HOME GARDENS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 7, 8 March 1950, Page 3

HOME GARDENS

(By J. S. Yeates, Massey Agricultural College) SOWING DOWN A LAWN A lawn should be the main feature of most gardens. A clear expanse of’ green sward is not only beautiful in itself, but it serves as a contrast also for the rest of the garden. Lawns provide about .the ( easiest available means of having a little open space in the garden, space which can be kept tidy with the minimum of attention.

March or April are the usual months to sow lawns the exact time being chosen according to district and of course, in the light of the particular season. The object should be to sow the seed as soon as the dry weather is over, and while there is enough warmth to give a moderate amount to autumn growth. The best general mixture of grass seed is two parts -of chewings fescue and one part of certified brown top. Buy these seeds separately from a seed merchant, and get him '‘to .mix them. Some weird and wonderful ready-made mixtures are sold for lawn purposes, an,d it is safer to leave them entirely hlone. If they are cheaper than the pure seeds quoted above, you can be fairly sure that they contain cheap, poor seed. Ryegrass is one thing to avoid in a lawn. It is very tough -to cut, and makes nasty patches that show up badly in a 4ood lawn.

Use a total of one or two ounces of the seed mixture per square yard. 'The first problem is to level'your lawn, at least in those places where it is intended to be level. With a small lawn, this can be done much as you would lay concrete;’ have a straight, level, board edge along two sides, and another down the middle if the lawn is wider. Then use a long piece of board with a good straight edge, sliding it along the boards already pegged in place at the sides. This will show at once where you must shift soil to get a good level. Having got the soil to a fairly good level, it should be well firmed and the levels checked again. Too much emphasis can scarcely be laid on this firming because if you do not firm the ground thoroughly, you are likely to have it settle down unevenly, giving you a very amateurish job. One of the best ways to firm the soil is to roll it down by getting a small car (or even a truck) on to it and going backward and forwards over the ground until every inch has been done. This really does show up any' soft spots in a way that a wide roller cannot. The soft spots should be filled and the filling well rolled in. Having the soil level and well rolled, it remains to rake the top half-inch to a really fine state leaving the soil below still well packed. During this raking off, some fertiliser should be added. A good mixture would be super 2 parts, ammonium sulphate 2 parts, sulphate of potash one part; the mixture being applied at about one ounce per square yard. Mix this in the tophalf as you rake the ground over. Remove all small lumps which you rake off, and the ground should be ready for sowing. Storage of Potatoes

When you dig your maincrop potatoes it is a good idea to treat some of them with the special hormone material to check their early sprouting. The Vnaterial we tried out here was called “Dormatone,” and one ounce was dusted over each 35 pounds of potatoes before storing them in the autumn. They wei’e then stored in sacks in a cool, dry shed. In November when they were inspected, it was found that the dusted lots were in much better condition than the untreated. The latter had great quantities of long sprouts, while the treated' potatoes, though rather past the useful stage, had kept their weight much better and had fewer sprouts. Do not try to store potatoes which have been cut or otherwise damaged in digging. They can start rot which may ruin many others as well. Tomato plants should be regularly sprayed with Guprox. Do not make the common mistake of stripping off most of the leaves. The Tatura Dwarf variety has done very well with me this year. ?The row is spread over the ground in a strip about four feet wide.