GARDENING.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 41, 20 March 1930, Page 10

GARDENING.

WATERING.

Always do your watering on cool dull days if possible; use the finest sprinklers^ that you can obtain. In garden and flower borders the sprinkler is the best method, for tie Teasons that it drenches the foliage, supplies more moisture to the surface atmosphere which helps to freshen and cool the plants, and most important of all, it makes the hoeing of the surface necea* sary to obtain a fine tilth and prevent haTd bake; and in addition, one may imitate nature and be suTe that tie whole area has been equally watered between plants and shrubs as well as immediately around them. •*

By irrigating or running the water in -channels, the roots are undoubtedly wa» tered, but the surface soil is neglected and it is most important that it s&ould not be neglected.

In some gardens the watering is done by overhead sprinklers; and these are so arranged at regular intervals that one turn of the tap and a large number are working at once covering a large area. If the pressure is right, one may arrange the sprinklers permanently s* that one turn of MSxe tap will practically cause it to rain one every square foot of garden, or border.

In dry hot summers, the results of watering properly are astounding; the need of common sense watering distinct-

ly marks ous most gardens by February of each year; and these home pleasure grounds become sun-parched, water-famined and beyond recognition.

If the cool dull days come not, no* t*he periods of partial rains, the sprinkling must be done in the evening and for several hours into the night, hoeing by sunrise in the morning of the next day. But if watering must be done in the day time under such circumstances irrigation is the bette* plan; let if be deep and thorough. Three good waterings in the month of January, February and Mar<jh are better than every night surface wa.ter« ings; in fact, the latter are not useful to the roots at all.

With our unfailing water supply in the Hutt we should be as-hamed to allow our valuable lawns and beds to be dried out on the first flush of summer.

. To those with, water, the summer should be the gayest and most satisfactory season. That "it does not rain" should not make any difference to tho3© with an unexhaustible supply of water. Summer sunshine interspersed with clouded arid cool days, and with tha exception only of the usual four or five days of intense heat, is the time of my delight. Water, >heat, and are the factors of the best success.

■ Lig&t waterings on dry parched ground even by the stems of plants do little good; the stem and a few central roots get most, whilst the ouftlying rootlets from two to six feet distanct from the plant receive nothing.

Two things stand out distinctly: 1 You must water thoroughly and widely. 2. You must cultivate the surf ace immediately. In these two things, lie most, of the summer duties in outside gardens. ,' '

Often a mistake is made to leave oft watering when rain begins. This is tie best time to water, unless t&e rain happens to be heavy and fairly continuous. One reason for such a time being the best, is that the winds will of ten be cool, and the sky clouded for several days, and possibly the wind and temperature on the cool side for over a week. .On a moment's thought, this will be seen necessary when it is considered that as a rule the occasional summer rains are 'under fifty "points half an inch). This quantity is useless to ,the. under roots * and sub-soil, and the aim of fhe true garden lover should be to take the opportunity of the cool moist conditions and put one and a half or two inches of water into'the subsoil. If the soil is hoed freely as soon as one can work the surface this will last a long time, and give grand results even w!hen followed by great heat. Of couTse, at times the rain may fall heavier than was expected, and this, with youT own watering may give more than sufficient, but this will not do •harm if tout drainage is right, and it will the more often be found thai the watering given will come out on the short side.

Be careful and take final warning and do not water thoroughly unless you are able to cultivate before drying out.