NEXT WEEK’S GUIDE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 53, 4 March 1939, Page 13

NEXT WEEK’S GUIDE

THE FLOWER GARDEN. Herbaceous plants can be much improved by judicious disbudding. Many of the tall Helianthus and Michaelmas Daisies are improved by stopping when about eighteen inches high. Sow Iceland Poppies, Calendulas, Nemesia, Prepare ground for early flowering Sweet Peas. Gladioli should be lifted as soon as foliage yellows. Collect the small corms or they become weedy. Spray Dahlias and Chrysanthemums; use arsenate of lead for caterpillar. Zinnias and other annuals may need spraying if caterpillars are bad. Delphiniums and most herbaceous plants are improved by applications of liquid manure. See that any tall plants, such as Dahlias, etc., are securely staked and tied; a few hours of storm and insecure support means the loss of a season’s work. THE GREENHOUSE. From now on ventilation should be sufficient to prevent forcing. Keep paths and benches damp and sec that the plants have sufficient water. Fumigate at first signs of any insect pest. The most satisfactory method is to anticipate an attack and give, a light fumigating every ten days or so. Pot up Freesias and Lachenalias. Cuttings of many bedding plants, such as Verbenas, Petunias, Alternantheras, Ageratums, can be rooted. Begonias and other plants in flower will need application of liquid manure. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Making a sowing of Swedes, Turnips, Shorthorn Carrots and Beet, Sow Lettuce and Radish, Mustard, and Cress. Make a small sowing of Cos Lettuce for winter use. Sow Spinach; the so-called prickly variety should be sown now. Plantings of Celerias and also Celery can be made. Sow Silver Beet and Perpetual Spinach. Plantings of Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Savoys can be made. Sow' Broccoli, or Kale; this makes a good winter vegetable, especially in cold districts. Make a sowing of Endive for winter salads. A further sowing of Dwarf Peas and Beans can be made. Sow a few seeds of Sweet Corn. Spray Tomatoes at first signs of grubs; use derris ponder, which is non-poisonous. Lift the tops of Kumaras to prevent them rooting. THE FRUIT GARDEN. As the crop of stone fruits is gathered, give the trees a summer pruning. If brown rot is present it is advisable to collect and burn all infected fruits. A spraying is also advisable. Late varieties of Apples and Pears will need spraying with arsenate of lead. Cut out Logan and Raspberry canes that have fruited. Rub off any robber shoots on grafted trees Keep the ground under the trees clear of weeds and do not allow fallen fruit or dead twigs to lie about.

REGAL PELARGORIUMS The successful culture of these valuable subjects depends chiefly upon the comparative rest given to them after flowering. As the plants pass out of flower they should be given a complete rest for a few weeks by laying the pots on their sides in a sunny position. After this rest they should be cut back hard to within an inch of the old wood and given a good soaking at the roots. If kept well syringed 'hey soon break into growth, and when the shoots are about an inch in length the plants may be shaken out of the pots, all the old soil removed, and some of the strongest roots shortened, and then repotted into smaller pots. Place them in a close frame until they recover from the move, but afterwards grow them as hard as possilbe. Some of the more robust growers may require a further move into larger pots before the autumn, but the majority of them will come through the winter in their first pots. If more stock is required a batch of cuttings may be put in when the planks are cut down, choosing short-jointed stockly growths for the purpose. Insert these cuttings round the inner margins of five-inch pots and place them in a close shaded frame. Pot them again when rooted, singly, into three-inch pots. THE HARDY ANNUALS VALUE OF A START IN AUTUMN. It is not generally realised that the majority of hardy annuals will probably produce infinitely better results from an autumn sowing than if started at the recognised time in spring. The autumn sowing gives the plants an opportunity to establish a much stronger root system than can ever be developed in spring, and it is by no means uncommon to have larkspurs four and five feet in height, or single plants of annual chrysanthemums a yard tall. There is, of course, a certain amount of risk of the plants succumbing during the winter months, but actually this potential danger is exaggerated. The great points to realise is that it is not frost which is most likely to do damage to the plants, but continued cold and wet.

But even this can be insured gainst by providing really adequate drainage. At the same time, it must not be forgotten that even the best-drained soils can cake during the winter months, so that surface moisture is retained longer than is good for the safety of the plants.

Unless in seasons of quite exceptional severity, frost damage is only a likelihood if the seed is thickly sown and the seedlings then left unthinned, for this will encourage soft, weakly growth without the constitution to withstand the winter weather. It must be admitted that, while autumn sowing is a much more attractive proposition, there are some soils which can be made suitable by dint of painstaking preparation of the site, and if necessary, topdressing to ensure surface drainage. It is remarkable what half an inch of coarse leaf soil and sand on the surface will achieve in this respect.

A start can be made by the end of February with the actual sowing, but it is not a good plan to sow too early, for the plants are then encouraged to make a good deal of soft growth before the colder weather puts a stop to progress for the season. Such specimens are more likely to succumb. The main point, however, is to see that the seed is thinly sown. It cannot be too strongly urged that one plant in, say, the space of one square foot, will give infinitely better results than a dozen crowded into the same area.

And if the plants have been sown thinly, it will be possible to allow

them to stand over the winter without thinning. This, so long as it does not entail overcrowding, is always an advantage, as it prevents root disturbance and makes a certain allowance for winter losses. ABOUT HOUSE PLANTS 1 he average palm is hardy enough to stand no end of neglect. Still, there is a borderline over which it is not safe to go. Keep a palm in a closed room for a week and you tax it overmuch. Palms are lovers of shade, with plenty of moisture and not overmuch draught. The ordinary roofn is not a suitable place for palms. And the hall, where so many of our best specimens catch cold and die is even worse still. No less important is the matter of cleanliness. A plant laden with dust cannot thrive. Your geranium or palm or aspidistra breathes through its pores. Clog the pores and your plant dies of suffocation. It may take weeks to die, but it will go all the same. Neglect to keep the leaves or fronds clean is fatal. Give your house plants a cleaning at least once a week. Luke-warm water and a little soap should be used on the palms and aspidistras. Lay the pots side down and lightly sponge or rub over each frond. Do not entertain for one moment such things as milk for the eaves or cold tea for the roots. Cleanliness, fresh air, liquid manure will keep a palm for a long time, A plant should be given a pot only sufficient for its needs, especially if growing under conditions such as a verandah or room. When the soil becomes exhausted, shift the thing into a pit but one size larger. Scrape away a little of the top soil and also scratch off some from the sides. Then run new earth round to fill up the space between the ball of earth and the sides of the pot, and by using a thin piece of wood this soil must be worked down between the old ball of soil and the pot, so that there is no cavity left. A little bonemeal should be added to all soil compose that is being used for potting.

PESTS ON DAHLIAS The dahlia grower does not have to seek his troubles, they come thick and fast at this season. First and foremost it is galling to find that some choice bloom has been eaten by earwigs, and for these there is nothing better than the time-honoured practice of setting traps on the tops of the stakes. However, no traps will be effective unless they are examined each day and the catch disposed of. The caterpillar, too, takes a fancy to the buds, boring its way in to the detriment of the flower. Spraying the plants with arsenate of lead, half an ounce to one gallon of water, will protect the plants to some extent, but handpicking should not be neglected while the work of disbudding and typing is in progress. While spraying it is well to combine Bordeaux powder, one ounce to one galon of water, with the arsenate of lead spray as a protection against the leaf spot, which has been much in evidence during the damp conditions experienced lately. This disease should not be allowed to gain control, or the plants will be completely spoiled and certainly will not produce exhibition blooms. Timing is also something of a problem with the large-flowered varieties for the weather can make a considerable difference to the rate of progress of the buds. As a rule, however, the giant decoratives will be fully developed in from three weeks to one month, according to the weather experienced. It is the best policy to err on the safe side and select buds which will come on at intervals of a few days.