GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2896, 7 October 1916, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.")

» — ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS." "Amateur," Nelson, writes:—"l am enclosing a piece of my coarse asparagus fern. I shall bo pleased if you can tell nio the cause and the -remedy of the blight on it."' Get some Gishurst's Compound from a seed merchant, use loz. to 1 gallon ,of water, and synngo "tho fern thoroughly. Do this in tho evenmg, and early the next morning syringe again with clear water. If the fern does not improve after one or two applications I should burn it. Plants in pots must be cleansed regularly to keep away blights.

'A.H.," Upper Hutt, writes:—"When manure cannot be put into the vegetable' gardon at the right time lxrforo sowing seeds, what would be the best thing to do with the crops to help them to successful growth? I refer particularly to pens, turnips, carrots, onions, beans, beet, and cabbage." Peas, beans, nnd cabbage may be helped by the use of liquid manure, made from cow manure and soot. Begin with a solution, and always first water the crops thoroughly with clear iv<i(or. Cabbage may bo further helped with nitrate of st*da (loz. to 1 gallon of water), applied after rain or after previous watering with'clear water. Hoe between the rows every day if possible. J 0 , 11 can some well-rotted manure, a light mulch spread between the i<ows will help the crops. For turnips, carrots, onions, and beet, soot is a grand fertiliser. You can't uso too much. Sprinkle it along the rows and it will bo hoed in in duo course. Bonedust or superphosphate at the ra.te of 2oz. to the running yard may be pricked in now. Keep the orops supplied with water, giving them one thorough watering every week. Frequent insufficient waterings do more harm, than good. Hoo between' the rows ,: ™'T suitable day. Sufficient water and aids booing will bo your greatest . . VIOLETS. The flowering season o£ violets is over now, and planta need careful attention to keep them healthy and strong. Three-year-old borders should be lifted and the old plants done away with. If runners and cuttings have not already been taken and rooted, secure from"uie old •w l'' strong , young growth possible. Tho old "woody pieces are of no use. 'A 6 soon as the old plants aro lifted trench tho ground to a depth of two , ~ 8 ® an easily manago this with-out-disturbing the .Test of the garden bed. Mark off a piece of the ground to be trenched about two feet long and one i foot wide. Lift tho top soil, and wheel it away to the other end of tho border. Now break up tie subsoil and mix with it plenty of well-rotted manure, or decayed vegetable rubbish, and a dressing ot bonedust. Now mark off the next rvaP*..? 110 ' Wl> f® o ' l° n £- Lift the top soil and place it on the strip you have just been manuring. Then proceed to treat and manure tho subsoil i? m • s ? colu / strip. The; top-soil from file third strip will go on to the subsoiil in the second strip, and so on. Tho sub'ast s ' r 'P '■> 0 covered with tho topsail from the first strip. Trample- the soil well down, rake it tidy, and hoo it. If soot can bo obtained blacken tho \surfnce soil . with it, and it in before planting tho new border. Plants that aro not to -be dug out this year also need careful attention. As sotai- as the flowers become, small and weedy, cut .off all suckers and shoar the leaves right off. Carefully pick out from among tho roots any dead leaves. Get a small tin of' concentrated lime sulphur from a seed merchant, and thoroughly syringe tho. roots, using a very weak solution." The directions on the tin rocommond '1-gallon of lime , sulphur in 125 . to 130 gallons of water. - 'Far a small supply measuro gome of the lime sulphur-into a small vessel (a " jelly jar or small tin), and pour this into a bucket. Then add from 140 to 150 times the amount, of:iwatei'.r; Churn up the before'iising it. ;As-:iroon::its:'j>ossible''ai'tor syringing tho plants, thoroughly stir tho 'soil about tliein with tho hand fori. Work in a dressing of bonedust, and if soot can be obtained, sprinkle this around the plants and afterwards work it ij, K<i?n tho jilonts -well watered and clean during the summer months.- That is a most important time in tho lives of violet plants, and unfortunately, it is a time when they are very much neglected. DAHLIAS, . Tho soil for dahlias must bo very thoroughly dug to a good depth and- well curiched with cow manure, or well-decayed vegetable, matter and bonedust. After preparing tho ground for dahlias, do not as is necessary for other plants, mako the soil firm. Dahlias seem to. like to lie planted in loose, rich, deeply-worked soil.

Tubers that were, lifted and stared away should bo brought out and sprouted. To do this j)lant them in a spare, sunny part of the garden, so tfyat they ate just covered with earth, and keop the soil moist all the time. Shoots will soon appear, and pieces of tuber containing ono or two • good strong shoots may ba cut away from the cliunp, and planted in- tho prepared bed. Keep thorn well watered till the shoots appear above tho ground, and'then apply ft mulch of well-rotted manure. Dahlias are difficult to grow well, in very dry, hot districts, because they are 6uch thirsty plants,. but I by preparing tho ground as directed above, and by attending to mulching, dahlias may. be grown almost anywhere with only' an occa-. sional good watering. Tho flowers, es-l pecially of; cactns dahlias, are so exquisite in form and colouring, that they are worth tlio .'iocessary trouble m their cultivation. : i\>r watering them the washing-diy soap suds cannot be beaten. Seeds .of single and collarette dahlias may still bo sown, and -the plants will flower early in the autumn.-

VEGETABLES. MARROWS AND PUMPKINS. The heaps or holes .\vlier6 marrows ami pumpkins are to' bo grown should be proparal ,as. soon as possible. In very hot,' dry districts holes aro the best for growing. Inarrows, etc., in. These should be dug out now to a depth of about threo feet. The width' will depend upon the numbers of plauts to be put into cacli hole. Begin filling in the holes with well-rotted manures, and welldfecayed vegetablo rubbish. A fair amount of soil should be thoroughly mixed with this. X'ill m the hole to .within two or three inches of tho top. Throw in wa6hing water and household slops till tho contents of the hole aro nicely 'saturated. Should any smoll como from 'the liolo sprinkle a little lime over tho 6urface. Seeds may bo planted as soon as the contents of'tho holes aro ready. Vogetable seedlings that arc in seed pans must be conkantly attended, to. Keep the soil moist, but not' sodden. Should the soil become caked, loosen it with a pointed stick. Tomatoes that were sown in pans out of doors will soon bb ready for plan,ting out. . Where there is. lio .danger of frost affecting the plants, seedlings tha't are ready may bo put out into tho garden. Keep lettuces and ijabbages well syringed to l<cop away greenfly. Don't, allow any of the cabbagp or cauliflower tribe to become dry at the roots at any time. The plants very soon, bolt. if they aro allowed to suffer from' dryness at tho roots. Constant hoeing is a great protection for tho roots. Sowings should be made this piontli of savoy cabbage l , Brcfesels fiproutsi, and broccoli. Sow a pinch of .lettuce seed every threo weeks for succession. Make a now sowing of radishes as soon as tho previous ono appears through tho ground. Continuo planting potatoes. , Earth up early potatoes while the eartli~is moist and sun-warmed, Sprinkle a very littlo nitrate of. soda along the rows 'before doing so. Where necessary, tho following seeds may be sown:—-Beol, leeks, onions, carrots, parsnips, ppis, ramahos, turnips, marrows, pumpkins, cabbages, cauliflowers, savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, parsloy, and lettuce. Tomatoos and celery may still bo sown in seed pans. Garden Notes next week will contain (icasonablo notes about annuals for present sowing, aquilegias, and vegetables.