THE G

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18937, 6 December 1929, Page 4

THE G

NOTES FOR AMATEUR.

By

D. COMBRIDGE.

The delightful change in the climatic conditions has helped on the gardens, lawns and farm areas considerably, and although the effect of frosts is irremediable, in the case of lost fruit on trees and blackened tomato plants, the good rains will help to swell the new potatoes that are forming under shaws that were not too severely cut back. Now that the ground is moist, two very important tasks present themselves. The first is thinning. This job should be done thoroughly and at once, since it ensures a quick crop of what is being grown, and it gives plenty of room for leaf development, ultimately leading in the case of root crops to good specimens. It is seldom considered necessary to thin peas and beans, but results would be better if this were done. The more important items, however, are carrot, beet, parsnip, onion, and especially spinach; this plant must have plenty of room in the row to grow unhindered, or bolting will result. Plants may be thinned to 6in apart while young, and they will have leaves that will overlap each other, especially after this rain. A fair guide in thinning root crops is. to estimate the width of the crown of the root and use that as a standard of distance between plants. For example, take a well-grown parsnip. It is frequently four inches across the top; therefore make your young plants that distance away from each other. For the first month this will make the rows look very thin, but the plants will develop quickly enough; the foliage will be so full that your garden will be the envy of everyone. Carrots and round beet are left about two inches apart for the former and three inches for the latter. Spring-sown onions need thinning to four inches, but the autumnsown ones and those that were transplanted for early harvesting need to be wider if really large bulbs are desired. Autumn-sown onions will be swelling up nicely now, and it will greatly benefit them if a dusting of superphosphate is given and well hoed in. This brings me to the second of the two important tasks, namely, hoeing. With the rainfall the weeds will show themselves and they must be dealt with at once. Further, the moisture already in the ground will be retained there longer if the hoe is used freely. The work of hoeing is cut down by half if it is done while the weeds are small, and, further, less nourishment is taken out of the ground by the unproductive weeds. The work of earthing up tlie potatoes must be proceeded with. Of course, many readers will only have late plantings to attend to, but growth has been so rapid lately that earthing must be done. This work has a dual purpose. First, it provides a fresh supply of food for the rapidly-forming tubers, and secondly, it supports the haulm -and keeps it from being blown about and damaged by wind and storm. Where readers have not done the first moulding ope garden hint is worth following, namely, look over each shaw and remove all the growths except three. Frequently up to six will be found emanating from the set. Some of them may be small, but a selection of the three best placed growths should be made. This will have the effect of allowing the foliage to develop fully, when it can elaborate the sap properly and send it down to the swelling tubers underground. At the same time it will surprise readers how much green fly is working on the haulm, much of which is destroyed on the removed growths. The remaining growths are easier got at for spraying purposes, the need for which is most urgent this year. Spraying for green fly should be done twice in the season—that is, at each moulding up. If this were done thoroughly there is no doubt that less "surprise” failure of the early potato crop in local gardens would be evident. Any good insecticide may be used for the work. Black Leaf 40, Reids, Katakiller

Powder, Kilsect Powder or similar spray, the directions for which are supplied with every packet. _ , In the vegetable garden plantings of autumn cabbage should be made and early celery are now ready. Leek plants are offering, and if 'put out now will make beautiful plants for early winter. Sowings of peas, and kidney beans should be made with many of the smaller vegetables as beet, carrot, lettuce, turnip, swede, radish, parsley, and onions for pulling green. Early round beet is ready for pulling in about twelve weeks. Some lovely roots were brought under my notice this week, sown in the second week of September, so that readers can have a nice supply for late, summer use if sowings are put in now. Pumpkin, marrow and cucumber seed may also be sown with every confidence. Plants are available, but seed is always more satisfactory. In the flower garden bedding-out plants must be popped in this month for the full summer flowering effects. There are many very fine plants available now, as stocks in three strains, marigolds in three varieties, verbenas, petunias, salpiglossis, nemesia, salvia, zinnia, heliotrope, antirrhinum, phlox, asters and ageratum, each of which have their peculiar value as flowering annuals. Among them also are a few flowering perennials as agathea, primulas, aster subcoeruleus, and heuchera sanguinea. These are a good investment for the garden since, they flower this year and last from season to season, giving more and more bloom each year. Seedling flowering annuals that were sown some weeks ago and that have survived the dry conditions, must be looked to for thinning and should the weather remain dull they may be transplanted with safety, at least that is, the more fibrous rooted plants, as godetia, clarkia, coreopsis, and gaillardia. Outside sown asters will be ready for moving, also a dusting of sulphur on the underside of the leaves and at the collar of the plant may check the col-lar-rot that is so prevalent among them, but it is by no means a certain cure. Staking of many of the garden plants will now be a necessity, and should be attended to as soon as the most important work following the rain is done. Chrysanthemums, gladiolas, carnations, hollyhocks and many another freegrowing and full-flowering plants must be gone over or an untidy and disappointing garden will result. Advices from the Homeland among the experimental stations of horticulture go to prove that apart from a preparation known as “Volck” we have no definite control for red spider in its egg stage. “Volck” is not available at present here, but no doubt will arrive in due time. Mention is made of this to emphasise the importance of spraying the fruit trees for live red spider with lime sulphur in order to minimise the deposit of the eggs against which we have no control. Lime sulphur put on at the rate of one part to 100 parts of water for pip fruits is most useful and one part to 120 parts of water for stone fruits; it cannot be supplanted at this time of the year. It also is a (Control for powdery mildew of apple and shot hole fungus of the apricot. Leaf curl of peach is held in check by it, but as explained in these notes during September the correct time for spraying for this complaint is prior to the bursting of the leaves. At the same time spraying peaches with lime sulphur now will check the second attack that is often prevalent and will be more so as the weather has turned showery and dull. Codlin moth will be on the wing now and depositing its eggs. As explained recently the control is arsenate of lead used simultaneously with lime sulphur. Do not neglect this spray; because of the absence of a good crop through frost damage, the pest will concentrate upon what fruit there is. Further, it will be a good opportunity to give the pest a good check in a year that provides them with very little food.