ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 140, 11 December 1930, Page 27

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"liaukawa."—Kuraaras do best. when planted on ridges of rich light soil. They are essentially hot weather plants and should not be put out too early. In normal seasons tho plants may be put out from the beginning of December, but this Is such a lato season that it would be better to postpone planting till the weather Is moro settled. The young plants are usually obtainable from nurserymen at tho proper season. They should bo plauted along the top of tho ridges with as much of the stein as possible covered. Water well after planting. Keep the soil well worked round the plants and lift' the growths occasionally to prevent them from rooting in. ' Balsams, being tropical plants, require, plenty of warmth and water. It is essential that the pots be well drained and tho compost porous-otherwise the soil will become sour. They do not require any unusual amount of shade. Cyclamens. You evidently overdid the manuring and so MUcu them. Either, weak liquid manure or Clay's fertiliser would have been sufficient and given only once in three weeks or a month. More plants arc killed by -over feeding than by neglect. '

"Mrs. F.M."—The usual cause of vegetables bolting or running to seed prematurely is drought, but this cannot be the reason this season. Old plants of silver beet naturally go to seed at this time of year. Onions are sometimes troublesome, and the probable cause is that the young plants were raised too early and allowed to remain in the seed bed, practically dormant,'throughout the winter. When .buying onion plants it is safer to get tho small I ones rather than largo coarse ones. Spinach is a vegetable which requires to be grown on rich si U so that there may bo no check to its growth, which should be,rapid. Any check would cause it to run to seed. You don't say what sort of beans they arc which are backward. If French or butter beans, the cold weather will account for it, but if broad bcaus they should bo coming away well now. Try a sprinkling of nitrate of soda, loz to three feet, sprinkled along the row and watered in, afterwards drawing the soil up round the plants. Aphis are present in every garden and they increase so rapidly that it is only by regular spraying that they can be kept iv check. Zinnias are all very backward this year, and will not do much good till the weather really gets hot. You might try nitrate of soda. It would help them probably, but they will not prosper so long as wo get these cold snaps.

Tomato plants which were put out some time ago arc only now beginning to make growth. The season is likely to be very late, and if the fruit is to be ripened it will be necessary to encourage the plants as far as possible. All superfluous shoots should be pinched out while- quite small, for if allowed to remain they result in wasted energy. Spraying should not be put off till blight appears., In some districts there is little or no trouble with blight, but it is always liable to occur, and regular spraying with Bordeaux mixture will prevent any loss from this cause. Caxe must bo taken not to over-stimulate growth by giving strong doses of manure. Bank growth is much moro liable to attacks of blight. Staking and tying tho plants, allowing them plenty of air and sunlight by not overcrowding, them, will all assist in producing healthy plants which will give tho maximum yield. TO GROW CELERY. For early supplies the seJf-blanehing varieties are most useful, and these may be planted on the flat. They should be planted in good rich soil j about 8 or 9 inches apart, and should receive «upious supplies of water if the weather becomes at all dry. This class of celery is only suitable for warm dis- | tricts and for early supplies, as the plants are not hardy and will not survive cold weather. Much finer heads are obtained from trench-grown plants which may be planted this or next month. The trenches do not require to be very deep, but the bottom must bo well dug and manured. Should stable manure be unobtainable, a liberal aiuuunt of decayed vegetable rubbish should be substituted. The trench should be prepared sonio time before planting to allow it to settle down. One of the most important points in celery culture is to avoid a cheek to tho growth of the plants at any period. I'or this reason great ca.ro should be taken when transferring the plants from the seed-beds to the trenches. Give a good watering before lifting, and use a trowel, disturbing the roots as little as possible.' Plant 12 inches apart and . thoroughly water after planting, then shade for a few days till they start to make growth. Earthing up should not be commenced till the plants have made good growth, and then v bnly gradually— about two inches at a time. Care must be taken not to allow the soil to get into tho hearts. Earthing up is best done while both plants and soil are dry. As celery must not be allowed to get dry, regular watering during dry weather is necessary.

LEEKS.

Belonging to the onion tribp, looks require a rich soil. A light sandy soil

enriched with stable manure gives the best results. The plants may be put out any time from now on till the end of* January. The simplest way of planting is to make a hole with a dibble and drop the plant in. Then pour water in which will. wash sufficient soil down to cover the roots. Do not attempt to fill in tho hole otherwise. Some growers advocate shortening the roots and leaves slightly. This is not really necessary, but may be a good plan if the roots have been torn, in lifting. Weak closes of nitrate of soda every three weeks will greatly help growth. LILIUMS. The great need of lilies growing. in the open ground is to have, their roots kept cool and moist during the hottest days. To this end it is sometimes advocated to plant lilies among shrubs or in beds of rhododendrons or azaleas, where their roots are partially shaded by the shrubs. In very hot, dry situations it is advisable to give lilies a mulch of half-rotted manure or grass clippings. Keeping the surface soil loose does much to prevent the ground drying out, but great care must be exercised in working round the clumps, as the roots arc fairly near tho surfaco and may easily be damaged. Copious watering in dry weather and periodical doses of weak liquid manure when in full growth will greatly help them. Staking is necessary, for the tall stems are apt to be broken down by strong winds or even by heavy rains. It is best to have one neat bamboo, stake for each stem, although large groups of tho common kinds may be staked after the manner of herbaceous plants. When driving the stakes in, keep them far enough away to avoid damaging the j bulbs. Many liliums are stem-rooting —that is, they produce roots from the stem above the bulb as well as from] tho base of the bulb. For this reason it is necessary to plant fairly deeply— about 6 inches to the base of the bulb is a good average depth. At all times | fresh manures should be avoided, and] especially is it- necessary to keep such material from coming iii contact with the bulbs. Any manure necessary should be worked into tho soil well below the base of the bulb before planting and a mulch of manure may be spread over the clumps in the spring to be washed into the soil by the spring rains.