become tangled at this time of the year. Prune them back a little and thin out to allow light to get to the plants below. As it is desirable to get a fairly firm, well-ripened growth on the plants beforo winter, so that they will come through with little injury, the atmosphere of tho house can be kept a little drier, and plenty of air given whenever the weather is favourable. Chrysanthemums in pots are forming their buds rapidly now, and they will require constant attention to remove all buds and side-shoots other than those required, and to keep them tied up to the Btakes. They can also receive a./ top-dressing of fine soil and Clay's fertiliser to replace that washed away by the watering and to oover up the root 3. It is now time to put in cuttings of jreraniums to provide plants for next year's bedding out. It it most important that the shoots intended for cuttings be well ripened before they are taken off, and it is better to delay putting them in for a little rather than xise soft, unripened cuttings. The scarlet geranium is a popular bedding plant, and justly so, for there is no other plant which we can put out when in flower and which will continue to bloom right on until tho winter. For providing a mass of colour in a border, near the house, or in a bed on the lawn, it is very suitablo. and where it is not cut down by frost it will develop into a hedge. Though old plants can be wintered quite easily in a dry, sheltered position, they are not regular enough in sizo for bedding out or for ribbon borders. As a considerable quantity of soil will be required to fill the cutting boxes, a gopd big heap should be prepared and placed inside a shed or covered with a few sheets of galvanised iron to keep jt dry. The usual cutting mixture, consisting of loam two parts, leaf-mould one part, and sand a part, passed thought a half-inch sieve, will do. Mix up some crooking material, consisting' of tho riddlings out of the loam and leafmould and a mixture of short, strawy manure, and place about two inches in the bottoms of the boxes; then fill them up with the cutting coil and press it firmly with a brick or levelling tool. Fill to about an inch from the top of the boxes and spread a good layer of clean, sharp sand over the surface. Take young ripened shoots about six inches long for cuttings, and take them off carefully from all over the bed, so that it 3 appearance will not bo spoiled. Have a sharp thin-bladed knife ready, and keep an oilstone handy so that it may be kept in good order. Cut the stem across just below a nodo or joint. Remove- all tho

stipules, which aro the green wing looking things that appear on either sido where the leaf-stalk joins tho stem. If they are left water condenses or collects between them and the stem and often causes decay. As tho stums are so full of sap some people leave them lying out in the sun for -a day or two to wilt, but I do not find this any advantage, and prefer to put them into the boxes as soon as they are made. After the stipules have been removed tho two lower leaves arc cut off, but unless the leaf stalks aro very long the remainder of tho foliago is better left on. Make a hole with, the propagating stick about two inches deep, and as it pushes some particles of sand down into the bottom of the hole, and others trickle in, the base of the cutting rests on a cushion of sand which ensures good drainage and' a supply of fresh air while the process of callousing is going on and roots are being formed. Press the soil firmly round the cutting with the propagating stick and make the surface level; then water and stand in a sunny position outside or on a sparred bench in the greenhouse. It is not necessary to shade geranium cuttings while they aro rooting. • A little wilting will not do them any harm. About 50 cuttings are plenty for an ordinary box which holds 80 annuals. If too crowded they damp off. The chief scarlet varieties wo grow are Paul _ Crampell, Soldiers' Tunic (a stronger growing variety with bright scarlet flowers), anol the Rev. H. Atkinson. The foliage varieties are Mrs Pollok and Flower of Spring, and the two best ivy-leaved varieties aro Madam Crousse and Charles Turner. Though these are the varieties grown in quantities, there are quite a number of others, both double and single, which are well worth growing for making bold groups in the mixed or herbaceous border. If the geraniums are rooted outside they will have to be placed in frames or in a verandah or greenhouse when the wet weather comes in autumn, for they will stand almost anything but a damp close atmosphere. FEUIT AND VEGETABLE GAEDEN. Peaches, apricots, and nectarines growing on walls will now be getting rather crowded, and to allow light and air to get in to the young growths it will bo necessary to thin thorn out a bit. Leave nearly twice the number of shoots which will be required at pruning time, and tie them on to the old wood or back to the wall. Cut out all tho very strong, rank growth, and pinch back the thin weak shoots. Woolly aphis is very common on apple trees at this season, and as one does not like to spray a tree N with kerosene -emulsion or other oil spray when it is bearing fruit, it is better to paint tho affected parts with kerosene emulsion, kerosene and water, equal parts of each, or turpentine. Raspberry canes which have fruited can bo cut right away, and the young ones thinned out to five or six to each stool. Tio them up loosely, but do not shorten them back yet. Continue to dig potatoes and clear away all spent crops, digging out the roots of cabbage and cauliflowers to prevent spread of club root. Manure and lime all vacant land' and make sowings of early varieties of carrots, turnips, lettuce, and prickly spinach. Onions are an important garden crop, and it should be the aim of everyone who has sufficient space to provide a supply all the year round. In many districts autumnsown onions are the most satisfactory, and even where the main crops is sown in spring, a few should be sown now to provide supplies early in the season. Onions can be grown year after year in the same place provided the ground is Well cultivated and liberally manured, but there is no particular advantage in growing them continuously in the same place, and the ground where early cabbage has been growing, or where potatoes have been will do. Dig the ground deeply and mix in a liberal supply of well decayed manure; break up the lumps on the surface with a fork; and make the surface smooth and level with the rake. If the soil is at all loose, tread it firmly and smooth again. Draw shallow drills an inch deep and at a distance of 12 to 15 inches apart; sow the seeds thinly and give a light dusting of superphosphate, bone meal, soot, or wood ashes; then cover and firm again with the feet, or the head of the rake. No thinning will be required until the spring, when the thinnings can bo transplanted into rows one foot apart, allowing a distance of six to nine inches between the plants, or they can be used as spring onions. Autumn sown onions ripen earlier than those sown in spring. Though tho varieties Giant Rocca and Giant Gittau aro those usually sown at this time, any other variety will do. Onions which are approaching maturity can have their tops bent or twisted over to hasten ripening, and those which are ripe can be pulled and placed in a dry sunny shed or yerandah for a few days before being stored away. A sharp look-out will have to be kept for the first signs of blight on swede turnips and winter greens. Spray with soapy water, applying it with sufficient force to dislodge the blight from among the leaves. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Hawke's Bay."—There are some spots of rust on. your chrysanthemum leaves, but not sufficient to cause them to wither up. As the lower parts of the stems ripen the leaves naturally shrivel up and drop off, and this ripening process is hastened when the plants become dry at tho roots. For rust spray once a fortnight with bisulphide of potassium—loz dissolved in three gallons of soapy water. "J.M.A." (Bluff).—Tho plant you sent to be named is Erythrina crista-galh—the Coral tree % a native of the Cape and other subtropical countries. Though it requires greenhouse treatment in tho south, it will thrive and flower outside when planted in a very dry warm position up north. - After flowering, cut tha stems right down and i-e-pot just before growth starts in spring. "Sweet Pea."—The stems of your sweet peas do not appear to be growing- too rank The dropping of the buds is usually due to too rich a soil, to applying too much stable manure, to too loose a soil, or to too much moisture at the roots.