THE GARDEN WORK FOR WEEK

Otago Witness, Issue 4032, 23 June 1931, Page 11

THE GARDEN WORK FOR WEEK

NOTES BY

D.TANNOCK, A.H.R.H.S.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY Continue to pot up rooted cuttings of geranium and pelargoniums into threeinch pots. Put in cuttings of the large flowered chrysanthemums, and prepare for sowing seeds of tomatoes, antirrhinums, marigolds, and other of the hardier bed ding plants which can be brought on early, and put out into the cold frames to make room for the more tender bed ding plants. Sow seeds of perennials and alpines, make and put in hardwood cuttings, and line out rooted trees and shrubs in the nursery.

THE FLOWER GARDEN The soil is still in excellent working order, and tree and shrub planting should be carried out this month if possible. If” not this month it will be better to defer it until August, when weather and soil conditions will be again more favourable. The advantages of autumn planting have often been mentioned, but there is the further advantage that we get on with the work at what is usually a slack time, and this relieves the pressure in the spring, when there is so much to do. Continue to prune rambler hnd climbing roses, to clear off herbaceous borders, and to trench new beds and borders. This is also a good time to repair old paths and make new ones, to lay drains and clean out ditches, repair fences and clip hedges. Trees and shrubs can be pruned, and the borders dug or forked over. Daffodils are peeping through the ground, and it will be an advantage to fork the surface a little to remove weeds and give them a dressing of basic phosphate or basic slag.

THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN

Continue to plant fruit trees and bushes, to prune all kinds of fruit trees, except peaches, and to dig and manure them where necessary. Push on the digging, trenching, and manuring of al) vacant land, lift and replant rhubarb, putting aside any spare roots for forcing, and clean and top-dress the asparagus bed Sets of early potatoes should be obtained and stood up on their ends to sprout, and all kinds of root crops can be dug and stored away in sand or buried in a dry position near a fence or hedge.

POTTING

From now onwards one reads in the “ calendar of garden operations " about potting up, potting on, and repotting, and these terms, though well understood by gardeners, may be rather puzzling to the amateur.

What is meant by potting up is the transferring of seedlings or rooted cuttings from the seed or cutting pots or boxes into their first pot, as, for example, •we pot up rooted chrysanthemum cuttings or seedlings of schizanthus. Potting on is the transferring of the plant from a small pot into a larger one, the operation we perform when the chrysanthemums are put from a tree inch pot into a five-inch one, or from the five or six-inch pot to the flowering one, which may be from eight to 10 inches. By repotting we mean taking the plant out of its pot when the soil is exhausted, removing as much as possible of it without damaging the roots and putting it back into a pot the same size or very little larger. I am often asked why it is necessary to place a rooted chrysanthemum, for example, into a small pot first and then to give it two shifts before it reaches its owering pot. Why not put it direct into the flowering pot at once. Well, in the first place, using small pots saves a lot of room in the early part of the season when accommodation under glass is taxed to its utmost. This, however, is not the chief reason. If put into the large pot the roots would be a long way from the sides, they would not get a sufficient supply «>f fresh air, and the watering which would be necessary would cause the soil to become sour and sodden before the roots could penetrate it, and the soluble plant food put into the potting mixture would be washed away through the drainage hole before the roots could reach it.

Plants in pots are never really happy until the roots reach the sides, and begin to work their way round them. It is not good gardening to grow plants in pots any larger than is necessary, and house plants in particular are always healthier when slightly pot bound, so long as they receive sufficient supplies of water, and a little liquid manure now and again. Amateurs often make the mistake of potting on their aspidistras and palms as soon as they see a little root peeping out of the drainage hole, when as a matter of fact they will thrive quite well until the plants are lifted out of the pot, or the pot bursts. The density of the soil is also a problem to many. When potting up a plant the new soil should be worked carefully down the side of the pots, and made as least as firm as the. ball of the roots. This is necessary to secure an even distribution of water when watering. As a rule loose potting is practised when we desire a growth of stem and leaf, and firm potting when we desire flowers and fruit. POTS

Flower pots are made in various sizes. The usual practice in this country is to indicate the size by the inside measurements of the top. They begin at thimbles and go up increasing by an inch or half an inch to 10 or sometimes 12 inches, but as a rule petrol tins take the place of the very large sizes. They are made of porous clay, burned fairly hard, or they will fall to pieces when wet, and there is a hole in the bottom to allow the superfluous moisture to drain away. As air passes through the porous sides of the pots to the roots it will be seen that it is most important to keep them clean, and a plant should never be put into a dirty pot.

CROCKING POTS

There is a hole in the bottom to the pot to provide drainage, but unless one or more pieces of crock are placed in the

bottom it will soon get blocked up with dirt, and the pot will become waterlogged. The amount of crocks will vary with the size of the pot, the length of time the plant is likely to occupy the one pot, and the nature of the plant. When potting up cuttings or seedlings into three or four-inch pots one piece will be enough. For ordinary foliage plants one large piece in the pot and a number of smaller pieces on top will be necessary, and in the case of epiphytic orchids the pot is at least half-filled with crocks. A little rough stuff, such as the riddhngs of the loam, leaves, or moss is usually placed on top of the crocks to prevent the soil from being washed down among them, and blocking them up,

SOIL The basis of all potting soil is good, turfy loam obtained from a well-drained, grassy paddock, or the roadsides. It is cut about three inches thick and stacked with the grassy side down until the weeds die. It is then chopped up and reduced to the necessary state of fineness, according to the size of the plants being potted. Unless for seeds and seedlings it is better not to put it through a sieve, but to break up the lumps with the hands. The next most important ingredient is leafmould formed from the leaves of deciduous trees, which have been stacked loosely for at least a year. The leaves of the oak or beech make the best leafmould, but as it is a scarce commodity any kind of leaves will do.

Sharp, clean sand is the next most important ingredient, and though its effect on the soil mixture is merely mechanical, keeping the particles apart and assisting in the distribution of fresh air, it is very essentail. Lime rubble is also valuable for plants which do not favour a sour soil, and it can take the place of sand to some extent. Charcoal is sometimes added, but its function too, is mainly mechanical, though wood ashes are valuable in that they supply potash. Well-rotted manure is useful for quick growing plants, and dry cow droppings collected from a paddock can be used. Ordinary garden soil is not suitable for foliage or flowering pot plants, and if it is impossible to obtain suitable loam it will be better to buy a bushel of mixed soil from the seedsmen. When potting up rooted cuttings or seedlings, a little of the soil mixture should be put into the bottom of the pot and firmed; then hold the plant in the left hand, and throw in the soil with the right hand, working it well in among the fine roots and firming it round the sides of the pot. Finish the surface level and at least half an inch below the rim to allow for watering. When potting on put some soil in the bottom of. the pot, turn out the plant -to be shifted on, remove the crock in tin bottom and some of the loose soil on top, fit into the middle of the pot, throw in some soil loosely, and with the potting stick work it down evenly round the ball of roots. The roots should be kept as near the surface as possible, for the natural tendency for roots is to grow downwards, and they soon occupy the soil at the bottom of the pot. when repotting a plant which is not doing well the soil should be shaken away, and the roots washed in tepid water, all dead and decay ing ones being cut away. Repot in a.small a pot as possible using a light open mixture, and water very carefully for some time. When plants such as maiden hair fern and aspidistras have to be broken up they should be pulled to pieces some of the old leaves or fronds removed and pieces which will occupy about a third of the pot put back. This wiil allow room for expansion, and should do for a year at least. When one is grow ing a number of these plants it is better not to break them all up in one year but to pot on about half of them to larger pots with very little root disturbance, and break up the other half. Plants have to be watered very carefully for some time after potting, but they can be sprayed overhead once a day unless the weather is very cold and damp. Where the greenhouse is heated in some way' a start can be made with the repotting now, but in a cold greenhouse it is not advisable to disturb them until there is more sun heat.