Gardening Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 198, 24 August 1935, Page 14

Gardening Notes

(BY

ALKANET).

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. ...... ij iLill sufficiently bad to hold up the planting of seedlings. At tins time of the year a few days’ delay is not of much consequence iu planting. Stir surface soil and fill in blanks in beds when opportunity occurs. Rose pruning should be done as soon as possible. After pruning if any scale is present spray with an oil spray. Dig over and manure Rose bods directly after pruning. Trees and shrubs can be planted. Do not delay this work too long or they do not get established before hot weather sets in. Any pruning to winter or early flowering trees or shrubs should be done as they go out of flower. Prepare the ground for planting out spring and early flowering plants. Better to hold back planting for a day or so to allow the ground to bo well prepared. This is the best time fo rtransplanting evergreen trees and shrubs. Do not miss planting one or more Rhododendrons. THE GREENHOUSE. Overcrowding in this department should be avoided as much as possible by only sowing small quantities of seed that can be handled before spoiling. Cold spells and a sudden drop of temperature are not unusual at this season, therefore grow plants hardy and ventilate sufficiently. Pot o-a any plants tliat need it. Also attend to seedlings as soon as ready. Do not let fallen leaves or flowers lie about. Keep pots and soil clean and free of moss, etc. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Continue to prepare ground for planting and sowing early crops. Raised beds are the only means of getting good early crops on wet and heavy soils. Succsssional sowings of Peas should be made every few weeks. The remaining crops of Artichokes, Parsnips and other root crops can be lifted and stored. Peas that are up should have sticks placed to them. If left to lie on the ground they are sure to be attacked by a fungoid disease. Prepare new Asparagus beds.. Planting will not be done till next month, but the bed should consolidate before planting. Prepare ground for sowing Onions. The Onion bed must be well worked, firm and with a fine tilth. Rhubarb can be planted. Established beds should be forked over and manured. Established Asparagus beds should be cleaned over. Apply a top-dressing of stable manure, seaweed or a rich compost. Sowings of Lettuce and Radish can be made. The use of cold frames for these early sowings is of great value. Prepare ground for Potatoes. Planting can be done when soil is dry enough. THE FRUIT GARDEN. Pruning of Peaches. Plums, and other stone fruits should be pushed on. " As soon as pruning is finished the trees should be sprayed. Planting of fruit trees should be hurried on so that they are established before dry weather comes. Citrus fruits can be planted. Avoid deep planting. mound the soil on the roots than plant deep.

SOWING SWEET PEAS TO REPLACE FAILURES. Wiili many people the autumn sow ing of sweet peas is often a failure, owing to wet weather, cold soil and siugs, etc. The past two months has not helped such gardens either, and it will be necessary, if we are to have sweet peas this coming season that another sowing will haxe to be made. Now is a good time to sow, but the seed should be sown in pots; six seeds in a live-inch pot will be all right, and a couple of dozen pots will give a good supply of plants. The seed pots should be protected from excessive wet, and a cold frame, or even a box with a piece of glass over it will provide this shelter. Well drain the pots, quite half fill them with drainage material, and use a very sandy coinpost. Whatever protection is given, do not let it be kept close; ventilation at all times is necessary. When the plant., have made two or three lea' es. and citlrcr ground is not ready er weather unsuitable, they should be stopped. Small thin sticks to hold up the plants is also an advantage. Many ‘•went peas arc spoilt simply because the young stems are allowed to bead over and lie on the soil, causing a conotiiction, which prevents the lice flow of sap to the leaves. PRUNING HYDRANGEAS Maliy hydiangcs are allowed to grow on vviinout any attempt at pruning, with the result that lire plants get decidedly ugly and outgrow their positions. Anomer point is that although it is possible to prune the plant yearly without any material luss of bloom, if iclt for two years or more and men hard pruned there is a great loss of bloom. This is due to tfiat fact that the best blooms are produced from buds on the current season’s grc-wlh. Hydrangea buds are large and prominent or small; the former contain flower heads and the pruning should be •lone aq to leave at least, a pair of these large ones prominent at the top uf each shoot. Thin wood and dead stumps and snags should be cut out. A small keyhole saw it good for this work. A good head of bloom should measure nearly a foot across, and when pruning allow spac G so that each head ‘.an. tlevolop properly. To leave so many that they are damaging each ether and none is properly developed is a loss of plant energy.

LEMONS FOR HOME SIMPLE CUEING METHODS If gathered before the colour begins to turn, properly-cured lemons may by hept for months. They will improve in quality by a thinning and toughen tug of tie siiiu, and by an increase in the juice content. In the commercial curing of lemons more painstaking processes are gone through and home growers cannot hope to turn out ail article like that or the curing factories unless they have the necessary accommodation. After picking, the fruit is taken to the packing house washing room. .Here it remains from 24 to 72 hours uulu it is considered to be sufficiently dry and the rind tough enough to stand washing. The washing is done bv circular brushes above and below. ‘ 'rhe lemons arc soaked lor a short time in hot soapy water to clean them and control brown rot fungus. After washing they are separated into colours, commonly designated green, light green, silver and yellow, green being tha best and yellow bhe poorest in keening quality. ‘ Commercial Process. Curing is accomplished in forage, usually in a basement below the panning rooms, where humidity, temperalure and air condition is regulate! by toe necessary equipment, rhe gener-ally-sought conditions provide for a temperature of 55 degrees T., humidity of lit) per cent., and a carbon dioxide content of not over 3 per cent. When necessary green fruit is bleached in small rooms by the application «1 eihylene gas, lunch gives the fruit a yellowish colour in about seven days. I or home u.,e there are several simple ways'■of curing. If the fruit is gathered and place*! in a pile under -ueaded trees, it will process well and come out with a good colour and excellent in quality if ihe variety is a gcod one. Some have wholly trusted to Uns open-air curing under the trees merely protecting the fruit with a light covering o f straw or fern. Others jet the fruit lie a few days under the trees and then place in boxes or shallow trays, and keep for months in a d.ukened room, providing ventilation, but guarding against draughts of cold air. Gathering the fruit while still green and packing in alternate layers uibh dry sand has also given excellent Jesuits, as has also wrapping each fiuit in a piece of newspaper separately and storing in boxes. Ihe proper conditions for keeping lemons lie just between the points where they will wilt and where they 'mH sweat, inducing neither if possible, as too much moisture- induces dccaj. and too little will induce shrivelling. Ihe fragment of stem left on the fruit may be used as a test; if it adheres, t'he conditions are right, for slow curing; if it detaches easily, the best keeping quality is not assured. Finer Points. Of the finer points in lemon handling liiere is much that must be learned by experience. One of Ihe greatest tic-üblcs in the keeping of lemons is Ihe incidence of blue mould. The spores of thi., fungus arc everywhere, waiting to gain an entrance ‘ Io the fruit, which can only b-.j done through wounds or punctures. For this reason the greatest care should be taken, when picking, io avoid injury. Tl is usual to cut. the fruits from (he lice Two cuts are made with the secateurs, O n c to cut tlm fruit from Ihe tree mid the second to cut the fragment of stalk close to the mutton. ‘ a portion of stem is left on the I ’ail. it is liable to cause punctures in Ihe skin of Oliver fruits with uhich it eoines in contact, thus creating a point °t entrance for the fungus.

MANURING CITRUS TREES

REQUZvEMENT OF NITROGEN Ihe citrus tree probably requires more nitrogen than any otlrcr fruit tree grown under similar condit’uns. It has been noticeable that citrus trees receiving large quantities of organic material, supplemented by various fcr tilisurs containing nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, have been more con sistent in cropping than others treated less favourably. At first sigiit this increased yield might be regarded as being due to the organic material supplied, but while organic material is necessary other growers who have had to rely on a green crop with applications of niuogeiiGus pertilisers have also obtained good crops. The deduct on is that nitrogen is the main fertiliser required. Phosphoric acid and potash are also necessary, but in smaller quantities. Otganic Matter. Organic matter is, however, essential. In its absence little benefit can be obtained from chemical fertilisers. It may be that in the conversion of organic material into humus, chemical changes free sufficient phosphoric acid and potash for the requirements of citrus trees. Therefore provision should be made for increasing the organic content. In must cases this can be most economically provided bv growing a green crop each year, 'these crops should be sown in the autumn with the application of up to two cwt. c-f superphosphate an acie. • frees lacking nitrogen do not show the deep green coiour of thrifty, productive ones, and are unable to make Hie growth necessaiy fur good crops. The ioliage will be yellowish, and less dense. Trees of large size—l2 feet or more in height—may need up to. two pounds of nitrogen each, while trees half that height may require half that amount. To provide one pound of nitrogen would require the application of live pounds of sulphate ot ammonia or six and two-thirus pounds of nitrate of soda. In many orchards it would be more economical to apply all the manures possible to half the trees. Half the number of trees well fed would produce much more and better quality limit than the whole lot practically starved. Heavy applications of suipliate of ammonia or nitrate of soda during a dry period may result in leaf fail, but gradual applications may oai'cly be made. Applying Fertilisers. As to the time when fertilisers should be applied much will depend on the district, soil and local conditions. Generally speaking, the trees remain in a somewhat dormant condition during the winter, but as spring advances growth is made on which blossom buds appear. The production of further growth follows and after that hardening takes place. Further growth ensues during me summer and autumn, till the trees gradually subside into fruitmaturing and more or -less dormant stage.

Making allowance for situation and climatic conditions, the autumn is usually the time when most growth appeare. ’Dii e reason for this would appear to be closely related to the supply of plant food throughout the season. Nitrates, which are the only xOnn of nitrogen of any use to the tiecs, are in lowest supply in the soil in winter and early spring. As summer advances the supply increases until a maximum is reacued in autumn. When the, growth pushes forth in spring with the blossom buds, there is a very poor supply of nitrogen available. Neither is the supply very plentiful during the finit setting period, but later on iu the autumn, it is usually abundant. It is obvious, therefore, that if the nitrates are not present naturally when there is a heavy demand for them, as is the case during blossoming and fruit setting, a large proportion of the bios sums will bo starved oil. Nitrate of soda, should be applied before bud uU£siing. Sulphate of ammonia and dried blood, each having to be concerted into nitrates should be applied nt least one month before bud bursting. Green leguminous crops which supply a portion of nitrogen should be turned under at least six weeks before the bud bursting period. Su.plhate of Ammonia. The application of sulphate ol aimnoaia as one ingredient will Hasten tile decay of tne green crop at this stage. Ju most casvs one „ pln-atic-u mil probably give as good results as two. But iu some districts " acre leaching may be experienced, or neavy lulls oi rain may tie expected, the application will prove of more iieuchi if distributed in two or three amounts, the Hist being the heaviest, me second and t-hi.d applications suould be made iu December, especially in districts subject to fresi, as it is necessary ror the growth to occome hardened before winter. Whore fertilisers containing appreciable quantities of phosphoric am, and potasu have been applied in previous seasons, it may conhuently be expected tnat excellent results will accrue num applications of nitrogenous fertilis-ors. for a lew seasons at least. If potash is lacking, or Has not been applied a good mixture is as follows; .Sulphate ot ammonia, six cwt sulphate ol potiisu, one and a hall cwt., ,'lix well togetuer and ajiply Jlu, c-i the mixture io each tree, .tor vaeh year 01 a B c , up to 15!bs. 'j’hus an cight-year-oid tree would receive six Jbs which would, of course, be applied iu’ one of more applications as conditions would suggest. Where yellowing of the ii a* is veiy noticeable tile addition of inflates will not always bring- about rhe desired deep green colour in the foliage. If non salts arc lacking ni the noil, t.i-.e addition of sulphate of iron to the mixture at the rate of half a pound per tree will act as a tonic with out any undue forcing effect.