IN THE GARDEN

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1932, Page 9 (Supplement)

IN THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Sow winter-flowering sweet peas. Disbud chrysanthemums. From now on the buds of chrysanthemums should be “taken.” See that the plants are securely staked and tied. Give chrysanthemums liquid manure or topdress with a rich compost. Remove spent blooms from dahlias. Staking, tying and disbudding will need attention. Layer border and perpetual carnations. ' Lift bulbs. Clean and replant. Prepare beds for bulb planting. Prepare ground for border carnations. Sow cyclamen. Old tubers should be restarted. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Cut vegetable marrows as soon as they get to a suitable size. Lift the tops of.kumaras to prevent them rooting. Make a planting of leeks. Lift and store onions. Dig potatoes as soon as the tops go down. , Pick out potato sets when the crop is lifted. , Keep runner beans closely picked. Pinch out the tips of pumpkins, marrows, and melons. Keep the surface loose; hoe between standing crops. Collect and burn any rubbish. Sow cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce. Swede turnips and beetroot can be sown. LIQUID MANURE FOR ROSES. The nutritive value of liquid manure when applied to roses can hardly be over-rated provided the cofrect ingredients are used. Many growers, including some famous exhibitors, follow the practice of the late Reo. Foster Mellier and use nothing but liquid manure the whole year round. This practice is successful when, the grower is able to. keep up the supply, for roses are hearty feeders, 'but the everyday rose-grower will find the best method is to use both solid and liquid manures. The solid manure will help to build up a solid foundation, while the liquid may bo supplied as a stimulant to assist the plant in the growing and flowering season. Drainings from the farmyard cowsheds, stables and household slops, are 'powerful stimulants, being fairly rich in nitrogen, but they must be well diluted before using. Good liquid manure may be made from cow, pig, sheep, horse or poultry manure intc a bag and let it steep for two days, then lift out the bag and' empty on to the garden. The liquid will appear clear, but it is just as valuable as the thick, black, stinking mud which is often used as manure water. The manurial value of liquid manure cannot be judged by the intensity of the colour or the vileness of the smell. Most liquid manures made from organic substances are deficient in phosphates, and this deficiency must .be made up somehow, or the result will be coarse, x’ank ’growth and little blooms. It is a good plan to use alternatively superphosphates at the rate of one ounce dissolved in a gallon of water. A good all-round liquid manure clean to handle is made by dissolving half an ounce,each of nitrate of potash _ (saltpetre) and phosphate of potash in one gallon of water. The first dose of liquid manure should be given as soon as the plants commence to grow, not too strong at first, and continued every week as the flower buds are seen'to de- . velop. Liquid manures are inclined to be caustic, and care should be taken not to touch the foliage- with it. They should also not be applied when the roses are dry. During a dry spell the plants should receive a good dose of clear water just before using, the liquid manure. FERTILISERS FOR FLOWERS.

There is no manurial substance known which will make a plant flower. Manures aid growth and, of course, growth is invariably a preliminary to flowering, so that by keeping a plant active and in vigour we are building up energy, to enable it to flower well. The question may be asked, “If flowers follow growth in that way, how can you account for flower buds on dur fruit trees, for example, at the beginning of the year?” Such flowers are no exception; they were produced after the growth of last year- and, they only emerge from the bud this year, giving a false impression that they precede growth. Whilst growth is always in front of flowers and since plants do not flower satisfactorily until growth is on the decline, flowers may often be lost through continuing to keep a plant in active growth when it should be flowering. We can overdo the application of fertilisers and we may continue to feed without getting the flowers we require ,so much. To obtain flowers, cease feeding for a time rather than continue to feed. This cessation of growth should be some time in front of the period when flowers are due. To obtain more flowers after they first appear give one or two applications of fertiliser when the first buds show colour, in the case of ordinary garden flowers, but do not overdo it or there will be a tendency to “run to leaf” again. The manures which assist growth but delay maturity are ordinary manure wash from farmyard stuff, guano, all nitrates, ammonia, soot and nitrolim. Those which benefit a flowering plant most are a well-balanced mixed manure, superphosphates, dissolved bones and most phosphates, to all of which onethird of potash has been added. SIMPLE TUBS & WINDOW BOXES.

There are many plants that can be successfully grown in tubs and window boxes, and there are many positions around some homes that the addition of a few plants in tubs or boxes would add greatly to the appearance, and would. be an inexpensive method of beautifying the home. Expensive timber is not necessary, a few boxes from the local storeman, a few nails, a hammer, a saw and a pot of green paint are about all that are needed. Of course, there is no limit to what can be done. We only mention the least possible requirements. The sizes of the tubs may be varied and, of course, the window boxes will vary with the size of the windows or position they are to fill. The tubs should be made somewhat after the shape of a butter box, in fact a butter box makes a very good one. Two handles should be put on, one on each side, and care should be taken that there is plenty of drainage. Holes should be made in the bottom with an inch auger, and the box should have two fillets of wood taeked to the bottom outside for it to stand on, so as to allow the water to drain away. Amongst the many things that can be successfully grown in tubs are geraniums, fuchsias, marguerites, sweet peas, and asparagus (■foliage).

HOEING AND WATERING. During the present season the chief work in. the vegetable garden is that of hoeing, and the more time that can be devoted to the important operation the better. The Dutch hoe is an extremely useful implement for clearing succulent weeds, which rapidly spring up between the rows of seedling vegetables before the latter have been thinned out. At a later stage, after the crop has been thinned and planting out has been finished, and the ground has become consolidated with heavy rains as it was previous to this spell of fine weather, it is often necessary to use some form of hoe that is capable of breaking the hard caked surface, for if this is not done the plants wi)l not grow freely. In many cases where the ground is hard, especially among the stronger growing plants, such as green vegetables, and also in earthing up potatoes, it is preferable to use d digging fork, as the ground can be stirred to a greater depth, and any lumps broken up as the work proceeds. Many gardeners because, of lack of time content themselves with the mere chopping down of weeds. This is one of the good effects of hoeing, . but by no means the-most important one. The most important value of hoeing is in the producing of what is known as a “dust mulch.” A “dust mulch” is three or four inches of loose, fine soil, such as is obtained by continuous hoeing, and the value is the same as a mulch of rotten manure, that of the prevention of excessive evaporation, and consequently the conservation of the moisture in the soil. If the time devoted to watering were given to the work of hoeing or forking between the i-ows of plants better results would be secured. There are few vegetables that benefit much from what is often known as a “good watering.’’ There is an exception to this perhaps in the case of plants put out during dry weather, and also in the case of celery and lettuce. In these latter cases good crops can be grown without watering if the soil is well treated and sufficient hoeing isdone to produce a “dust, mulch.” The above remarks apply particularly to the crops.- for general use. Where exceptional specimens are required for exhibition, watering with ’clear and manure water may be necessary, but one cannot apply exhibition treatment to all that is grown, and even in that case a good hoeing after a watering means that the water given will have more effect.than it would do without a hoeing. Some soils of course need more labour than others to produce a dust mulch, and the heavier the soil the harder and the quicker it bakes, and the more need to keep the surface well hoed. When it is considered that a watering is necessary it should be thorough, and immediately afterwards the hoe should be at work. The usual sprinklings that are given to crops whose roots are probably down feet in the ground, whereas the water only goes inches, are productive of more harm than good, because it induces the roots to keep to the surface, and if from any cause the sprinklings are stopped the plants suffer far more than if they have never been watered.

HYDRANGEAS. Hydrangeas bloom during the latter part of summer and early autumn, and are a valuable asset to the outdoor garden, for they remain in bloom for several weeks, and it is very seldom that they fail to flower well. They are not difficult to grow provided they are given good soil; in poor ground they quickly deteriorate. They can be increased by cuttings of soft shoots inserted in sandy soil in a greenhouse, shaded frame, or outside if attention is given to them. The present is a good time to insert the cuttings, and the plants can be expected to flower well in two years. Hydrange hortensis is perhaps the best known, for it is widely grown out of doors. It is also a useful plant for growing in pots, and is one of the best of room plants, for with attention it will remain in bloom for a month or six weeks. The plants grow Gft. to Bft. high, and as much across, so that when planted out the space should be allowed. A wellflowered plant in a corner of the house or against a fence looks well when in full bloom. A curious fact is that plants growing in soil containing iron usually bear blue flowers, and hence to obtain this result old nails are often buried among the soil about the roots. A watering with Joz. sulphate of iron intwo gallons of water will produce the same effect. There are now, however, varieties that have pure white, light to dark blue and pink to deep red flowers. Some are exceptionally good, but the colours are far from constant when planted out. Grown as pots plants they retain their colour much better. At the same time these new varieties are worth attention and no doubt there will be varieties raised that will retain- their deep colouring when planted out. The blue, however, can always be intensified by the iron treatment. When pruning do not cut back too hard, but remove some of the old wood so as to allow the young growths room to grow.'When the flower heads begin to turn rusty, if they are cut off with one or two tiers of leaves it will usually be quite sufficient pruning.

BIG CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Get three strips of wood, about oneeighth to a quarter of an inch in thickness, ten inches to one foot in length, and about half an inch wide. Next nail them together, triangular fashion, with the ends overlapping for an inch or so. The stems of the bloom are .tied to each corner (head downwards) about six inches from bloom, the end of the stems being held in the hand. It necessitates two persons to tie the blooms in position, but with this device one person can carry six blooms quite comfortably to the show without damaging the petals in the least. STAKING PLANTS MADE EASY. The amount of tying done with raffia, string, etc., for training or staking purposes is considerable and occupies much time. The following is a simple but effective time-saver, which can easily be made and which possesses the advantages of being practically everlasting. From a coil of small-sized wire short lengths are cut to form split rings, with one of which the stem of the plant is looped to the support, and squeezed, to connect the two ends of the ring, thus completing the circle. An effective and permanent tie is, by this means, fixed in a fraction of the time occupied by the older method. A quick way of making the‘rings is to wi-d the wire over a round wooden core of the size of ring required (a broken piece of a smooth-surface walking stick forms a useful circumference), cutting the wire along the core. By fixing a short nail on each side of the core it is made to act in the capacity of a holder; the rings in this manner are carried about until all are used, when, of course, the operation may be repeated. At the end of the season the rings can be replaced on the core and kept for use the following year. The rings are useful for sweet peas, carnations, etc. ’*