IN THE GARDEN

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1930, Page 15

IN THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE VJ|EK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Any reconstruction work should be proceeded with. Keep down weeds and fork between the rows ’of bulbs and other growing plants. Plant shrubs and roses. There are plenty of beautiful things to suit every garden, Plant out pansies and violas. These are best in the early part of the season, so early planting is essential, The dividing and planting of perennials should be continued, thoroughly enriching the soli before planting. Japanese iris, perennial phlox, geums, aquilegias, Canterbury bells, sweet Williams, cornflowers can be planted now. Some of the hardy annuals, such as candytuft, linaria, alyseum, may be sown' in the open ground. Sweet peas can be sown. Those previously sown must be attended to in regard to staking, etc. Sowings of both the early and summer flowering varieties can be made. Chrysanthemum cuttings can be taken. No doubt the cutting gives the best result. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Make a planting of potatoes in a dry, warm part of the garden. ■Sow cabbage and cauliflower seed and protect from birds before it' shows through the ground. Weed the rows of autumn sown onions and prepare the ground for transplanting as soon as it is possible. Spinach can be sown. Do not bow a large area at one time. A row or so is enough. When large enough, thin out the plants, using the thinnings. Vegetable crops that have the appearance of hanging fire should have a little nitrate of soda applied. New asparagus beds should be prepared, If the soil is shallow trench two spits deep, but rif it is a deep soil three feet is better. THE FRUIT GARDEN. Fruit tree planting should be pushed on. A few fruit trees are-an asset to the garden. If soil and position is favourable plant one or two oranges and lemons. Gooseberries, currants, loganberries and raspberries should be planted at once. Early planting is essential. Pruning should be done now. Peaches, nectarines and plums first, followed by apples and pears. Collect and burn all primings. Clear up and bury all fallen leaves and weeds under tho trees. Spraying should be done as soon as the trees are pruned. Tho best cleaning spray is thceaustic-nitrate-soda wash. PRUNING FRUIT TREES. Tho season has again arrived when established orchard trees will need pruning as they mature and ripen their wood. Apples and pears often hold their leaves until well into July, while peaches, nectarines, apricots and most varieties of plums are in many instances ready for pruning earlier, In pruning no hard and fast rule can be laid down, as very few trees require exactly the same treatment, which varies according to age, varieties and conditions of cul-tu-c. Trees vary considerably in cropping capabilities. While some may be well furnished with fruiting buds, others may carry mostly sterile branches, so that to prune to _ the best advantage the operator must not only bo a keen observer, but should know what is required to produce the best results, In almost every instance tho peach and kindred trees are first to be ready and to need attention to pruning. As a rule their season of rest is of short duration, and unless pruned immediately the sap has returned, it allows but little time for spraying and cleaning before sap again becomes active. In pruning the peach and nectarine, especially if the trees are in a healthy, growing condition, there is naturally a large quantity of wood showing fruiting buds that require to be removed. This in fact is the stumbling block with many amateur growers, who consider the cutting out of shoots that show flowering buds will deprive them of fruit. It is, however, quite the reverse. If only one half of the wood were removed from healthy growing trees, there would still be an abundance of flowers left to develop. Pruning and thinning out the branches assists to strengthen and develop more perfect flowers, and results in more perfect fertilisation. By the fact of the peach and nectarine bearing only on the wood of the previous year’s growth it naturally follows that it is only by the yearlp removal of tho fruiting material that satisfactory crops can bo maintained. Most o,f the plums form fruiting buds upon the wood of the previous season’s growth, as well as from spurs formed where the last year’s shoots were cut back, so that this required to be considered when pruning. On several of the varieties triple buds are formed, the two outside buds producing flowers while the centre buds invariably produce a young shoot. In cutting back to the triple buds there is but littio risk of having a flowering bud only. In pinning these like the peach, much of the flowering wood has to be removed, but with many of Hie varieties this is an advantage, as they often set far more fruit than the. trees can possibly mature. With most of these free-setting varieties veil thinning out of the fruit is the only means of obtaining anything like well matured, good flavoured fruit. European plums rarely produce either Hower or fruit upon the younger wood of the previous year’s growth, but upon spurs formed Mjon the older branches, so that in pruning the object should be to encourage as many as possible of these to form. Summer stopping or pruning tends to encourage these to form. In fact it is the chief influence in furnishing the tree throughout with fruiting wood, instead of yards of bare stems with few or no fruiting buds. Better results n.w. obtained if the trees are properly treated while young and their requirements/carefully studied.

I PLANTING OF CABBAGE.

Plantings of cabbage, cauliflower, Ic-t--j tuee and silver beet may be made now ■ as required. All these may be planted with a dibble allowing of sufficient room between each so that they will not be crowded. In connection with a dibble, it is a recognised fact that there is a danger when planting with the ordinary dibble (usually made of a piece of old spade or fork handle or other round stock sharpened to a point) to leave the roots of the young plants hanging in the hole. An improvement on the old style is to make a dibble the following way: Get a pieco of j-ineh board, 18 inches long by 2 inches wide, and sharpen one end to 1 inch wide by 1 inch thick. Make the holes with this, and after inserting the roots of the plant again insert the dibble alongside the original hole and press the soil against the roots with the tool, both at the top and bottom of‘the hole. By this method all danger of leaving the roots hanging is obviated. BOUVARDIAS. Old plants of bouvardias should be treated to a liberal manuring. Dig or rake away a lot of the soil from the base of the plants. Avoid. going deep enough to disturb tho roots. Fill in where the soil was taken from with leaf mould and old manure. Bouvardias do well even in heavy soil if treated as above. Bonedust is one of the best concentrated manures to use; a dusting never goes wrong with bouvardias. PEPPER TREES. gchinus molle, or pepper tree, as it is commonly called, is quite familiar. It is a graceful-growing tree, and not over large. If left alone, however, it is inclined to get unshapely, and needs periodically cutting back to keep it a good shape. It can be eut back now, and will stand fairly severe cutting. LEAVES. Fallen leaves are now making our gardens very untidy, but they should be raked up, and stored to provide leafsoil. Dig a hole in some out-of-the-way corner, and deposit fill the leaves in it as you rake them up. Sprinkle salt' or lime over each layer as it is added to the hole. As soon as all the leaves have fallen cover the hole with a layer of earth, and leave it till next autumn. You will then dig out a nico supply of leaf-mould, and the same hole may be used for the freshly-falling leaves. ALTERATIONS TO LAWNS. Where any alterations to lawns are contemplated, this work may be taken in hand now in suitable weather. The beauty of the lawn is spoilt through the surface being full of “lumps and hollows.” No amount of rolling will alter this, but it can easily be remedied by lifting the turf and removing a little soil here and adding more there, until the surface looks level. When obtaining new turf Bee that it is reasonably free from weeds. PLANT SHRUBS AND TREES. The planting of shrubs should be got on with whenever the ground is in suitable condition for working, but it is better to delay the operation if the land is very wet and sticky. There are so many very desirable shrubs obtainable nowadays that suitable subjects may be had for any situation. A judicious planting of these subjects adds very considerably to a garden, but care should be taken to grow only those which are suitable. It is no use planting large-growing conifers and such like, for no, matter how fine they may look in large parks and landscape pictures there is no room for them to develop in the average garden, a quarter of an acre in extent. EARLY POTATOES. Seed of early potatoes should be laid out iii trays to sprout, placing the tubers with the eyes upwards. To ensure good strong sturdy growths these should be placed in a light airy shed which must be frost-proof. Tubers, the size of ay egg, make the best seed, and each sc b. should have at least two sprouts, and not more than four. For the earliest crop seed may be planted as soon as danger of frosts is over, but it io sometimes worth while to take a risk with a small planting, but in this case a position should be chosen where the earliest morning sun does not get. Potatoes will stand fl certain amount of frost so long as it has time to thaw before the sun igets on them. A watering over the foli- ’ age on frosty mornings before the sun is on the plants will largely prevent damage. In planting very early potatoes it is advisable to choose a sunny day and to open the drills some hours before planting to allow of the sun warming the soil as much as possible. The drills should be two feet six inches apart, and six inches deep. A good layer of wellrotted stable manure, say four inches thick, with, some wood ashes or potash manure should be put in, and the sets placed eighteen inches apart on this, covering with soil to a depth of three or four inches. Potash is a most important fertiliser for potatoes, few crops requiring this more. Potatoes will not grow satisfactory on heavy undrained soil. Even the recognised best varieties prove unsatisfactory cookers when grown on such land, while any kind so grown are subject to blight, ROOTS OF LARGE TREES. In small gardens much trouble is often caused by the roots of large trees and hedges encroaching on the flower borders. These roots seem to have an uncanny instinct for finding the manure and plant food which has been provided for murii more prized plants. The business end of tho roots is often many feet away from the base of tire tree; in fact, it may be reckoned that the roots spread as far each way as the height of the tree. It is a problem to know how to cope with this trouble, especially where space is limited. The only really satisfactory method is to cut a trench two or three feet deep close to the base of the tree or hedge, and to leave tho trench open. This method Is not generally practicable, however, in a small garden/'and the only thing to, do te to dig out thoi trench as " stated,., J taking out all' ' roots'- and ’ refilling,', th e

trench. Tho trouble, then, is that the tree Immediately starts to fill the trench with new fibrous roots, but as these are fine and easily cut, a sharp spade must be run along the trench once or twice a year to sever these small roots before they have a chance of getting into the cultivated ground. ADVANTAGES OF SOOT. ■ Now is the time io see your chimney sweep about a supply of soot. Few things are more useful in the garden, either as a cheap and efficient fertiliser or as a powerful insecticide. Its manurial value is derived from the fact that it contains 10 per cent, sulphate of ammonia, which is a by-pro-duct of coal, hence its presence In soot. Six parts soot are equal to about 1 part sulphate of ammonia in plantfood value; it is therefore a useful stimulant for vegetables, fruits and flowers if used freely and repeatedly. Freeh soot is injurious to plants because of the sulphur compounds it contains, but these will be completely absorbed by tho air if it is stored for a few weeks in a dry shed. When a liquid manure is desired, some soot should be placed in a fairly small bag and suspended in a tub of water foi some time. The water will soon dissolve the sulphate of ammonia, which is easily soluble, and provide a quickacting tonic. The most suitable time to apply soot is after a shower, when it will cling to the ground; otherwise it is inclined to blow about the surface and get on- to one’s clothing. Soot _ must never be mixed with lime or distributed over ground which has jiist been dreesed with 'it, as the sulphate of ammonia will ho liberated by chemical action, rendering the use of the soot valueless. Soot is useful for warding off attacks of slugs. T-h'e ground round young cabbage plants, lettuce, stbek-s, asters, etc., shduld be ducted well every few days. It may also be sprinkled to good purpose along the rows of peas and dwarf beans. DIVIDING FOLIAGE BEGONIAS. Begonia Rex is a handsome foliage plant. At all times of the year its beautifully marked leaves are bright and attractive. It makes an ideal house plant, provided it is not kept in an atmosphere which is. hot and dry. Young plants are raised easily from the old leaves but when the plants become old, they are apt to become ungainly. Plants of this description can be split up into smaller ones. If an old plant is examined it will be seen that it has developed several thick semi-procumbent stems, terminated by a tuft of leaves. Each of these portions will form a young vigorous plant. Knock the plant out, of its . pot, remove the old soil and divide up the clump by cutting through the stems with a sharp knife.. Each piece must be cut sufficiently low down the stem to bb furnished with a few roots, and may then be potted separately into a four-jneh. pot, using a .light, loose compoB,'t..df pfiijts t.iirfy loam,, from ‘whiylq jpqp; spjl ( , lias,; ■*’A$ ieri ami iTh<fr pots

also must be well-drained; one-third of their depth of erocks is not too much. Dividing and repotting should be done as soon as the new growth commences, which will bo at any time -from September until October, according to the temperatures in which they are growing. The critical period for plants which have been divided and repotted is the first few weeks after these operations have been performed.- At this stage they are so easily over-watered that it is necessary to water with great care.