Lovely Autumn a busy time

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 283, 18 April 1989, Page 13

Lovely Autumn a busy time

Autumn is not only a lovely time of the year but a busy one, what with firewood stockpiling, chimney cleaning, etc but also with essential home and farm winter clean-up preparations.

Here are some pointers to assist in our "around the trap" chores. Home Garden Now is the time to be planting green cover - oats, lupin or mustard in the patch to provide that essential green mulch and humus. Dig it in early spring great for structure and fertility essential for plant vigour. Now is the optimum and correct time for lime and blood & bone application to allow the ultimate in amino acid actively through winter to convert these products. Vege plantings of broad bean, lettuce (under glass) radish, cabbage and leeks should all be in. Harvesting of summer crops before frosts should now be complete and tomato plants can be cut and hung in garage for any green fruit to ripen, or picked Raetihi fire calls Recent Raetihi Fire Brigade callouts were on Wednesday 5 April at 5.28pm to a Duncan Street grass fire and on Sunday April 9 at 12.46 to a Plunket Street grass fire. No damage was reported and it is believed the fires were started by small boys playing with matches. Pithy paragraph "I'd rather not participate in an activity that has an ambulance at the bottom of the hill," said Irma Bombeck when she was explaining why she didn't ski.

and placed on a sunny ledge. Dig up mint, basil, marjoram and chives - pot and bring indoors for winter. April is the best period to plant the winter veges. A moist, fertile soil will encourage strong, fast growth and give tender tasty vegetables. Use raised beds or mounds to avoid waterlogging. Plant strawberries now, dig in plenty of organic matter when preparing the bed, and use raised beds, unless your drainage is perfect. Ornamentals Cut back border plants as they finish flowering. Overgrown border and rock plants should be divided and replanted. Remove summer annuals and replace with spring flowering plants and bulbs. Feed. Conifers and other evergreens should go in now while soil is still warm. Protect with temporary net wind break unless they are well sheltered. Daffodils, jonquils, tulips and hyacinths can go in now and alyssum, forget-me-not and sweetpea seeds can be direct sown. Antirrhinum, carnation, delphinium, lobelia, nemesia, pansy, poppy, stock and the like should start under glass and be transplanted. Lawns The time to establish new lawn is now - use only coated seed for best results. Top dress established lawns with 45 grams (3 tablespoons) of good lawn fertiliser per square metre to boost colour and discourage weeds. Spray (only established areas) now with Turfix or Lawnmaster a week or

two after the fertiliser. Moss can be controlled now with an application of Snow Sulphate (Terroee Sulphate) 15-20g per sq metre - mixed with water, kills moss quickly and prevents winter growth. Rake dead material out and oversow. Improving drainage by

spiking lawns with a garden fork, good feeding, avoiding close mowing (which encourages cushion mosses) and a good spraying well ensure the optimum in your lawn. For show piece lawns - regular raking, aerating with the fork and topdressing with good quality topsoil will improve the surface layer and provide closer stronger growth. Grass grub and porince actively should be controlled now see your garden specialist. Watch out for leaf spot on celery, parsnip, carrots, etc. Spray with copper. Pests - slugs and snails can be a problem in Autumn. Scale, aphid and spider mite on trees, roses should be treated with winter strength spray oil now. Clear weeds now to reduce weed and pest problems in spring. Sweep up leaves from lawns, guttering and drains place directly into the compost bin or place in sealed plastic bags to make a leaf mould for the compost. Fruit Trees Harvest any fruit left before they drop, remove any windfalls promptly to reduce disease risk. Exception are Feijoa which fall from

the tree as they ripen, a good mulch below the tree will help prevent bruising. Feed citrus trees now and provide frost free protection - with a light frame and plastic or cloth can be thrown over on frosty nights. Check that stakes and ties are firm on young trees in exposed situations. Prune stone fruits after harvest while weather is still dry, and do cover cuts with a

pruning paste or paint. Pruning naturally ensures improved health and vigour, remove all dead, diseased and crossing shoots. May is the time for major reshaping of older trees which are low fruit producers. Treat all deciduous fruit trees with winter oil and Bordeaux mixtures.