THIS WEEK’S GUIDE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 264, 6 November 1937, Page 13

THIS WEEK’S GUIDE

FLOWER GARDEN L ground for beds for Dahlias. Where early blooms are required some of the plants can be set out. The planting of Chrysanthemums can be commenced. There is still time to plant late cuttings. Plant out most kinds of bedding plants. Sowings of Zinnias, French Marigolds, and Asters for late blooming can bo made. The spent flowers of Sweet Peas must be cut away to prevent seeding, or the plants will cease blooming. Keep the surface of the soil loose. This is the best means of controlling weeds and other pests. THE GREENHOUSE. Shading will be necessary, the amount varying according to the plants concerned. Watering must be carefully done; in some cases it is needed twice a day. Seedlings and small plants should be transplanted and repotted as they require it. Any plants that have finished flowering should be transferred to frames or a shady border outside. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Hoe between Potatoes; spray and earth them up as required. During showery weather plant out Brussels Sprouts and other winter greens. A planting of Leeks can be made in trenches or on the flat. Good soil is essential. Sow Runner and Dwarf Betins according to requirements; also Pumpkins, Pie Melons, Rock Melons, Cucumbers and Marrows. Cease cutting Asparagus during the next week or so. Give the beds a dressing of nitrate of soda. Sowings of Spinach, Beet and Carrots can be made; also successional sowings of Sweet Corn and Peas. The tall varieties of Peas are best for sowing now. THE FRUIT GARDEN. Spray with colloidal sulphur to control brown rot. Spray Apples and Pears as petals fall with arsenate of lead to contra codlin moth. Tie in new growth of Logan and Raspberries, Heavy crops of stone fruit should be thinned. Spray outdoor vines with colloidal sulphur or dust with flowers of sulphur to control mildew.

PRUNING THE LILAC

The thinning and pruning of lilacs s often do|e when the annual pruning operations are in progress during the winter months, but the best time (or the work is in early summer as toon as the flowers have faded. Comnence by cutting out the old flower jpikes. This not only improves the appearance of the bushes, but prevents the development of seedpods, which would take a considerable amount of nutriment from the young growths. To obtain large, beautiful heads of bloom, limit the number of shoots and twigs according to the age and size sf the bush. HELPING SEEDLINGS i Continual rains during the winter months have had the effect of saturating and compacting the surface soil, and even though a good tilth was prepared previous to the sowing of seeds, there is no doubt that it will be still inclined to cake in the event of a dry spell. For this reason, on soils Hclined to cake, the plan should be adopted of covering the seeds in drills with sandy compost. There will then be no difficulty in the seedlings piercing their way to the surface. It should not be forgotten that, if a cap is allowed to form between the rows, there will be a risk of the plants being subjected to considerable dryness at the roots. It is surprising how quickly the moisture can dry out of the top two or three inches of soil, if the surface is not constantly stirred. Two or three hot days are sufficient to bring about “flagging” of the young growth. The result is that the seedlings experience a check from which they can never do more than partially recover. Just as soon as the position of the rows can be delined by the growth, the push hoe must be brought into use. Where the time is available it is a sound plan to run the hoe through the rows twice a week, but one should be regarded as the minimum. THE POTATO CROPS manuring and ridging It is fairly general practice to apply a dressing of fertilisers before proceeding with the actual planting of potatoes. There is nothing to be said against this, but it is.definitely a mis- ■ take to scatter the fertiliser immedi-1 ately under the tubers. At the outset] the roots will not be able to assimilate | such concentrated foods, but by the ‘ time the growths have reached six inches in length they will be able to do so, and the plants will then stand ill need of some encouragement. Just as soon as the young growths have made their appearance through the surface, the whole plot must be thoroughly hoed. The soil should not be left to cake down on the surface, or it will be all the more difficult to work when the ridges are moulded up. The first hoeing will be needed in any case to cut down the seedling weeds, and should be repeated a few days later. The task of ridging up calls for 1 careful workmanship in the ea.lj stages, or the young shoots are easily damaged. A draw hoe is p/00-ij... t ..j best tool to use, and with a little "practice it will soon be possible to move | easily and quickly. Just sufficient soil to leave the tips of the shoots showing through the surface, should be drawn up at this early date. Later on, when the shoots are about nine inches high, the process can be repeated, but this time scatter a dusting of a good fertiliser along the sides of the ridge before commencing work. One point should always be borne in mind—do not build up the ridges too steeply. A sharply angled slope will throw off much needed rain during the summer months. Instead, the >jdges should be broad, just gently sloping, and fairly flat topped. In places where the preparation of the soil has yet to be completed, there is only one course to adopt, and that is to plant at the same time as digging. Apart altogether from the fact that the soil cannot be broken up so thoroughly, the roots will inevitably suffer through the subsequent settlement of the freshly disturbed soil.

WEEDS IN LAWNS

Sulphate of iron has long been known as an ingredient of lawn sands. Its present extensive use in green keeping, and its inclusion in complete fertiliser mixtures may largely be attributed to those early tests which showed its value in controlling weeds and improving colour. When sulphate of ammonia is used with sulphate of iron for drastic weed eradication, the result is more rapid. Chlorosis is also prevented. Finality as to the best proportion to use in practice has hardiy been reached, but the place of sulphate of iron in green keeping seems secure. In addition to the study of weed eradication and control by means of ammonium salts and sulphate of iron, limited experiments have been carried out with spraying with arsenic acid, ammonium thiocyanate and a number iof other materials. Encouraging results have been attained in the case of arsenic acid, but further work is necessary. CULTIVATING SWEET PEAS IMPORTANCE OF EARLY GROWTH Where sweet peas are being grown on the cordon system they will need almost daily attention from now on. i Whether one, two or three shoots are taken up from each plant, depends on the strength of the particular variety, and to the nature of the soil in which they are grown. The most vigorous growers planted in good soil, and confined to one or two stems, will often produce huge spikes of bloom, which are nevertheless spoiled by coarseness. If the main seedling stems are taken up it will be found that a fair proportion of them will go blind when they reach two or three feet in height. If the plants were stopped when a few leaves were made, and the resultant laterals carried up, some good bloom should be expected. There is another point in stopping the plants early. The growth of the seedling stem has been made in comparatively hard weather and is consequently more woody than the younger basal shoots. All the ties put on in the early stages should be loose, for the haulm thickens considerably with age. Feeding of any description should not be attempted until the buds are forming, as it takes very little to disturb the regular growth of sweet peas. Bud dropping invariably follows such a disturbance and is annoying to say the least of it. It is one of the greatest mistakes in sweet pea growing to encourage a soft sappy growth by repeated dosings with fertilisers while the plants are I still young. One thing tney will appreciate is a mulch of short manure. This has no harmful effect on growth, and is really only effective in preserving soil moisture, if laid down before baking sunshine has exhausted a good deal of the soil’s content. Either short manure or spent hops should be used; laid down to a depth of two inches and carefully worked in among the plants with the fingers. This is a job with which a tool cannot be entrusted. Early dry weather is actually a greater danger than dry spells later in the season, for the plants have not yet had a chance to rpot deeply into the soil, and are less fitted to with- | stand trying conditions. Moreover, i lack of moisture at the roots has just ‘the same effect as a check caused by • cold weather. It results in a hard. I woody growth. Just how much this (affects the growth of the plant is at I once apparent if they do receive a check. Within a few days the length of the flower stems may be shortened by one half.