GARDENING

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 33, 7 February 1984, Page 4

GARDENING

Soil and Weather

February and March are normally hot and dry in the Waimarino district. This means the soil will be quite warm which is necessary for germination and growth so moisture levels must be maintained. Poor flowering by Azaleas, Camellias and Rhododendrons can sometimes be attributed to overdry summer conditions. Water them often and mulch with lawn clippings or, better still, a mixture of lawn clippings and sawdust. Do not water lawns on hot sunny days as pools of water heat up and "cook" the grass. Lack of moisture or inconsistent watering can cause stress in the vegetable garden. An example of this are the lettuces and cabbages going to seed early, runner beans not setting ... spray the leaves and flowers daily. An excellent present

received at Christmas was a timer for my hose, now I can set it for 15 to 100 minutes and let it go. Try and arrange all your watering for the period 5pm7am or on overcast days.

Flower garden

Remove dead roses, dahlias, carnations and gladioli daily if you have time. Spray fortnightly to eliminate aphids, thrips, caterpillars and the various fungoid diseases which appear. Take time to inspect your polyanthus — which tend to be neglected when they are not flowering. Polyanthus do not take kindly to drought conditions either. Chrysanthemums should be putting on plenty of growth now and should be fed fortnightly with a liquid manure until the buds show colour, then discontinue. Spray and dwarf chrysanthemums do not require disbudding but for the others remove all buds and side shoots which you do not want to flower. Chrysanthemums are not plagued with many pests and diseases but you must look out for aphid which can be seen at the top of the stems or under leaves which are curled down at the edges. A serious pest which has only appeared in the district in the last two years is gall midge. This insect lays it's eggs below the surface and can be recognised by the 3mm 0/8") long raised whitish lumps under the surface of leaves and stems. Quick action with an insecticide at two or three day intervals may eliminate them otherwise the plant must be removed and burnt.

Spring Bulbs

Can be planted now or your existing bulbs dug up, divided, dusted (Derris djBfc. or dipped in a fungicie^^ V insecticide solution then replanted, not forgetting a sprinkling of general garden manure.

Garden Planning

For next spring/ summer will be discussed in the next two or three articles.

Waimarino A & P Show

The show is in a fortnight's time and should be marked on your calendar. Now is the time you should be selecting your vegetables, flowers, pot plants and planning arrangements. The most commonly heard phrase is "Well look at that, we have better ones at home." So come on, have a go, remember it takes more than winners to make a show!

Trevor

Francis

Raetihi Garden Club