GARDEN NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1933, Page 13

GARDEN NOTES

THE WEEK’S WORK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Chrysanthemums should be topdressed and mulched. Reduce lateral shoots to three of four if growing for exhibition. Decorative chrysanthemums should be ■ pinched or stopped. Dahlias will need trimming. Thin out the shoots so that the tops do not get too heavy. Keep the plants securely tied. Remove spent blooms as promptly as possible. Should caterpillars appear on dahlias, chrysanthemums, etc., spray with arsenate of lead. Cut spent blooms off all plants. They give a much better result if the old flowers are removed. Plant phlox, French marigolds, celosias, petunias. Water the ground before planting. Sowings bf portulacca can be made. Sow Canterbury bells, sweet williams, hollyhocks, carnations, mignonette. Lift bulbs, including narcissi, tulip, freesias, lachenalias. 1 Lachtaalias and freesias should be planted early. Now is the best time to lift and plant lilium candidum, the z madonna lily. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Spray tomatoes for caterpillars. . Remove lateral shoots and keep the plants securely tied to the supports. Peas and beans will benefit from watering, but, as an alternative, mulch the rows with lawn clippings. Celery can be planted. Give the row a good watering and shade for a ' day or two after planting. Stop the leadinggrowths of pumpkins, marrows, etc. Pick the pods of runner beans as soon as ready. Do not allow them to get old, as this stops the plants fruiting. Sowings of dwarf Jpeans can be made. Also a few seeds of sweet corn should be planted every ten days or so. Dig potatoes as goon as ready. There is always a risk of a wet spell causing the tubers to start growing. The planting of Broccoli, savoys, Brussels sprouts, leeks, cabbage, cauliflowers can be done. Watering will be necessary -unless rain comes. Early rows of runner beans that are spent should be cut down about half day and given a good watering. They will start again and give a good crop. CHRYSANTHEMUM HINTS. During this month growers will have to attend to their chrysanthemum plot—whether they are to be grown in the ordinary way, or for the purpose of producing large flowers. In either case stakes will have to be put to each pkwf, and it will be found. at flowering time that three stakes to each, plant is not too much. They should be, placed at equal distances round the plant, and about a foot from the centre or stem, so that' when tying up before flowering, there will be plenty of room for the flowers to develop properly. Where a single stake only is used, the stems have to be bunched together and tied too tight, giving the plant a cramped appearance. Chrysanthemums that are grown for cut flowers and were pinched about the middle of December will now be putting out several shoots. This was done, not because it is the best way to grow good flowers, although good show blooms can be grown by this system, but to save work in tying up until it is really necessary to do this work. By this system, we can get good plants, not higher than four feet. If the young plants start into growth freely soon after being: planted out, and this should be the case if the ground was properly prepared by manuring and deeply ■ working, there should be no necessity for applying water until the present month, when growers must give attention to this and other matters pertaining to this culture. Where large or exhibition blooms are intended to be grown, it will be advisable early in the month to examine each, plant carefully, cut off all badly .formed shoots, and select'six or eight to grow on; on some sorts only three or four shoots should be left. These should be of almost equal strength of growth, and presenting a healthy appearance, free of caterpillar trouble. These growths an be kept in an upright position by passing a tie round the stakes about a foot from tire ground. From now on until the coming Into flower these ‘Selected growths must be examined at least twice a week for caterpillars that may be eating the growth, In many cases even by the most careful . management a shoot or two will be lost by this pest, and as soon as noticed it will be just as well to take it off the plant, especially if six or eight. shoots were selected in the first place. In examining the plants each week for this trouble the mischief may have been done before the novice notices it. The indications are a few particles of black or brown dirt, really the excrements of the tiny caterpillar in the point of growth. To make certain of a capture, . gently squeeze the point of growth, and in most cases the caterpillar will be found crushed. About the beginning of the first week in February, a watch must be kept for the flower buds showing and disbudding must be attended to. All buds round the centre or crown bud must be taken out right down each shoot. If the work is attended to properly, a few hours each week will keep the work well in hand. Among some varieties the raisers and growers recommend taking the a week or two earlier, and the advice is good where the exhibitor is keen on taking first prize. THINNING OUT VEGETABLES. Many persons who are very careful to remove from their rows of vegetables every weed which dares show itself, still fail to secure the best results, because they leave the vegetables themselves too thick. This is especially the case with such things as lettuce and the root crops, such as beet, carrots, parsnips, etc., all of which must have full room to develop unless they are to work injury to each other. Naturally we hate to pull and throw away perfectly good young plants over which more or less time and trouble has been spent, but in no other way can you secure the- finest specimens of the various things in your garden when you have been .fortunate enough to have your seeds come up too “thick. . Where, however, it is your fault for having sown the seed too thickly, make a note to plant more thinly another year, and set out in a freshly prepared surface . if possible. Generally speaking, after thinning out, it is wise to use the hoe between the rows, drawing a little soil towards them, so as to fill the holes made by the removal of seedlings. This is

practically necessary for the prevention of the attacks of the carrot and onion fly, as the holes allow that fly easy access to the remaining roots for .egg laying purposes. Where these pests are known to be troublesome,. one of the advertised soil fumigants should be sprinkled along the rows before hoeing, mixing it with about four times its bulk of fine soil. WINTER PLANTING. Although the planting of green vegetables for winter use may be well-known and more or less a commonplace subject, it is an important' one. Brussel sprouts should be in their permanent quarters, and, if not, no time should be ’.oct in planting them. Broccoli, savoys, cabbage, and cauliflowers must be planted soon to be a success. It is essential that the ground for broccoli should be made very firm, to check strong growth and to have the plants sturdy and dwarf to stand all winter. When it can be managed, an open piece of ground should be chosen and the varieties planted so that they will come in in succession. Autumn kinds, like Veitch’s Self Protecting; winter kinds like Mammoth, and spring kinds like Late Queen, can be planted in rows side by side on the same piece of ground, and this will allow all stumps to be cleared off as the crop is cut. Broccoli do well when planted between the rows of potatoes, where the plants need no further manuring. The tops of the potatoes should be bent down so that they do not unduly shade the newly set out plants. Autumn cabbages, cauliflowers and savoys can be planted in richer and looser ground, as a large size is often desirable in these. On vacant ground, fairly deep drills, 2ft dpart, should be drawn out with the hoe. Set the plants out 2ft apart in the bottom of the drills, making the soil about the roots of each quite firm. Before being set out the roots and tops should be plunged into a mixture of disinfectant. - Although this may appear to have a retarding effect, and if bright dry weather follows may even cause the edges of some of the leaves to burn, it acts as a sterilising solution against club root and also as a preventive of aphis and cabbage fly, and the actual result is favourable. Should the drills be dry when they are drawn out they should get a good soaking of water, and water the plants immediately after watering. LATE DWARF BEANS. Although amateurs are well to the fore in the production of the earliest crops of dwarf beans, they do not pay anything like the same attention to later sowings. The most common mistake is for only one sowing to be made and this of far greater length than is advisable. The plants also ■ stand about four times as thick as they should in the rows, and consequently the grower is often rewarded with a glut of pods for about a' fortnight, and, not being required immediately, they are allowed to remain on the plant. They soon become too old to be useful, while their continued presence prevents further production. A late sowing, under favourable conditions, is far mors profitable than the earliest sown rows and sowings during the last week in January to the middle of February. All who would gather beans until frosts destroy the plants should make this late sowjng in that part of the garden most favourable to the crop. If manure can be spared, this should be added in liberal quantities to all soils intended for beans, particularly*where the soil happens to be very light. Failing manure, use plenty of leaves, lawnmowings or some other moisture-retaining material. Where nothing of the kind exists, let the row be as near the water supply as possible, and, instead of sowing on the level, get out a trench not less than six inches deep. It does not matter much what variety is sown. All varieties are bound to give a profitable return if plants are allowed a clear space of nine inches from each other. % As all seeds are not certain to develop into a plant drop two seeds together at the above distance, and remove the weaker- of the two, should both germinate. Plenty of water should be given to the roots and foliage, • but until the first pods obtain fair - size liquid manure should be avoided. The use of this too early tends to increase the height of the plants, and although adding to the size of the pods greatly reduces their number owing to so many flowers failing to set. As soon as the frosts are likely, place nice bushy sticks to the row. and whenever the glass falls exceptionally, give further protection by the use of straw or hay. By treating the latest-sown rows as described above, it is sometimes possible to gather quite a good crop at the end of June. ANCHUSA. As the first flower spikes -of anchusa pass over, new growths will in many cases be observed. If the old spikes are cut back the new growths will develop, and will continue to flower until the end of the season. Young plants raised from seed sown in the spring should be repotted as occasion demands dr planted in the reserve garden. The plant is easily propagated, and self-sown seedlings are often found in the border. These can be potted if required and planted out in the spring. ROSES. Dead flowers should be removed from the rose trees every two or three days, or the beds will look untidy. The plants should Rave been mulched early in the season before the dry weather set in, but if this was not done then it is not too late now that the first crop, of flowers is over, with a view of benefiting the autumn crop. Many of the climbing roses will have shed their blooms, and the old flowering wood should be pruned out. The young basal shoots should be retained and tied into the supports, but the growths should not be crowded or they will not ripen. If there is any sign of aphis spray with nicotine, and for black spot and mildew dust with flowers of sulphur. BUDDING. There is no doubt that budding is one of the most pleasing duties of the ardent rosarian. The stocks which are to be budded must, of course, be well rooted; these may be formed of the seedling briar, dog rose, or manetti. In the case cf standards, the top growth should be well cut down and reduced to three shoots Budding should be done when the bark lifts readily from the stock, and when the bud can be taken from the rose growths easily and clean. It sometimes happens that the wood does not “run” freely because the stocks are dry at the roots, but a thorough watering will probably have the desired effect if applied a few days before commencing to bud. In selecting shoots to provide buds always secure growths that are bearing flowers either now or just lately. The best buds are those which are well matured, somewhat pointed and quite dormant. Where there is the least sign of new growth, those buds must be passed over. Presuming buds and stocks are ready, proceed by cutting and labelling the shoot with buds upon it. Trim off all leaves, leaving about an inch of the stalk to act as a handle. Then insert the blade about the same distance below the bud. Turn the bud bottom up between the thumb and fingers of the left hand and with the thumb and the point of the knife in the right hand, draw out, with a jerk, the wood" from the bud.

Make a clean cut up the stem about two inches in length. and a cross cut at the top (likie a letter T); then insert the handle of a budding knife, raising the bark insert the end of the bud at the cross cut at the top of the cut; push down the bud under the bark and tie carefully with raffia, and the work is complete. The cut in the stock should be T shaped, and should never penetrate more than just enough to allow the bark from being lifted from the wood. By raising the bark at the top of the upright stroke of the T incision, the bud can be slipped into position. The bark at the front end of the bud should be cut away so that is fits close up to the cross cut in the. stock. Always tie firmly, more especially round the eye, so as to make sure of the seat or germ coming well into contact with the wood, and for this work there is no better tying material than raffia. The tie should be slackened or removed when the bud is set and the stock is swelling. On standards the buds "are placed on the laterals as near the main stem as possible. Dwarf stock should be budded just below soil level, scraping away the soil for the purpose. The growth of the stocks should not be cut back before autumn, for it is necessary that the sap should be kept flowing right to the end of the season. In late autumn the growths which have been budded can be cut back to within six inches of the bud, and next spring they can be cut back to just above th? bud itself.