THE GARDEN

Southland Times, Issue 21118, 25 June 1930, Page 14

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

(By J. A. McPherson.) The Greenhouse. Greenfly often ' makes its appearance in the flower-heads of late chrysanthemums and fumigating is the only method that one can adopt to deal with it. Spraying the flowers is out of the question and the use of powders disfigure the blooms. Fumigating will leave a clean house ready , for the reception of Cinerarias and Primulas which are fast coming into bloom. Pot on seedling Schizanthus into five,inch pots and keep the shoots well pinched.back. Plenty of light and a cool atmosphere are necessary to give sturdy’ growth. Calceolarias will be in their flowering pots, usually six to seven inches in size, and making plenty of sturdy leaf. These plants resent heat and will even withstand the atmosphere a little below freezing point. Their chief enemy is greenfly which must be guarded against. Give Cyclamen a supply of weak liquid manure to bring up the flowering spikes. Early Seedsowing. Once passed the shortest day’, those growers fortunate enough to possess heated greenhouses may’ commence with an early sowing of such hcardy annuals as Antirrhinums and Nemesia. Pansies and Violas, too, may be sown and thus provide sturdy plants for bedding out in early summer. With all seed sowing the soil must not be rich, and the addition of sand will help to keep it- open. Tomato seeds can be got in and if one wishes to obtain good Onions for bedding out in spring, a sowing can be made in boxes and the plants brought slowly on.Sow thinly and if necessary prick the seedlings out into plant trays filled with fairly rich soil. The main point to remember when sowing Onions either outside or indoors is to sow very shallow, and when planting out or pricking off into boxes do not place the sedlings deep, otherwise they will run to neck and fail to bulb up. To Make Plants Flower. A complaint often heard from gardeners is that many a tree or shrub fails to flower with them though outwardly the tree may be quite healthy, vigorous in growth and beautiful in leaf. That’s just the point; too much nourishment is sending-the vigour into the stems and leaves. Flowering has been described as associated with semistarvation. Root pruning is resorted to with fruit trees in order to reduce excessive growth and send the trees into blossom and fruit spur. The same practice can also be carried out with trees and shrubs and beneficial results obtained. Then it must not be forgotten that sunshine is essential to flower production. Well ripened wood cannot fail to flower, and trees noted for their flower must be given a position where the maximum amount of sunshine is obtainable. Soil conditions is another limiting factor; the colder the soil, the less likelihood of plants flowering abundantly. To this there arc exceptions, but they arc few in number. Euony limits for example fruits best in a cool moist soil. Vegetables and Fruits. A cool frame over which hand lights can be placed, is an ideal place for raising early batches of vegetable seeds. Excessive dampness must be guarded against and on rainy days instead of completely closing the frame and causing bad ventilation, place a small block of wood under the lower side of the handlight, sufficient to raise it an inch or two. Thin sowing is essential and shallow frames will prevent the plants being drawn. Lettuce and Cabbage, for planting out in early spring may be treated in this manner and Onions too, if necessary. As soon as weather conditions permit plant out Gooseberries and other small fruits. These break early into leaf and arc better got in as soon as possible. When planting large fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, and plums, besides having well prepared ground it is necessary to see that firm planting is carried out. Spread the roots out evenly, cut off injured ••'ieces, but never twist them round to fit into a small hole. If roots are too large for the width of the hole then it must be made wider. The soil below the roots requires as niuch firming as that placed round and over the roots, otherwise top rooting will be encouraged and the trees run to wood at the expense of the flowers. Never plant deeper than the level the plants have been used in the nursery. If it is required to give support against winds, then staking must be carried out. Seasonal Reminders. All trenching should be finalized as soon as possible, though the ground need not be broken down fine. All classes of trees and shrubs, besides many herbaceous plants can be safely shifted at the present time. A visit to the nurserymen and a look over the stocks of plants often saves much worry, and many a choice plant is discovered for the first time. Bulbs should be all in by now. Have a look through the shed and see if any have been missed. Surplus bulbs can be set out in the grass. Many gardens have a surplus of plants about this time. Schools in your district would be only too pleased to receive them for school gardens and general beautifying. Prune ornamental trees and shrubs. Spring flowering subjects cannot be touched until the blooms have finished. Plant roses and keep them correctly labelled. On wet days fill in time by cleaning seed saved in the autumn, prepare boxes and labels, wash pots, scrub down the greenhouse, mix up potting soil, and make up the seed list for annuals and , bedding plants. Give the lawn mower a thorough overhaul. If it requires sharpening, send it to the man who knows the business. More good lawnmowers arc ruined every year by amateurs attempting to sharpen them than by any other cause. Mowing is a pleasure with a good machine, but a hard day’s work with a blunt or out of date model.

Lay down paths and build trellises where necessary. This work is better done now than left till spring when weeds ate growing apace and require attending to every fine day. Set up potatoes for seed and stand them in plenty of light to green and .sprout. Clip hedges and prepare to plant new ones.

Stakes of many sizes are required for summer, a supply should be got in and trimmed. Brushwood or Manuka scrub will be required for training peas and other plants, and a supply procured now will save valuable time in the spring.

Cuttings of many hardy trees and shrubs will rot readily in ordinary garden soil, and keep the raiser interested in their development. Rhubarb beds are best prepared early, deeply dug and given large quantities of stable manure.

Walls facing the north are best suited to train Peach trees against; but the ground for the reception of the roots must be very well prepared to give freedom of root action. Lime and old mortar added to the soil will benefit the plants. Seedsowing in sterilized soil overcomes rnanv difficulties and gets rid of weeds. Further information regarding soil sterilization will be given in next week’s notes. Leave nothing for the spring, and summer that can be convenient.lv carried out now'. Any job that can be done on ,a wet day, leave until such a day comes round and while weather is fine keep up routine workout of doors.

SUCCESSIONAL CROPPING. The system of successional cropping, or, in other words, rotation of crops, is most important if the full measure of success is to be achieved.. The value of such procedure is generally well understood except by the amateur. The first principle in a kitchen garden is to crop the ground in such a way as to tax to the very utmost its productive powers; but this must be carried out on' systematic lines to ensure a good return from every’ part of the garden. It is here the grower must practice the rotation system. All classes of soil contain a proportion of the constituents necessary for vegetable life, but there are certain crops which require a larger amount of one particular ingredient than others. The Pea, for instance, is a phosphate-loving plant which must have a good supply, of this food for it to attain proper vigour. Many amateurs think that if they manure the soil before each crop is planted or sown, the necessary constituents are returned to the land for any specific crop during the growing season. But for the following reason this is unprofitable. The grower proposes to plant Cabbages and works in a good deal of manure on, the site. He knows this crop requires it, but the next season, owing perhaps to the scarcity of manure, he does not dress the same plot, and thinks no other crop has a chance of succeeding. Here is a case where the rotation system will prove successful. If the site is well and thoroughly dug, a fine root crop, .like Parsnips, may be obtained. The reason for this is that the Cabbage has only drawn upon the surface soil, while the Parsnip will push down its long root to a greater depth in search for the materials it requires. It is thus clear that the crops must be changed from place to place. Of course, many amateurs with small gardens are unable to move every crop to a different site yearly’, but those two important crops, Cabbages and Potatoes, may be changed quite well. Seakale or Asparagus, of course, are perennial crops which must not be disturbed for several y ears. It is only the annual crops that require the change in situation and soil. My advice is to make rough plan of the garden before digging is commenced, then the crops can be moved round according to the condition of the soil.

If the grower divides his available land into three parts he may quite easily arrange a rotation system, provided, of course, that the site is open and not overhung by the shade of large trees. No. 1 plot, which must be well manured, may’ be devoted to Onions, Leeks, Celery, and Potatoes. No. 2 plot, which should be fairly’ dressed with manure, may have Broad, Dwarf, and Runner Beans, Cauliflowers, Spinach, and quick-growing surface root crops. The third plot may have the root crops such as Carrots, Beets, Parnsips, Salsafy, and Chicory. These do not require any fresh manure added to the soil or they will fork badly’ and be quite spoilt. When the following season arrives, plot No. 1 should be cropped as No. 2 was last season, in other words, Beans and Peas to follow Potatoes and Onions, and the site must be manured as before. Allot to No. 2 plot the root crops which No. 3 had the first season, and no fresh dressing will be needed. Plot No. 3 will be occupied with Potatoes and Onions which "last season were in plot No. 1; these, of course, to obtain good results require plenty of manure. By moving crops annually to fresh sites'the best results are obtained because each crop taxes the soil in a different way’ and the land is not exhausted.—F.H. in Gardening Illustrated.

FOLLOW NATURE’S RULES.

Success in gardening can only be achieved by attention to the rules of Nature. In potting,' for instance, there are many essentials which mar ?r make the future welfare of the plants. The nature of the plants must first of all be considered—those of slow growth and hard wood must be firmly potted, but for those of quick maturity and coarse roots the firmness must be moderated, and plenty of room allowed to others when potted up that, are impatient of root disturbance. It is the attention to detail in small matters that so often makes the only difference between success and failure. Another small detail, although of considerable importance, is the crocking or’draini'ng of the pots. As plants breathe through their roots it will at once be seen how necessary, is good drainage for maintaining the aeration of the soil. If there is not a good passage for the water through the soil it remains in a stagnant condition, with the result the roots suffer first from gold and secondly from suffocation for want of air. Such conditions prevailing, the plant can neither use the food contained in the soil nor breathe, and very soon the plant shows this by its appearance, becoming sickly-looking, and the leaves after turning yellow drop off and the plant collapses. Clean pots and crocks must always be used, otherwise the porous nature of ■ the pots will be lost by clogging dust and dirt. A piece of crock, concave side downwards, should be put over the hole in the base of the pot, placing several smaller pieces over it, in some cases half-filling the pot or pan when delicate seedlings are transplanted. Over the drainage place a layer of moss to prevent the fine soil washing down and stopping the free drainage. Another stumbling block to the amateur is seed-sowing. For this there are two chief seasons —in the autumn, when the seed, as a rule, remains dormant till spring, but. where it germinates immediately the young plants become sufficiently strong to go safely through the winter, and in the spring for those sorts that are too tender to stand a spell of frost. In this case they are carefully stored away until spring arrives. Before sowing seeds all ground must be properly prepared for their reception. It is very necessary to have a fine surface to seed-beds. This being obtained and watered before sowing, the covering is quite as important. To cover too deeply has the same result as sowing on rough land. As a rule, the seed should be covered with soil equal to its own depth. Thick sowing must be avoided, for not only is seed wasted, but the seedlings are weakly, have a tendency to damp off, and there is great difficulty in thinning and transplanting. All gardeners of experience sow their seeds thinly. Moisture is another important detail, and it is most essential to growth, and the danger of dryness must be avoided. If sown seed is allowed to become parched it is ruined. Seed-beds must be watered with a very fine-rosed can or the small seeds will be washed into heaps, with detriment to the health of all.

Directly the seedlings appear above the surface the war will commence on weeds. These always grow quicker and stronger than their more refined brothers, and do their, best to get all the light and air possible, let alone absorbing most of the food in the soil.

GROWING PLANTS IN HOUSE WINDOWS FOR SUMMER.

In many homes, when spring cleaning is over, the housewife—in the country, at all even t s —often completes the business when clean curtains have been fixed by bringing in a few plants for the summer season. Often these plants are purchased when in bloom, or nearly so. They have in most instances been grown in a greenhouse for the object of sale, and, missing the humid and light conditions in which they haye been brought up, it is not long before a change comes over them and they begin to show signs of deterioration. A better way than'this is to procure plants when in a younger state, to pot them, and get them started thus early in the environment in which they will have to remain. These

remarks hold .good in connection with such plants as Fuchsias, ' Zonal and Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, Petunias, Heliotropes, and Lantanas, to name a few. Begonias, which can be had now in various stages of growth, generally’ do best if they are to be located in a window if they have not progressed very far towards their blooming condition, whilst small shrub-like plants, such as Diplacus glutinosus, a pretty ambercoloured monkey-like flower, and the pale blue Plumbago capensis, will often give a good account of themselves if started young in a sunny window. Of recent years much attention has been given to the culture of annuals grown in pots, either singly or two or three plants in a pot. Such things as Glarkias, Schizanthuses, Balsams, Mignonette, and Nemesias may be mentioned as affording variety in a window from the general run of plants. Some windows are on the commodious side, and .lend themselves to plants for ti summer display, and if t,heir culture is begun when they are young, grown in suitable soil, such as loam and leaf-mould and sand, one can have beautiful specimens that will afford pleasure for many weeks on end, provided they are attended to in the matter of light, air, and ventilation. —Townsman, in Gardening Illustrated.