DURING XMAS HOLIDAYS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 544, 22 December 1928, Page 26

DURING XMAS HOLIDAYS

PROTECT YOUR PLANTS Many an amateur gardener feels some anxiety as to what will happen 10 his garden when he is away on holiday. Providing the vacation is not very prolonged, a good deal can be done to help the plants to take care of themselves, or at any rate to mini- t mise the harm that a certain amount of neglect will bring about. Ona very good thing is to hoe the ground thoroughly before one’s departure. This will not only destroy the weeds, but it will also help to prevent an undue evaporation of moisture from the soil. The next thing is to go the round of the borders and remove every flower that is open. In the case of sweet peas, and many annuals, it is rather wise to pick off any buds that are likely to expand within a week or so. Peas, runner beans, vegetable marrows. and any crops of the kind should be guthered closely. In this connection. it is really a good plan to get a friend to come in now and again during one's absence to gather all flowers or vegetables that seem ready for picking. This will make certain that production does not cease through seed setting and the maturing of crops. Some plants will stand particularly in need of moisture, such as vegetable marrows, runner beans, dahlias, tomato plants, etc. In these cases hoe the soil well round the plant, and then cover with a thick mulch or topdressing of manure, or even grass clippings, dead leaves, and similar litter. This mulch should be well soaked with water just before leaving the garden, and it will prove of great assistance to the plants if there is a long dry spell. Mow the lawn closely, and trim thje edges the day before your departure, or the grass will present a very ragged appearance on your return. Where there is a very considerable number of pot plants, it is desirable to make some arrangement whereby ihese can be watered. In the case of a few plants, which may be used about the house or in a small conservatory, it is best to arrange these in a cool, shady spot out of doors, where the wind will not damage them. Stand on a layer of cinders or on boards, to prevent worms working up through the holes of the pots. Loosen the surface soil with a hand fork, and then cover with a thick layer of fibre, moss, or anything similar. Press the material well dows, and soak through and through with water. In the case of ferns, it is rather a good plan to stand the pots in saucers of water/as well. Treated in this way, pot plants will not suffer to any great extent for a week or two, and should there happen to be a few showers of/rain no harm will come to them at all.