The Home Garden

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 288, 6 December 1939, Page 2

The Home Garden

THE FLOWER GARDEN

Fill any vacant places in the herbaceous borders for the summer with those things that seem most in touch with their permanent inmates. Put in a few tall plants at the back, such as dahlias, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and cannas. Fill the front of the border with dwarf plants such as marigolds, phlox drummoncli, winter flowering carnations, verbenas, lobelia, etc. Asters, zinnias, Shirley poppies, kochia, salvia, viscaria, calliopsis, and Iceland poppies are all good flowering plants to fill in odd places or make up special beds. Gladioli can still be planted for a late show. Pick off spent blooms of roses, Iceland poppies and sweet peas. Prepare the soil for sowing seed of anemones, ranunculus, pansies, Iceland poppies, and freezias for a display in spring. Rose trees will be benefited by a sprinkling of fertiliser. How i o Keep Down Weeds.

The hoe is such an important tool that it is well worthy of a moment’s consideration. The oldest form is the draw hoe, a tool worked by a chopping motion while the operator walks forward. A modification of this is thr swan-necked hoe, used in the same manner, but involving less stooping. In contradistinction to this we have the Dutch or push hoe. With this the workman starts at the end of the patch and walks backwards In this way the weeds are left on the surface of the ground, for the sun to wither instead of being trodden in again, as often happens in careless draw-hoeing. The only other method we need to consider is the weed extracting hoe. This has a cutting edge as well as a point for extracting tap-rooted weeds. It is rather heavy for a person of slight physique, otherwise it is an excellent tool.

The best times for using these hoes is early spring and late autumn, the early spring hoeing destroying weeds galore in the seedling stage, and the autumn hoeing preventing stray crops growing which have been carried in by summer winds. If thoroughly done, and perennial weeds are not neglected at digging time, these two hoeings should do much to keep the garden free of weeds. The tidy cultivator will not, however, be satisfied with such relief as they bring, but will keep the hoe going more or less throughout the entire growing season. There is no doubt that the best way to keep down weeds is to set a day apart each month for their destruction. The business need not take a whole day, but when the appointed morn arrives and is dry, the cultivator should take the Dutch hoe in hand and carefully scrutinise tire whole of the garden, paying particular attention to the neighbourhood of herbaceous plants. With regard to weeds on walks, there is really no need to have any with the modern weed-killer so cheap, effectual and easily applied. A strong dose given when the sun is bright and the surface of the gravel dry will clear a walk for the whois year. The killer must be kept from contact with grass or other live edgings. An old knife is the best tool for removing weeds near the edges of such walks, and a draw hoe, owing to the way it disturbs the gravel, the worst. Weeds on lawns should also come under the knife, marking off a given area, .nd thoroughly clearing that before moving on to another patch. Patent weed extractors, valuable to backs which ache readily, are on the market, as are apparatus for poisoning weeds in their beds. Daisies dandelions, etc., may frequently be destroyed by dressings of lawn sand obtained from the nurseryman, or an application of rfitrate of soda, 1 oz. to 1 square yard, dusted on in showery weather in spring, will often have the same effect. If used in dry weather the nitrate should be washed in with the hose 12 or 24 hours after applying. The Vegetable Garden. In the vegetable plot gardeners are now reaping the reward of their winter-time efforts. The soil is warm and every kind of veegtable can be sown or planted. It is wise to remove the "runners” from strawberry plants so as to concentrate the strength of the plants to the crowns. Keep the beds loose. Place clean straw under the plants and between the rows. Do not propagate from plants that are barren or that do not produce satisfactory crops. A few runners may be left to provide fresh plants for next season's planting. Pinching and training of pumpkin and melon vines will be necessary to set the whole crop of fruit. A simple plan is to pinch the main stem to two good leaves. This will result in a double lead, a shoot springing from each leaf axil. These shoots should be allowed to almost run freely and then pinched again to six good leaves. No further pinching should be practised until the female flowers have formed and. been fertilised. Continue sowings of beet, lettuce, radishes, endive, celery and other salad vegetables. Corn salad is little known in this country, but it is a useful salad plant during summer, autumn and early winter. Endive does best in soil of a light, sandy nature that has been well enriched with manure. The plants should be blanched by inverting flower pots over them as they stand on the ground. New Zealand Spinach.—This is an excellent crop for hot, dry weather in the height of summer, when ordinary spinach either bolts to seed or the seed fails to germinate. Seeds may be sown now and the plants will continue until cut down by frost. Dahlia and Chrysanthemum Culture. When your plants are a foot high apply a light application of bonemeal, at least nine inches away from the plant. Later on apply a little horse or cow manure. Again fertilise your plants when the buds appear, then another application two weeks later, and top dress with manure. Of all the elements considered necessary to plant growth, we find nitrogen, phosphorus ana potassium the prime essentials and the ones most lacking. Nitrogen stimulates growth above ground, producing large bushes and flowers, but if used to excess will result in soft flowers that will readily wilt. Nitrogen is found naturally in humus (decomposed vegetable matter or manure). It can be supplied best in animal matter, such as bone meal or manure. Phosphoric acid increases root development, strengthens plant growth and gives substance both to bush and flowers. This element is found in bone-meal and acid phosphate, and a little in manure. Potash is the balancing agent for nitrogen and phosphoric acid. It gives colour to the flower and. generally tones up the plant and aids in manuring the roots. This is found in wood ashes or sulphate of potash. A balanced food as above will give good exhibition blooms. Cultivation is important; hoe your ground at least once a week, and as soon after rain or watering as the ground will permit. As the plant develops the roots come to the surface and the ground should then be worked rather shallow within the radius of a foot of the plant. Cease cultivation when buds appear. A mulching of manure is beneficial at this period. Water well once a week in ordinary weather. Over-watering results in soft blooms. Grow your dahlias and chrysanthemums hardy, and you will be rewarded with good blooms that will stand the heat and keep well when cut. In conclusion, a few don’ts:—Don’t over-water; don’t over-manure; don’t let your soil become hard; don’t cut your blooms during the day. How To Water Plants. Water is the “staff of life” to growing plants; without water In abundance the most skilful potting and. planting, the best composts, and the most costly appliances all avail nothing, as seed germination, leaf formation, and fruit production depend directly upon the presence of water. Good drainage is, however, essential where water is in constant use; unless it has free egress soil is soured and rendered, unfit to play its part in plant nourishment. If thorough drainage is assured much ot the worry consequent upon the proper application is avoided, and it then becomes almost impossible to apply too much moisture to a well-rooted plant during its growing season. Therefore, all soil, whether In pots or in outdoor borders, should be well drained before plants are committed to its care. With plants in pots the most common mistake made is that of allowing too little space for the reception of water, consequently some portions of the soil are never thoroughly wetted, and plants puzzle their owners by refusing to grow in a satisfactory manner. As a guide to what space to allow between the surface of the soil and the brim of the pot, it may be stated that in a 3-inch pot a space of J-inch should be allowed at potting time; this will rise again a little as roots push into the soil. Larger pots should have proportionately more space allowed, for it should, be remembered that they contain more soil and will require much more water to moisten it. In watering a pot plant always fill the pot to the brim, and in summer allow the water to overflow a little, as it will do no harm. In winter overflowing is dangerous, as creating too much moisture in a house, and should be avoided. In summer, if there is any suspicion of a plant being dry, give it a thorough watering; do not give it a little on the ground that it is partly dry, as such driblets are apt to deceive the waterer next day. If a plant is so dry that the foliage droops either stand it in a tub of water or fill it up several times and syringe it. A plant that has become so dry as to need this treatment will probably have developed a fissure between the ball of soil and the pot, and this should be closed by pressing the soil down with the thumbs. If neglected this fissure will convey all applied water direct to the drainage hole, without permitting it to linger 10/g enough to refresh the roots. To ascertain when the pot needs water, rap the pot hard with the knuckles; if the pot gives out a clear, ringing sound, water is generally required; if, on the other hand, a dull, heavy sound is emitted, the soil is sufficiently wet. Experience in applying this test can be gained by filling a pot with wet soil and another with dry’, tapping them sharply and noting the difference.

The surface soil of pot plants should be stirred up with a pointed label occasionally, to counteract the hardening or compacting tendency of constant watering, and to prevent the formation of moss. Rain water should always be used where possible, and should be of the same temperature as the house in which the plants are grown.