Fixing sour garden ground

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 411, 5 November 1991, Page 9

Fixing sour garden ground

by

Bea

Barnes

What a bonus those few fine days last week were, with the warm sun and light winds helping to dry up some of the excess moisture. We may even see the grass grow on the lawn instead of moss! Poor drainage of the grourid creating waterlogged conditions over a period of time has the effect of souring the ground causing a too high acid content of the soil very conducive to the growth of the moss. I think we have all experienced this to some degree over this long wet winter. What to do about it? The first thing is to rake up as much of the moss as possible with a leaf rake to be followed by a good prodding all over with a garden fork to aerate the soil as much as possible. A light dressing of lime will help to correct a too acid content in the soil to be followed by a

dressing of lawn fertilizer to nourish the impoverished grass. A good mixture is four parts superphosphate to one part sulphate of ammonia and sulphate of potash applied 2 ozs to the square yard in spring and again in the autumn. If you prefer, there are several good balanced lawn fertilizers available on the market. Persistent stubborn pockets of moss can be treated by watering with a solution of a quarter of an ounce of permanganate of potash (condy's crystals) to every two gallons of water. Moss and lichen on trees and shrubs can be treated with an application of lime sulphur using the amount as specified in the directions on the label. The milder damp conditions are bringing forth all the greebies with voracious appetites waiting to attach our

plants. In the absence of our usual heavy frost to kill off some of the larvae I think they are going to pose a problem this summer. Pear slug has already risen it's ugly head to chew it's way through the leaves of the ornamental cherries and plums. Last year they almost defoliated a young rowan in our garden. A spray with 'Target' should deal with this problem and will also be very useful to deal with thrips waiting to attack among other things your prize gladioli, causing a brown pitting on the leaves and stems of the plant. An infestation of thrips can so severely deplete the plant that the flowers may be malformed and distorted failing to open

properly. Give your gladioli a feed of sulphate of potash before bud burst to produce those prize winning blooms. Roses are putting on good growth now and aphids are massing for a good feed on the young tender shoots. Time to spray with a balanced rose spray which will deal with these little pests and keep under control the spores which cause black spot, rust and mildew on your roses. To keep your bushes healthy and to aid good strong growth a regular spraying programme should be maintained throughout the growing season. Bagged roses 'in bud

and bloom' will be available on the market anytime from now. These are a bonus as carefully planted and watered in they will go on growing to produce beautiful blooms a few weeks after planting. Care should be taken in the removal of the plastic bag preferably cutting down both sides of the bag with scissors before removing it from the base of the plant. Place the plant in the hole previously dug to receive it gently easing out any root which has curled around the shape of the bag. When filling the hole with soil make sure that the union is resting just on the surface of the soil after the soil has been firmed down. The union should not be covered with soil as this may promote growth from the stock below the union.