Garden Notes

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 37, 7 November 1942, Page 4

Garden Notes

NOVEMBER Activities Among Flowers And Vegetables WHAT TO SOW AND PLANT (By “The Hoe.”) ■Now that the earth is warming up, rapid growth is becoming more 'evident. Seeds germinate, quickly and the demands on the soil are reaching the highest peak. It is therefore necessary to make sure that the quick-growing plants have ample supplies of food,.and as the food is absorbed in liquid form the gardener must .make sure that’the plants do not lack moisture during the hat, dry days of summer. Mulches of old'leaves, lawn clippings, old manure, composted material or leafmould play a most important part in conserving the soil moisture and should be used wherever possible. Pests and diseases are already on the march, and must be controlled before they take over the garden. At the. moment, greenfly (aphis) is the greatest pest and must be checked by spraying with one of the nicotine sprays. Always add some soapsuds to the water in which such chemicals' are diluted to give them .the necessary adhesive quality. Vegetable Garden. Sow beans (all kinds except broad beans), peas, sweet corn, lettuce, radishes, turnips, carrots, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and marrows. ’ Plant out broccoli, brus?els sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kumeras, potatoes and tomatoes. Spray potatoes and tomatoes with Bordeaux mixture to control blight. Jlarth up earlier potato crops. liemove side-shoots from tomatoes. Flower Garden. Sow anemones, aquilegias, candytuft, carnations, mignonette, pansies, primulas, stocks and zinnias. Plant out chrysanthemums, . asters, pansies, stocks and zinnias. Spray delphiniums with lime sulphur'if mildew is present. Spray roses with a nicotine sulphate preparation to check the ravages of greenfly. CORRESPONDENCE Answers To Inquiries ; Sickly Daphne Bush (“Amateur,” Levin) : The leaves you sent are suffering from a complaint known as chloro sis, which causes the yellowing'and eventual death of the leaves. The cause is generally ascribed to the plant’s inability to absorb the trace of iron need * ed for the manufacture of chlorophyll (the green colouring matter) in the leaves. This inability to absoflb iron is usually brought about by the excessive use of lime. But as you say you have not used lime, it may have been supplied inadvertently, such as would be the case if you used wood ashes, which have a high lime content. It is fairly evident that there is something in the soil that disagrees with daphne. Carefully remove a fair quantity of the soil and replace it with leafmould, or neutral soil mixed with very • old manure. As an additional correct-, ant, save one day’s used tea-leaves, scatter them round the plant and water in. The tannin in the leaves will help to restore ithe necessary acidity. It is also important to make sure that daphne always has a moist root run, but is never ■waterlogged. A ■■ welldrained soil, rich in humus, is the ideal to aim at. Spray for Potatoes (Levin and Masterton inquiries) : Bordeaux mixture is the spray usually recommended to control.blight It is sold already prepared. All you have to do is to dilute it according to directions, and spray. Bearded Ms (“iSonia,” Wellington): Established clumps can be divided anytime up' to February. Choose wellformed “fans” of leaves attached to sturdy rhizones (fleshy rootstocks) for replanting. A sunny, well-drained situation, and a well-limed soil give best results. Propagating Loganberries (A.LE., Palmerston North) : No, you cannot strike loganberries from cuttings. They are propagated by layering the tips of the canes. In January or February, bend don't! the full-grown canes and bury' their tips in the soil to about' three inches, and peg them down. In a few months each tip will have rooted, when it can be severed from the cane and planted out. <

VEGETABLE OYSTER

Sow Salsify Now

Salsify, sometimes known as the vegetable oyster, is a useful root crop to sow now for winter and makes a good substitute for parsnip. To grow it’ well, a porous soil of a sandy or peaty nature is best, but heavy ground which has been well broken up will serve quite well. No manure should be added to the soil at sowing time; the plants are most profitable in soil that was manured the autumn before, or for the previous crop. If the ground is definitely in need of manure, some can be buried a foot below the surface so that the salsify roots do not reach it too quickly. ''Sow the seeds about an inch deep and four inches apart, in drills 15 inches apart; in due course thin the young plants to nine inches apart The roots should be lifted before there is too severe frost and stored in the same way as other roots. '