THE GARDEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 158, 5 June 1940, Page 10

THE GARDEN

Notes are published under this heading, and readers interested in gardening are invited to .send in-questions relating to matters ’ upon which they wish expert advice; answers will be published with the weekly notes.

THE FLOWER GARDEN. Daffodils are coming through the soil now. It is a good plan to pick up all the weeds and carry them away to the compost heap where they will make plenty of manure "for work later on. Rake up all fallen leaves and stack them up in a corner where they can rot down. They will come in very useful for special work in boxes and pots. If they are left on the grass they will be either too thick and kill the grass underneath or worms will pull them down into the soil. •, Pansies are making brave efforts to flower in some cases and if you want to see what they are like put some sticks into the ground to hold a sheet of glass over them. The sides need not be covered up as long as the plants aro covered from the heavy rain and frosts. This glass will encourage slugs to come amongst the plants, but a little meta-bran sprinkled near them will keep the slugs down. This stuff does not spoil immediately it rains, but should be replaced about once a week. The sheet of glass is a good thing to use over rare plants in the rockery. There are some that do not like the heavy rain and these must be protected during the winter. Now is a good time of the year to give hydrangeas a good manuring with some well-rotted manure. This can be spread over the ground to a depth of about three inches and lightly forked into the soil. Later, in the spring, a dressing of fowl manure or blood and bone can be sprinkled on the ground and forked in oil top of the other. 'yVhen pink blooms are required lime is used to top-dress with and alum when blues or purples are wanted. It is a curious thing, but those who want blues generally have good pinks, and vice-versa. Proceed with rose planting and if ‘the soil is not ready when the plants arrive heel them in at a convenient place, where they will be quite safe until they are wanted. It is not a good plan to plant when the ground is wet; it should be dry enough to cling to the hand when some of it is taken up in the hand. Standard roses should be carefully staked, and if some inner tubing is cut into short pieces these can be, put between the stakes and the shank of the standard to stop any chafing. String can be placed round this to keen the rubber in place. Do not put the plants in any deeper than they have been growing in the nursery, and take care that no fresh manure comes in contact with the roots. PESTS. There are two pests which we think should occasion gardeners a great deal more concern than they seem to do. The first we shall deal with is the white scale on roses, which is increasing far too much and will cause a lot of disappointment to growers if they allow this state of things' to continue. "We would advise anyone finding this pest in his garden to spray at once and to search tlie surrounding gardens to find if there is any source of infection. In the pruning season every branch of a rose is examined and if the white scale is seen the plants can be sprayed with lime sulphur at the rate of one part of the lime sulphur to fifteen, parts of water. The advantage of using this spray *is that dormant spores of mildew and blackspot are killed before they can begin their deadly work. Another spray that can bo used is white oil, but anyone using this must not use sulphur for at least a month or so afterwards. The strength at which this spray is used i 6 one part of the oil to eighty parts of soapy water. This spray can be used on plants that are in leaf with no ill effects. There arc some varieties which will not he affected, such as some of the tea roses. The ivild briar of die roadside is one of the worst offenders, and in nearly every case if these plants are inspected they will generally be found to be alive with the pest. The best thing to do is to grub the plant out and burn the remains at once.

The other pest to which we shall refer is that disease which affects the brassica family. This trouble is rapidly increasing and it would be easy to find it in any garden where cabbages or anv of that family are grown. The trouble is largely spread by the use of sheep manure which has come from turnip-fed sheep and which is largely used in gardens. Snob a soil is easily brought back to health by the use of lime in some form or another. The best form is slaked lime, because it acts quicker than carlxmate of lime. Give each yard of soil half a pound of lime and work it into the ground. It will be better when treating soil in this way not to grow any of the cabbage family in it for about two years. When raising young plants for planting out, choose clean fresh soil and grow the seed in a box where it can he kept away from contamination. If you are having plants and are not absolutely certain that they are free from the disease, dip the roots in corrosive sublimate made up at tlie rate of one part to 3000 parts of water. Hold the roots of the plants in this for a minute or so and then shake the surplus off before planting. As this stuff is very poisonous it must not be left lying . about, but should be poured into a hole in the ground. Club-root only lives in a soil that lacks lime and is-a certain sign That the garden needs the latter at once.. POTASH AND THE GARDEN. The following article has been sent to us and there is a lot in it which is more than comnionsense, and if followed up will benefit the garden • “The special benefits which potash confers on garden plants are only just beginning to be realised, and it. is quite sate to state that if they were understood far more use would be made of it in garden practice. Heavy soils do not need so much of it as light, sandy soils. The latter have no stores, or. scarcely ' any, of potash, while the clays are all found to contain a certain amount, and more is freed by the use of lime. Light soils soon lose their supply, first by the plants and then , by the rain washing it' away. In cla'v soils it does not stand the same chance of being lost. Lime and potash are said to be interchangeable, and. when potash comes out tlie lime goes in to take its' place. Even though clays may' have • a fairly good supply of potash in their makeup, it is quite safe to make sure of plenty by ; an annual top-dressing of potash. It is also valuable in the fruit garden. At this time of the year when hedges are ..being cut all the clippings should be kept and burnt and the ashes used, on the soil. Even if the ashes come:'from a smoulder fire thev are good and should never be wasted. Those who have wood fires should save all the ashes and either put them at once on the ground or save them under cover, where: they will , not get wet and can bo kept until required. If. ashes are left but in the wet. they lose the

best part. There are two very siiecial reasons why care should be taken to give the soil a good supply 4 of potash. Ihe first is that a good supply will help materially to keep disease away and enable them -to resist frost. The other is a curious one, and is that a good supply of potash in the soil to a certain extent takes the place of sunshine. In a dull summer plants are said to receive more benefit from potash than in a sunny one 1 . *We know that there is not enough potash for all gardeners, and so we advise everyone to use his best endeavours to save all he can get from his wood and rubbish fires. Those who live near the seashore should never waste any seaweed which they may be able to get. Seaweed is said to contain a great deal of potash and is most useful when used on asparagus beds, as this is a potash-greedy plant. During all my own experience I have never been able to get enough seaweed to please me, but ali kinds of root vegetables do well with me. Beet, carrots, and parsnips always do well with me and I believe it is the seaweed or the amount of potash that comes with it that, is the reason. The best crop that I have ever seen grew after potash had been used on the preceding crop, and I believe that if potash is used in.conjunction with other manures a lot will he gained.” RUNNER BEANS.

Runner beans can be looked upon as a permanent crop because they will send up fresh shoots lrom - the old stools year after year. In some cases the tojis of these plants have not been frosted and cut down, but that should not stop one from working alongside the rows. At the same time work in a good, dressing of manure. Well-rotted larmyard manure is the best, and later a dressing of superphosphate can he given which, will do them a lot of good. Possibly runner beans are one of the most economical vegetables that can be grown, because when they begin to grow pods beans can be picked from them almost every day. ... SMALL FRUITS.

The present time is a good one to manure and clean up small fruits such as gooseberries, raspberries and red and black currants. These plants like a good dressing of manure spread over the ground round ■'them and forked in. In the case of gooseberries, one must be careful not to injure the stems or to cut the roots about too much. Raspberries, on the other hand, have generally a lot of suckers coming up amongst them and these have to he moved; a spade is the best tool to do this with. Clean up strawberry beds and remove all the suckers that may have escaped your notice, and clear awav all the dead leaves. In the case of old beds, fork very lightly. QUESTIONS. “Amateur” says: “I have dug a hole about two feet in diameter and have thrown out the top spit. I have some fowl manure and some cow manure. The cow manure is fresh. Should I mix it with the lower spits, in which , case it would be beneath the roots of the trees, or should I mix it with'both ? Which is the better manure of the two ?” • The cow manure is the better of the two, but you must be sure that the hole you are making does not. hold water, which would spoil any manure put into it. Keep the fowl manure dry until the lemon begins to grow, and then put it on the surface and fork it into the surface. When planting the lemon do not put it too deeply in the soil; rather plant it on the top and draw the soil up to it. “New Garden” savs: “I have a new garden and the soil is very sandy. I was wondering if it would be possible to grow some roses, of which I have always had a good bed.” It is quite possible to grow roses in a sandy soil; in fact, in some sandy soils they are liable to make too much growth and to flower too little. Gow or pig manure will hind the soil. together, and some heavy clay soil worked 'into the bed should help matters. The great thing will be to make the soil as firm as possible and to plant firndv. When using clay soil, mix it well with the sandy soil and do not he afraid to work in the grass. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

That piece of vacant ground in your hack garden concerns you and every other man or woman jn the country. See what you can do about It now and get it -prepared for vegetables. There are plenty of onions wanted and if you can grow enough for yourself and have a few to give away in exchange for other tilings you will be helping the general scheme of things. One does not want' any waste nowadays, and when you can make good with all the ground you have at, your disposal it will mean a great deal more than you can think of. Go ahead and get the ground ready as soon as you can. If it is done before the winter is over the ground will have time to sweeten up, especially if lime is spread over it and worked into the soil when the time .comes: for, planting out. We also think that it is safe to say that there vv ill be plenty of plants available for those who have not had-time to grow their own. Potatoes are another important crop, and seed should be got now and put in boxes to sprout and green up m readiness for planting time. One of the greatest advantages about sprouting potatoes before planting them is that they can be planted a fortnight later than those not so treated and will come up before them. Early potatoes should be planted with manure ,in the trench, a.nd if some potasli can be sprinkled along it -at the same time it will improve the flavour of tlie’ciop. Silver beet has been in greater request this.season than ever before, showing that the value of this vegetable is being greatly appreciated. It is one of the finest stand-bys that can be grown, but it'does not like poor land. The seed that is sown in the spring should he sown above a* good dressing of manure and the plants thinned out to at least a foot apart.

Prepare land for cabbage and cauliflower plants by digging and manuring, and when planting, or just before planting, ridge it up and set the plants out along the top of the ridges, giving each one a handful of basic slag in the hole with the roots. Leeks can be improved even now by giving the plants plenty of liquid manure. Even in the cold, weather these plants will go oil growing and can be left in the ground until the spring, when they will show signs of running to seed, they can then lie lifted and heeled in. This will check the seeding tendency for a .lew iweeksi If you "have a. spare cold frame, sow some lettuce seed thinly and prick the young plants into other boxes where they have more room. They can be lifted from these with a good ball of earth on the roots and will not suffer from the movement., '- ~ ,