The Flower Gardener’s Tasks in October

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 3, 15 September 1950, Page 271

The Flower Gardener’s Tasks in October

VV/ITH the weather becoming warmer and risk of frosts

receding during October in most districts of New Zealand, the treatment of young plants — hardening off, planting out, and thinningis a subject which recurs frequently in this month’s article for the flower gardener by C. K. Ellis, Horticulturist, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin. Advice is also given about the combating of pests and diseases which are likely to be troublesome at this season.

ANNUALS sown in the open during September should have germinated, by the middle of October. As soon as the seedlings can be handled easily they should be thinned to about 2in. apart; the seedlings removed may be used to fill any gaps which have occurred. When the plants have established themselves more firmly they should be thinned again. Dwarf varieties such as alyssum should be thinned to a minimum of Bin. apart and vigorous types such as godetias should not be less than 18in. apart; 10 to 12in. is adequate spacing for such types as cornflowers, candytuft, and pot marigolds. If plants are allowed to grow too closely, they starve each other, premature flowering is induced, and the plants seed and die at an early, stage. Bedding plants may be planted out from . their boxes in October, but in districts which experience late frosts it is advisable to delay the planting out of such tender varieties as salvias, petunias, and zinnias until the risk of these frosts is past. The plants should be thoroughly hardened off in the boxes before they are planted out by being left for a period in a cold frame or stood in the open protected by a scrim cover. Such hardened plants are less likely to be damaged by light frosts than are those planted out directly from a glasshouse. Boxes of bedding plants should be watered thoroughly a few hours before they are planted out to ensure that they are not short of moisture and to make lifting the plants from the boxes easier and less likely to cause damage to the roots. Biennials such as sweet william, myosotis, and Canterbury bells can be sown in boxes outdoors during October.

Begonia cuttings rooted in the greenhouse can be potted up into Sin. pots as soon as the roots are considered to be developed . sufficiently. The potting mixture recommended in the article on begonias in last , month’s “Journal” should be used. Chrysanthemum cuttings made and inserted in the rooting medium during September should have rooted by about 3 weeks . from the date of planting, They should be hardened off preparatory to being planted out. At the time of planting the tops should be nipped out of any plants which have

not begun to produce side shoots, Where frosts are severe it is wise to delay the planting out of newly rooted cuttings until November. Old chrysanthemum plants left m the border from last year should have the number of shoots reduced as soon as they are a couple of inches high. There is still time to lift and divide old clumps if the shoots are not more than a few inches long. In the borders chrysanthemums should be planted in groups of 3 and 4 plants of the same variety so that an appreciable amount of the one colour will be showing at flowering time.

Dahlia tubers boxed up in a warm place during August and September will be making good growth of new shoots. Some of these shoots may be removed to be used as cuttings, and the clumps of tubers can still be pulled apart to be replanted as separate plants. Care should be taken to ensure that each piece that is divided off has at least one strong shoot. Fuchsias should be pruned during October if the work has not been done already. All old, dead, weak, or straggly shoots should be cut out. Healthy shoots should - be shortened back, the strongest ones to about 6in. and the weaker ones to about lin. from their bases. Evergreen shrubs are best transplanted in early spring. A few shoots or branches should be removed to relieve the burden on the roots, and the hole should be dug large enough to take the roots fully outspread. When transplanting is finished the new soil level should be at the position on the stem marked by the old soil level. Geraniums, though they tolerate a certain amount of frost on their leaves, are killed readily by severe frosting of the roots. In cold districts plants lifted in autumn and stored in a frost-free place should be planted out again in October. The plants should be cut back rather severely to encourage vigorous new growth and shapely bushes. Gladiolus planting can be continued during October in anv district

THE FLOWER GARDEN IN OCTOBER

Herbaceous plants such as delphiniums, lupins, pyrethrums, and hollyhocks can be raised readily from seed sown in open beds or in boxes or pots outside during . October. , . All named varieties must be propagated vegetatively, and cuttings of young shoots taken from the growing plants in spring will root easily in a cold frame. Lawn edges should be trimmed each spring by cutting them at an angle of about 45 degrees away from the grass. This ensures a firm edge that will not break away when trodden on

or . when the lawnmower wheel accidentally runs over it. This trimming should not be done until possibility of frosts has passed because frosts loosen or “heave” the soil. Rhododendrons often set seed after the flowers have faded. The seed pods should be picked off as they develop. Old, straggly bushes can be cut back hard as soon as the flowers fade. This means that no blooms will be obtained next year, but the mass of young growth that results will soon build a shapely new bush. ? - Water lilies grown in baskets or tubs may be removed from the water this month and have most of the mud washed away from them and replaced with equal parts of good garden soil, well-rotted animal manure, and sharp sand. The roots should never be allowed to dry out during • this operation. While the water lilies are out a good opportunity is provided to clean out the pool.

THE FLOWER GARDEN IN OCTOBER . . .

Pests and Diseases „ „. . ... . ... . . Greenflies (aphides) are. likely to appear in numbers during October on a variety of plants, including roses, At first appearance this pest should be sprayed, preferably on a warm day, with nicotine sulphate at the rate of + P a rts of water, or j fl. oz. to 2 gallons of water. To each 2 gallons of this mixture should be added loz. of soft soap pr 3 fl. oz. of summer (white) spraying oil., : This spraying

should be repeated at 10-day intervals . until all traces of the greenflies have disappeared. Looper caterpillars, the larvae of the silver Y moth, are very troublesome on a wide range of garden plants during spring. They are often common on dahlias, geraniums, and salvias. The caterpillars grow to about Ilin, long, are light green with white and darker green stripes on their backs, and are almost hairless. ■ They eat from the lower surfaces of 1 the leaves, leaving only a thin skin of upper epidermis which ultimately dies and falls out, ’ leaving holes. When moving about the caterpillars arch their ' bodies and proceed in a series of loops. They can be controlled by spraying with a , mixture of. 21b. of arsenate of lead powder to 100 gallons of water. Dusting with D.D.T. or derris is also effective. • "■ Slugs and snails become very numerous and do a great deal of damage during spring, especially to young plants : and seedlings. Hedgehogs, natural enemies of slugs and snails, destroy appreciable numbers of them, but the best method of control probably is the use of poison baits. Metaldehyde, sold as solid fuel in oblong white tablets, is \ extremely poisonous to slugs and snails. One tablet should be crushed and mixed with 2 handfuls of wheat bran or dried blood and the mixture sprinkled lightly over the areas frequented by the pests. If rain falls within 24 hours of making the application repetition of the treatment may be necessary. Tulip “stripe” or “breaking” is a virus disease transmitted from plant to plant by greenfly. The flowers

develop abnormal streaks of colour and the bulbs, though they usually continue to grow and multiply, will never be free from the disease. The home gardener should, watch carefully for streaked buds, and if any appear, the pjants, including the bulbs, should be dug out and burnt immediately. A careful watch should be kept for greenflies feeding on the foliage or flowers, and a spraying with. nicotine sulphate should be given at their first appearance. Lath Blind for Greenhouse In . the caption to., an illustration , of . a lath blind for a greenhouse on page 167 of the August "Journal” the dimensions of the timber to be used’ were stated wrongly. The size of lath recommended is lin. x Jin. .