ANSWERS TO PUZZLED GARDENERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 702, 29 June 1929, Page 30

ANSWERS TO PUZZLED GARDENERS

H.C.A.C., Mount Albert inquires <l> How to clear weeds from a new lawn; (£1 can a peach tree grow from a stone and bear fruit; (3) can a lemon tree be grown from seed; (4) what is the best thinsr to do with a tree covered with

Answer: (1) The majority of the weeds appearing will probably only be annual ; ones and after a few cuttings of the j mower will eventually die out. Deep- | rooted perennials will have to be hand- j weeded. (2) Peach trees from stones do j not pay to keep in a private garden. They j take years to come into bearing and when j they do, may be no good. They are j useful to use as stocks to graft other 1 varieties on to. (P.) The same applies | for this as the former question, (4) j Moss can be cleaned off fruit trees by j spraying with lime and sulphur, using a handful of salt to every fluid gallon used. Big Leaf, Parnell, asks how to sow tobacco seed and when. Answer: Tobacco may be sown any time from the end of August as soon as the weather becomes warmer. The seed is very fine and should be sown in boxes of sieved soil and barely covered with sand. Keep well watered and when large enough prick off about two inches apart in another box and finally transplant out in the open ground when Sin high. Tom Glass inquires (1) about onion plants coming up in the glasshouse: (2) would carbonate of lime be beneficial to tomatoes? Answer: (1) I advise procuring a digging fork and removing the bulbs that arc to be. found growing at the roots of the foliage. Surface hoeing on'y cuts the tops off and the young bulblets quickly grow again: (2) before planting tomatoes deep digging is essential. Procure a load of stable manure and lev it rot. Afterwards incorporate it with the soil when digging. Carbonate of lime is good and should be used at the rate Reader, Waihi. inquires: (1) When to prune fi-uit trees; (2) when to trim Lawsoniana hedges. Answer: (1) Junt and July are the

best months to prune all fruit trees. Cut j back halt' last year’s growth, always cutting off at an outside bud. (2) Law- I somana hedge may be topped now if necessary. E.L.S., Remuera.—Re bulbs: Bulbs i growing in fibre should be turned round to the light every four or five days. Jf grown in fibre watering is the most important factor and should be systematic- i ally done Once the bulb’s roots become dry they are apt to become blind. (2) Re Lemons: The main fault lies in the shallow depth of soil. I suggest you root prune the trees .with the spade, cutting the long tap root and thus encouraging it to root along the surface. If you don’t understand this work procure the services of a professional man for a few hours, rather than spoil your trees. Probably your plum tree is one of the English varieties that take a long while to bear. Re Roses: A Dolichos hedge for protecting the roses is quite a good idea, and will not affect the growth, unless you plant too close to the hedge. If this is don«. long rank growth will be the result. S.A.M., Morningside.—You will always find that a percentage of pumpkins will always rot. Many of the varieties of squashes are not good keepers at all. The sample submitted. has been dropped at some period, and wire re it was bruised the rot has set in. Remove those that are starting to go bad and use at once. The black insects always appear when pumpkins start to rot and bury themselves among the diseased parts. In the ground where lupins were dug in, cabbages may be. planted at once, and you can manure later with blood and bone. When plants are established, potash would be good manure for your ground. The ground containing grass now would l|e better left alone. You can then dig in the tufts as manure when the ground is less soaked.