GARDENING NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1935, Page 12 (Supplement)

GARDENING NOTES

THE WEEK’S WORK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Rose and shrub planting can be done. When selecting shrubs for a small garden, choose those that are fitting to the position. Rose pruning can commence now, but if late frosts are usual delay the work till end of month. Fork over beds of anemones, etc. Hoeing is of little use unless weeds are picked off. Herbaceous borders can be renovated and manured. A good application of manure should be given. THE GREENHOUSE. Do not spill or use more water than possible. Do all watering during the forenoon. Lobelia, phlox drummondii, ageratums, verbenas, petunias and other halfhardy annuals can be sown. Do not make too large sowings, as it may be difficult to find time r to handle the seedlings. Sow small lots and sow again in a fortnight or so. Cuttings of chrysanthemums and carnations can be planted. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Dig in any standing green crops. These will be decayed sufficiently for planting over by spring. Prepare ground for potatoes, peas and onions. ... Hand weed onions. If there is a sign of mildew it can be seen by tips of leaves browning. Spray with limesulphur, 1-120. Clean up and get rid of any spent- crops or rubbish, especially old cabbage leaves ’and stumps, etc. Clear off old asparagus tops, bum them on the bed, rake off the top inch of ; soil and replace by well rotted manure. V J Prepare ground for new asparagus beds. Lift, divide and replant perennial herbs. Sowings of the annual sorts should be made. Sow spinach turnips, _ carrots, lettuce, radish as soon as soil is dry enough. THE FRUIT GARDEN. Plant, fruit trees. If position is damp keep roots near the surface and draw soil over them. Priming can be commenced. Be careful and cut away every dead twig. Collect all prunings and burn or bury them. ftp-paying can be done now. If scale is present use an oil spray. Caustic soda lib, nitrate of soda 101 b ? and water 10 gallons is a good spray, for deciduous trees. i

SPRAYING FOR PESTS.

ANTICIPATE AND PREVENT.

It must be noted that no matter how good the material used for spraying, in all cases prevention is better than cure. When one is dealing with plants that are known to be subject to a certain pest, such as cabbage fly on cabbage, etc., aphis on broad beans, aphis on herbaceous calceolarias, mealy bug on indoor plants, the sensible thing to do is to anticipate the arrival of the pest and to apply the antidote and prevent it getting a start. Much more effective control of plant pests and diseases can be gained by anticipation than by attempts at curing. Next spring hundreds of peach trees will be affected with leaf curl. The time to attack his disease is by a strong dormant spray now, followed by sprayings when the buds begin to move, when the buds show pink, when the petals drop and when the young leaves show “green tip,” as it is known. Brown rot must be attacked in the same way by applying a dormant spray now, and further sprayings directly fruit has formed. These are the only methods of control; no cure is possible for diseased leaves or fruit. j POTATOES. The boxing of early seed potatoes demands immediate attention, so that sturdy green sprouts, about an inch long, may develop by planting time. Place the boxes in a cool room or outhouse, protecting from frost if necessary, but with full exposure to light. RHUBARB AS AN INSECTICIDE. The planting of a few rhubarb stools in a tomato house is reported as being a preventive against white fly. The “fly” attacks the rhubarb leaves, which have fatal effects. On top of this comes a sequel which will probably;be new to many of us—that is, using the water in which rhubarb leaves have been boiled as a preventive of all kinds of aphis. The discoverer, or, anyway, user, of this says that he never gets green fly, rose maggot, or leaf miner, and uses nothing else in the garden. The leaves are boiled for about an hour, and then the water is strained and diluted by three or four times its own bulk, and the plants sprayed. He found no damage ’to the most tender plants. Rhubarb leaves are to be had in most gardens, and as the blade is of no value and thrown away, it will be utilising a waste product. Anyway, it appears to be worth trying, and if the result is nil it will only mean a loss of time. PLANTING SHRUBS AND TREES. The planting of all kinds of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs should now be pushed on with dispatch. Hitherto, unfavourable weather conditions have rendered planting in all but light, porous and naturally well-drained soils out of the question. For ornamental trees and shrubs that are planted with the object of their growing into large and hand-

some specimens, extra care should be taken in the preparation of the holes for their reception. Merely digging a hole in stiff, uncongenial soil and placing the tree in, and filling ih the earth and treading it firm is not sufficient. The tree will not thrive. It is a good plan when digging the hole to throw out some of the subsoil, and refill with some good fresh surface earth, the best- for this purpose being turfy loam or volcanic soil—or the trimmings of path edgings, leaf rubbish, etc. In rich, deep soils it is, of course, unnecessary to go to this trouble. After the tree has been carefully planted, with fine soil well worked in among the roots and trodden down sufficiently firmly, a final filling of loose earth should be made, and the tree securely staked if necessary, to prevent it becoming affected by the winds. With a little care the tree will soon become established in its new quarters. The cause of so many failures in the planting of evergreen trees and shrubs is chiefly due to improper treatment in the planting. SPINACH. Remove any decaying or yellow leaves from the plants. Hoe in a dressing of nitrate of soda, say half an ounce to a jard run of row. Gaither the outer, fully grown leaves only and avoid stripping the plants. To get good spinach you must give the plants a good supply of nitrogen to develop a large leaf. This should be applied periodically during the growing period. CONDITION OF GARDEN. Gardens generally present a most untidy and neglected appearance, the borders and beds in many instances being, overgrown with weeds. This has been 'unavoidable, as weather conditions during the past three months have kept the soil in such a wet state that it has been practically impossible to tread upon or work the land with any degree of satisfaction. As more harm than good would have resulted, especially in the working of stiff soils, it would only leave them in a sodden condition. When finer weather prevails it will take some time before digging can be proceeded with. In light volcanic and other porous soils it is different, and those who are fortunate enough to have this class of soil are able to dig and plant and make a fair show, good appearance, and provide for the spring season. INFLUENCE OF GRASS. Reference has on several occasions been made to the influence of grass upon the growth of orchard and other fruit trees, as demonstrated by systematic l experiment. This influence has invariably been detrimental to the growth of the trees, and in experiments that have been carried out by the National Fruit and Cider Institute the results obtained by other investigators have been confirmed. At the time of planting, circular holes, 6ft in diameter, were dug and this space kept cultivated. At the end of a year after planting it was arranged that at least one tree of each variety should be treated in each of the following ways: (a) The cultivated area around the tree should remain 6ft in diameter; (b) the cultivated area should be extended to a circle 9ft in diameter, and (c) the cultivated area should be allowed to grass j over. The measurement of the girth of threes (at a height of sft 6in) is not the i most satisfactory means of demonstrating the effect of the treatment, but it was | adopted as being the one involving the least labour. The results stated in percentage were as follows: Two years after planting all the trees had an average 'girth of 100, three years later, the average girth was, cultivated area 9ft, 194; cultivated area 6ft, 177; and grass covered area, 165. There can be no doubt from these figures that the grassing over of the original cultivated area of 6ft diameter

resulted in an appreciable check to the rate of growth, while the extension of the cultivated area to 9ft diameter was 1 beneficial. This seems to show that it is j

the fine rootlets actively engaged in the absorption of food substances which, are the most affected by the presence cf grass. ' • »