THE GARDEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 216, 12 August 1937, Page 15

THE GARDEN

Notes are published u interested in gardening- are ing to matters upon which will be published with the

THE FLOWER CARDEN

Continue planting shrubs and roses whenever the soil is dry enough. Hoses can be pruned and sprayed now, and when this lias been done give the beds a good coating of farmyard manure and work it into the soil with a fork. Farmyard manure is not complete in itself, but if 2oz. of superphosphate and foz. of sulphate of potash are given to every square yard of soil the plants will do better. Keep the soil well cultivated between the plants and do this every week at least.

Chrysanthemum cuttings that were taken earlier in the season should be well rooted now and can be potted up into three-inch pots. It is essential that they should be firmly potted into a good compost of soil, into which a little bone flour has been mixed. As soon as they get over this potting and are fresh again, put them outside in the sun and air. It does not pay to coddle them in any way. Moro cuttings can be taken if required. Plant them firmly. Sonte varieties may not be sending up all the cuttings required, and these may be lifted and taken into a glasshouse, where they will soon send up fresh growths. Dahlia tubers can bo taken up now and put in a warm corner and covered with sand so that they will shoot, when they can be divided up with a shoot to each crown. It does not pay to keep the stools dry. If this is done they will soon begin to dry out, and it takes some time to start them growing again. Some for early flowering can be put out in the garden in October, but November is early enough to plant the main varieties. The soil can be worked up now and manured for future plantings. These plants like a good, rich soil. It is too early yet to plant up gladioli, but if there are any that are making too much shoot they could be planted to provide early blooms. When the soil is dry enough seedling plants such as pansies, violas, and antirrhinums can be put out. If possible, lift them from the box with a trowel and keep some soil around their roots; if this is done they will grow away at once. All parts of the garden that have not been dug or got ready for the summer should be turned over now, and manure that can be spared dug in at the same time. At this time of the year there is generally a great rush to get things done, and it depends a lot on the weather as to how much will bo done. If any plants or shrubs are affected with scale insects they should be sprayed now. Camellias in some gardens are affected with brown scale, and this retards their growth unless it is checked. I3ORONIAS.

There seeins to be some trouble amongst gardeners as .to growing boronias. Most people like to have one or two in their gardens on account of their wonderful scent, but most of them complain that they die out in one or two years and have to be replaced. In the first place, these plants like a well-drained, sandy loam that has no lime on it, and if this can be given to them naturally or artificially, they should grow all right. One of the chief causes of failure is that they are subject to attacks of a small red mite aild should be sprayed with Black Leaf 40 at fairly frequent intervals. The best plan is that adopted by one large grower wiio grows the plants for cut flowers; he sprays them three times in about ten days with the above. The first spraying kills the insects, the second any that may have been missed, and the third any eggs that may have hatched out in that period. If they are kept free from these insects and are in reasonably well-drained soil there is no reason why they cannot bo kept going for a considerable time. Me have seen some hushes three to four feet high that have been treated in this way. QUESTIONS.

“An Amateur” says: Regarding spraying trees, dissolving Milestone in a wooden or earthenware vessel puts an amateur in a fix when using a spraying pump. He wants to know the reason for the objection. Another thing is that there is a difference between the Agricultural Depart ment’s formula and ours. In regard to breaking down or dissolving bluestone in anything except a wooden .or earthenware vessel, the iron kills the Milestone aiub what, is more, it will eat its way through iron or tin in a very short time. Any iron or tin utensil that has had even a small piece of Milestone put in it will rust away and nothing will stop it. , In regard to using the stuff through a spray-pump, these pumps are not made of iron, but of soine substance such as brass, which resists the action of the bluestone, when it is .neutralised to a certain extent by the use of washing soda or lime as the case may be. We always advise the use of washing soda in preference to lime, because it is easier for an amateur to mix.. When lime is used it lias to be quicklime, and has to be carefully slaked, gild this is where so many amateurs fail. Washing soda is easily dissolved, and there is no chance of it not being pure. The double quantities we gave were for a spray when the plants were dormant, hut as soon as they begin to turn to the pink stage, which they are doing now, the quantities must be reduced by half, that is, one pound of bluestone 'to six gallons of water, and one pound of washing soda to six gallons of water; make the total quantity- up to twelve and a-half gallons altogether. Of course, if you only want small quantities you call reduce these bv half and make six gallons. We know that the department always recommends the bluestone and hmc, but we have tried both and have had the best results with the bluestone and washing soda, and we put this down 10 the fact that the last two are easier to mix than the first. Also wo use a galvanised bucket to carry the mixture in, and this has been treated with a bitumen paint and the mixture has done it no harm. It is thoroughly washed out directly it has been used. We hope this is vi hat yon require, but remember that the stronger spray is for dormant plants only. The weaker one is for them when the buds are in the pink stage only, lney can be sprayed again when the petals of the flowers have fallen. “Rose” says: We have noticed reference to white scale on roses in your notes lately, and would like to know if the enclosed twig has the trouble to which you refer.. We began pruning our roses last week, and on several plants this white stuff was very noticeable. We have never seen it before, and would like to know bow it got there. What spray would you Recommend to be used, and when i The branch sent with the letter is badlv infected with white scale, and ' l

order this heading, and readers invited, to send in questions relqttliey wish expert advice; answers veekly notes.

immediate steps should he taken to clean them up. As pruning has only just been done they can be sprayed with lime-sulphur at the rate of one part of the mixture to twelve parts of. water. This spray is an insecticide as well" as a fungicide, and will not only destroy the scale but will help to keep mildew and black leal spot at bay. Another spray that you can use for the scale is red emulsified oil at the rate of one part of tho oil to sixteen parts of hot, soapy water. When soapy water is used there are no free globules of oil floating about in it, and you get a good mix. How the scale has come to your garden we cannot say, but we have examined plants oi the ordinary sweet briar growing miles away from any garden or habitation and have found them badly affected by this trouble. In one case the plant, examined was so covered with the scale that it was dying, and when we put a match to it the whole thing wont up in smoke. One prominent rose grower writing from Auckland says: “Scale has been very bad this season, tho- worst I have ever seen it, and J am advising all growers to use one of the spraying oils, white or red. at once. Unfortunately we have no dormant season here, and I do not think it advisable to use tho oil spray stronger than one part to twenty of water.” Unfortunately, if you use the white spraying oil you must be careful not to use sulphur about tho plants until some time has elapsed; from five to six weeks afterwards should be all right. Wo would advise all growers to overhaul their plants carefully and if any scale is noted to spray at once before it gets too nntcli of a hold. Some of the climbing roses are greater offenders than the dwarfs. Once this trouble gets into a garden it spreads rapidly, perhaps by the agency of birds, or as it is very light, it may be blown about by the wind. “G.S.” says: “I have brought some fruit trees and have had them planted in a new section. I am told that they should be pruned the first season, and lam wondering if this is right. it seems to me that if I prune them I shall not get any fruit tor a very long time. There are eight apples, two peaches and two nectarines.” If you wish your fruit trees to grow and become a success you must prune them the first season and continue to prune them in the following years. It is a wise plan to stop them bearing for the first two years at least, and to induce them to form plenty of fruiting spurs. Even at the end of tho two years do not allow them to carry

much fruit. This refers to the apple trees particularly. In the case of the peaches and nectarines, prune them hard tho first year and spray them well, ami remove any dead wood. They like plenty of manure and soil culture, and although they may not last particularly well they should fruit well for ten years at least, and can then be replaced by younger plants. The most important thing is to keep them free from leaf curl. THE VEGETABLE ‘GARDEN.

Plant out autumn-sown onions as soon as the ground can be prepared and is not too web to walk on. This is one of the most important crops next to potatoes that can bo grown, and when young plants are set out they are easy to manage, because the rows can be seen from the start. Put in a few potato sets to provide the early dishes of new potatoes. However good the old potatoes are, the new ones are always welcome, and many people like them for mixing in with salads and such dishes. Plant out lettuces in wellmanured ground and raise the beds above the surrounding soil. Tlic main thing about lettuce plants is to keep thenr growing when once they are in the ground and to plant or sow them so that one has a succession to go on with. Possibly stable manure is better for them than any other kind, and if some can bo obtained it will be better than cow manure, which is not hot. Radishes and turnips can be sown now. A small quantity of each is all that is required to begin with,- and then keep up the succession as long as they are required. A good rich soil is essential to success. A row of red beet can also be sown now. AYlien the young plants come up, dust some salt along the rows, and this will help them to grow. . rt is too earlv to sow tomato seed .vet. Next montii will he soon enough for that, but the boxes of soil that the seed is to be sown in can bo prepared i>V sterilising it, either by baking it or steaming it for half an hour or so, and then allowing it to cool off and dry out again. ‘ . , Artichokes of the tuberous variety can be planted now. It is not necessary to manure them if the soil is m good condition and has . been manured for gome previous crop. If the soil is poor, then some manure can be forked into it. bub it does not pay to give them too much at any time. Sow peas and protect them as soon as they come iqi. Birds are very troublesome when tins crop is voting. Lift any crops of carrots, parsnips, beet and so oil that may bo in the soil, and store them in boxes in dry sand.

A lot of carrots that have been in the ground during the winter may have cracks in them, and these should be put on ono side for immediate use or fed to fowls or pigs. They will not keep and are likely to set up rot in the rest if they are left.