GREEN MANURING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 318, 31 March 1928, Page 26

GREEN MANURING

THE VALUE OF HUMUS The actual manuring of the kitchen garden must be left to a later chapter, but there is one aspect of the manuring problem that must be treated here. Where compost and leaf mould or leaves (which are largely a substitute for animal manure) are not available and where it is not desired to purchase quantities of manure, the sowing of crops to be dug in as “green manure” should now be undertaken. An impression seems to prevail in some quarters that, while green manuring may certainly be applicable on a farm, it is out of place in a garden. That is quite wrong. The principle is the same, whether it is applied to 10ft, 10 rods or 10 acres of ground; if it is beneficial in . one case, it must be equally so in any of the others. Three things, at least, are accomplished by it. It makes the soil richer in humus, preserves the food materials in the soil and enriches the soil by adding nitrogen gathered from the air. Many different plants can be used for green manuring, among which maybe mentioned mustard, white turnips and clover or vetch, the last two being especially useful where nitrogen is deficient. Probably the most popular of all, especially for the present season, is mustard and for general purposes it would be impossible to excel this. It makes a great deal of “tops” (thus giving a very good bulk) within a really' short time, say six weeks to two months. The growth too, is very soft and succulent, so it is easy to dig in and it quickly decay's and becomes available for the succeeding crop as food. Immediately the summer crops have been cleared then and nothing more can be done until spring, the ground should be sown with mustard or other green manure. This should be allowed to grow on until a short while before the land is ugaii\ required for planting purposes, when the crop may' be crushed down with the garden roller and then dug in.

REDUCE GREENHOUSE SHADING

Many glasshouses are shaded with canvas blinds, or whitewashed to keep out the burning sun in the summer and early autumn months. This is quite necessary, but now the sun has lost some of its heat and the light is not too strong, greenhouse subjects will require as much warmth as j^ossible.

It frequently happens that too much shade is cast over the other occupants of the greenhouse in June by climbing plants trained over the roof glass. This can be avoided by timely attention to the climbing shoots. A tangle of growth is not only bad lor the plants on the staging below, but also hampers the climbers themselves.

These should be cut away with a sharp knife so as to admit as much light as possible. The plant will then make little growth until the following spring. Whitewashed panes should be scrubbed clean and shading of all kind removed.