GARDEN NOTES
(By "Kowhai.")
THE SOIL MULCH. In many parla of New Zealand it is impossible to keep plants growing vigorously during- the summer months wit-b----out a, mulch of soinu sort. Mulches take various forms. 11l the country gardeners can surround their plants with a mulch of well-rotted animal maauro-a mulch that provides not only protection, for the roots, bnt also loud for the'plants. In. suburban gardens" mulches take the form of docayed. vegetation, grass clippings, or road scrapings. Kilt city gardeners'who have- only a tiny, 'piece of ground to 'garden in, find it- hard to obtain materials .for a mulch. Even a hole for storing and rotting down weeds, ot":, is out of the question, for ground is far too precious to bo thus used. And so, as one walks along t l io streets and, peeps over fences, one sees, in one garden after another, plaits struggling to live, with their roots shut up in hard sun-baked sojl. •Occasionally an all-too-welconie shower of lain falls. Leaves and stems are cleansed and. refreshed, but the roots,strugglo as they may, cannot .reach the life-giving moisture. The rain, instead of penetrating to them, run l ', off the hard surface of tho garden, and is lost down the. nearest drain. What a waste! And yot, .with the aid of one garden .tool,, and the'expenditure of a .little energy, every gardener, no matter where he lives,' has within his- reach.- at all times a perfect muloh—the soil mulch. What iB a soil mulch? Ii is _ Bimply the surface soil kept' loor/e, powdered, and dijy by : persistent hooing. When will people learn the inestim-. ablo .vijjiie of'.-the hoe-not as a weed but as a means, of giving to plaujte life, -health, . and ■ comfort? By ke'i'pin? a- loose, fine surface to the garden soill we prevent undue evaporation, and. the moisture that, iB in the soil is 'kept there for the roots of the plants to use.' Also, air and warmth are admitted, and every shower that falls sends foodladon moisture right down to ihc -Tooit. During tire summer many piants require a little ctir-iulant. from time to time. Where animal r.:Brinre cannot be had the gardener uiust fall livli upon artificial manures, and the D6&l time to apply them is just before a shower of rain. With ft loose soil mulch tbi food iB carried by tho roiu down to the feeding part of the plant#—thu roots. With a hard caked, surface, it is washed on to the paths and into the drain, where it is wasted. "We aro so busy," many gardeners complain. "We ar» in offices aud shops all day, and have not time for this constant hoeing." And to these I Bay: "Try it and see." During dry weather the soil needs hoeing , only twice a week, and™ it is done regularly quito a big garden. bed can be gone over in a few minutes.
Of course, every, shower of rain means extra work, but when we think of tho precious food that ia contained in that shower we cannot grumble at a little extra work.
: Let me then urge aU, even those who have only half-a-dozen plants in a tiny Etrip of garden, to keep the hoc at work providing , a loose powdered surface. The garden on top,-may look as dry as dust, but tho moisture is 'i tho ground, and is being kept. down abont the rootß.
Plants Quickly respond when their roots are kept 000 l and ■ comfortable, and tho result is good payment for tie energy spent.
; Thero is one thing more ■ that I would liko to say—flftoen minutes' hoeinir night and morninc brinßS life and health not only to tho nlants, but also to the one who works the hoe.
" ROUTINE WORK. need very special attention at time. 'Whenever it is possible the plants should be thoroughly watered Whenever it is necessary. Tho hoe must ■be kept at work loosening and stirring the soil about the roots.- Where well-de-cayed animal manure can be had, a light mulch Bhould be spread round the plants. Water may .be supplied through tho mulch if it is thought to he neces-. oary, Where, animal manure cannot be had, a little bonednst may. be pricked into the surface, and -weH watered in. 'See ; that the, plants get the full advantage of every ; shower, by keeping the soil loobo about them. Daisies that have been (lowering all the spring aro now looking vory, shabby. Cut back a little all Bhoot-s .that have flowered, to give new shoots a fchancc to develop. Thoroughly loosen t.'lio soil about the plants, and work in a I6ir dressing,.of bonedust. If the have to be cut'back rather severely. a 'little nitrate of soda, may be given as yicll, using Joz, to a gallon of water. Supply this after a " shower of rain or I'.ftiT a Eood watering. i Delphinuims that have finished flowering ■ should bo cut back to within a foot of the ground. Loosen the soil about each plant, give it a good watering, and endeavour to supply a mulch of well-docaycd animal manure. Failing this, use bonedust and any available mulch material, or bonedust-and a.good soil muloh.' Wherever there is'water to spare, such plants as herbaceous ptiloxes, Michaelmas daisies,. feweet scabious, dahlias, liliums, ,lapan.Bke iriseß, montbretias, etc., should bo. given a thorough soaking from time to time. But unless water is plentiful, lttive it alone, and rely npon mulching fcnd hoeing, for superficial watering doeß more harm than socd.
Keep violet plants well looked after. The leaves and Btems, especially the un-der-Sides of the leaves, should be thoroughly Byringed with clear water as often as 'ijoesible to keep away red Bpider. Towards the end of the month, a little Veak liquid manure, following a thorough "watering, will be appreciated by the plants.
Remove' faded flowers' and leaves from all plantß. Seed-pom should not be allowed to form on sweet peas, sweet scabious; sweet sultan,'gaillardias, pansies, violas, etc., or. the flowej-inE season will soon .be over.
Keep all plants well tied to neat stakes. Attend to chrysanthemum plants regularly. -Plants that are not kept clean and supplied with sufficient root'moißtufe are an easy prey for various blights. :
VEGETABLES, SAVING SEED POTATOES.
i: The best time to select tnhers for seed ; is.. just before the haulm begins to tuiu colour. The tubers should bo taken from those, rootfi that have the greatest number of large well-shaped potatoes. Nefer choose for seed potatoes those that are badly shaped, those that- come from a weak root (that is, a root that bears very few and very small potatoes)! or those from roots that have ahown any signs of disease. The selected tubers should be spread out in a cool dry place to "green." The skin theu becomes hard, , and: the potatoes so treated are leas liable to be attacked by disease. Store the seed potatoes in shallow boxes in a cool dry shed, where they will be exposed to a fair amount of light. MARROWS AND PUMPKINS. The vines of marrows and pumpkins are now spreading over the ground very quickly. It is very necessary to keep them , free from all weeds to allow sun and' air free ac-ceBS to them. After a hot dry day the leaves should be tyringed with clear water during the evening. Water that has bean exposed to the sun for a few hours is the best to use for washing plants. Water that is drawn straight from a, well is generally very cold, used straight away, gives the plants such a shock that- it -s apt to cause a check. Those who are obliged to uso pump water should draw it in the morning, and allow it to stand i-Jl day in tubs, buckets, kerosene tins, etc., in the sunshine.
. Vines that .arc making rank urowth and very littlo fruit should have their tips pinched off to cause them to throw out laterals. - The laterals will generally bear fruit, freely.' '>. CABBAGES. Keep a sharp look-out for tho eggs of the cabbage, butterfly during dry warm weather. Look especially on the undersides of the 'leaves. Wash the leaves thoroughly by frequently syringing with clear water; It. destroys the eggs bc;Vre they can -hatch out.' "Garden Notes", next week will contain seasonable 'notes about:—A lavender garden, routine work, and vegetables.
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Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 93, 12 January 1918, Page 13
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1,385GARDEN NOTES Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 93, 12 January 1918, Page 13
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