Amateur Gardener

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 698, 6 May 1916, Page 5

Amateur Gardener

GARDEN CALENDAR. MAY. Avcragt! rainfall, 2..'irtin. Under Glass. Plants that have finished active growth should he watered sparingly. Summer flowering plants that have gone out of bloom should be put out in a frame to make room for the winter and spring flowering plants. Outside. Fruit trees, except peaches and nectarines, may be pruned as soon as the leaves have fallen. Cut off the asparagus tops, and lightly mulch the ground with half-rotted stable manure. Sow culinary peas "and brosid beans about the end of the mouth on a sheltered border. Lift dahlias and gladioli, and store in a cool place. Spray apricots, peaches, and nectarines with the winter formula Bordeaux mixture. Prepare ground for planting or sowing sweet peas in the spring. Get manure wheeled on to ground while the weather is dry, and dig or trench all vacant ground. Put in cuttings of bush fruits, roses, and hardy shrubs. Asparagus. The tops of asparagus are now in a condition lo cut and clear away. Where there has been many berries on the plants they should be carefully gathered off the beds, cleaning off all weeds and lightly forking over the surface. A light dressing of stable manure should be spread over the bed, the manurial elements of which will be washed down to the roots by the winter rains. Anything cloggy, such as fresh cow manure, should not be put on, as it will cake together and exclude the air. The usual practice of planting asparagus in beds of 3 or 4 rows has certain advantages, but there arc also several disadvantages. For instance, asparagus is a very strong rooting plant, with thick fleshy roots that spread far in a horizontal manner, so thai plants iti a bed get into a slate of keen competition, and very soon lake possession of the soil; the two outer rows certainly have some opportunity of spreading in search of pastures new, but are under the disadvantage of having to attack the compressed soil of the pathways. Then there is the slate of competition of the lop growth. Where the stems are many, as they soon become in a wellprepared bed, they do not get all the benefit of light, air, and space that is requisite for building up strong crowns for the following season. Where the growth is strong it also has a tendency, assisted by the wind and rain, to overlay the more weakly plant, which in lime will destroy it. Asparagus officinalis is a typical herbaceous plant; like the Michaelmas daisy or the perennial phlox, and the merest tyro in gardening would not attempt lo grow these plants in a like manner. The Right Way. There is no question that the right way lo grow asparagus, to obtain the best results as regards quality and quantity, is lo grow it in single rows in the vegetable garden. It is not at all a new way, as it has been the practice of the French market growers for years, and il is very often grown in rows and single plants between the grape vines in the vineyards of France, each plant having a space of 3 feet or more. Each plant receives a good dressing of manure over the roots in winter, and the plants are earthed up in the spring to blanch the shoots, the lat-

BY "AOTEA"

ler operation being a matter of fancy land tradition, as the blanched j growth is flavourless in comparison , with the tender voung green growth. Chrysanthemums. "Garden" writes: —"I am an inI lerested reader of the "Gardening Notes" which appear in i your paper, which have been of much assistance to me ' as an lamateur, although there have not I been many notes regarding the eullivalion of chrysanthemums, also ad;vice as to when is the proper time ito take cuttings, and how to treat | them. A few notes on this subject |by "Aotea" would be of interest, not only to myself, but lo many of our ! readers." Our correspondent does not say for what purpose; the chrysanthemums are required, as, for ordinary 'purposes, such as planting in the < borders or for decorative plants for the greenhouse, there is not the necessity of any particular care or skill in their propagation, as is I necessary where it is desired to grow large blooms up lo exhibition I form. I presume that it is for the latter purpose advice is asked. The preparation for obtaining cuttings of chrysanthemums to produce large blooms should be taken in hand as soon as the (lowers are cut or past. The stems should then be cut down, leaving eight or nine inches of stem. By leaving a length of stem, stem cuttings may be obtained, should base cuttings not be produced, but it is only as a last resort that stem cuttings should be taken, as they generally fail to grow satisfactorily, and are very liable lo show premature buds. After cutting down the plants they may be stood out under a warm wall where they will be free from frost and heavy rains. Water should be given sparingly, and it should be free from any manurial matte]'. If such a position can not be given, they should be stood in a frame, or close lo the glass in a greenhouse, where ample ventilation can be given night and day. It is imperative thai the young shoots shall not be excited ' and weakened by excessive heat and want of air and light. If the plants are stood in a frame the lights should be off during every favourable opportunity, only putting them on to ward oil heavy rain, cold winds, or frost, and then they should not be completely closed, putting a small block of wood under the light al the lop to prevent damp, and to admit air. The best cuttings are those thai are thrown up al a little distance from the stem, but where, as is often the case, a large number of growths are made round the base of the stem, these should be thinned out, culling out the gross sappy ones and the weaklings. Young shoots thai show a flower bud are useless, also those of which the points have been frozen. Med-ium-sized lirm shoots about three inches long, with bright clean foliage, make the best plants, as they strike more freely and grow away more evenly and free. Where the besl results are desired it is, without doubt, the best plan to grow a plant of each variety in the open ground, in soil that is in good heart, but not over rich with manure. These can be taken up in autumn and potted and treated as advised for pot plants. With some varieties, over-stimulated plants, as grown for exhibition, do not give satisfactory cuttings, and I think it is largely due lo growing on cuttings from such plants that some varieties deteriorate quickly. Treatment of Soil. Where a large number of plants are wanted three or four cuttings

may be inserted round the sides of | a three inch pot, but the belter plan is to put one cutting in the centre j of a small pol, two inch size is suit- ' able. The soil does not require to be rich, a, good fresh libry loam two parts, and one part sharp sand, will sullice. The loam should be rubbed through a line riddle, saving the libry portion for placing at the bottom of the pot over the drainage. The soil should be prepared in the autumn, so that it may mellow before being required for use. Use thoroughly clean pots; if they are new they should be soaked in clean water before use, so as lo expel the air from i the walls of the pol, and let them get thoroughly dry before using. Put a thin piece of pot-sherd over the drainage hole, covering with some of the fibre, and then till the pot nearly to the lop with the compost, firming it down with the thumbs. About' a quarter of an inch of dry sand should then be placed on the surface. When inserting the cutting, a lead pencil with a blunt end, makes a very good dibber, as this will carry a portion of the sand to the bottom of the hole on which the base of the cutting will rest—be sure and sec that the cutting rests on the botlom, or, if not, it will hang and fail to root. One inch is quite deep enough for the cutting to be inserted, and the soil should be made thoroughly firm around it; this will be easy if the soil is in the right condition of moisture; it must not be wet, or it will pack and exclude air and get waterlogged when wateredCare of the Cuttings. After the cuttings are inserted they should have a gentle watering to settle the soil. The next question is: Where to put them so that they will form roots readily? For this purpose there is no better plan than to place the pots in boxes, not too deep, over which a sheet, or sheets of glass can be put, and the boxes put on the stages of the greenhouse; about an inch of ashes should be put over the botlom of the box to retain moisture. Do not cover up quite closely al any lime, a little air is always necessary, and the glass should be taken off and wiped and left off for a short time every day, so that the foliage may dry a little. Sufficient moisture should be given to prevent the cuttings from flagging, but nothing more until they have formed roots, which will be noted when the cuttings commence to grow. As they are not at all likely to start at one time, the forward ones should be taken out and placed in another box for a short lime, where more air can be given lo harden them before pulling them out on the stage. If the cuttings have been put more than one in a pot they should then he carefully separated, disturbing the roots as little as possible, and pulling each into a separate pot. As soon as the cuttings are established they should be kept close .to the glass, and have an abundance of air and light, so thai they may grow up sturdy. Nearly all the pests that affect plants arc abetted and enencouraged by faulty treatment during their early stages of growth, although it may not show until later. The best all-round time for striking the cuttings, is the first week in August, but where it is desired to obtain flowers of certain varieties at a given date, late flowering varieties and those that require to be grown on for a late crown or terminal bud, need a longer season of growth, and should be struck a fortnight earlier. The further treatment of chrysanthemums up to their flowering period will be dealt with in future notes.