Another lovely week in North Otago after the best Labour week end weather for many years.
Our Kanzan cherry trees are creating pink lawns and drive way here, so pretty and now the beautiful Shimadzu sakura low spreading pale pink flowering cherries are in full bloom. These are truly beautiful and deserve a spot in every garden big enough to cope with them.
Weed spraying, lawn seed sowing and mowing has been keeping me pretty busy out here, the ground is very warm now for weeds to grow before your eyes, still time to pull out or hoe and spry before they make seed and spread every where. Just watch the spray around roses, they only need a sniff of a hormone weed spry to put out stunted deformed yellowing leaves and then eventually die back.
Roses are doing well now that the nights have warmed up, keep the food and deep root watering up to them as the bud up, foliar feeding on fresh new leaves works well now along with slow release fertiliser which ensures they are feed each time they are watered. healthy well fed roses are less likely to become diseased.
Cut back Erica's and callunas that have finished flowering, this stops them from going woody, and taking all the spent Flowers off will encourage them to produce fresh new green growth for summer. If you don't cut the old flowering growth off they will make their new growth out from the old flowering growth which means they become woody at the bottom.
Cut back aubrietia, rockery plant you will only get another flowering if you do.
Cut spent flowers off hellebore's so you get the full effect of their wonderful leaves
Ployathus: They have been wonderful over the Winter but now it's time to cut them back and shift to a shady spot. They can be planted out in a sunny spot again early next Winter.
Keep feeding lawns when rain is about, powdered fertilisers need to be washed well in to stop it burning lawns during hot sunny days.
PLANT, PLANT, PLANT all Flower plants & seeds.
Vegetables:
I planted out pumpkin and squash plants that I have grown from seed, they need a large prepared area for them to ramble with a lot of compost and old stable manure dug in. The leaves will always let you know when they need water.
If you have a glass house or tunnel house why not plant some peppers, they can grow high so when their stems are strong enough bang in a stake and attach a string from the stake to the roof to support them as they grow up.
Raspberry Kane's and strawberries are doing a lot of growing now as well, They both flower and fruit up really quickly as long as they get all day sun they will ripen fast. These berries and new seasons peas are perfect for encouraging Children into the garden they all learn the results are well worth the wait.
Keep manure enriched compost up to rhubarb, if the soil gets hard and dry around rhubarb it will grow stringy dry uneatable steams.
Keep picking herbs to stop them going to seed, dry what you don't use and store away until the months when they are not available.
Drying herbs :Pick in the full heat of the day, lay out on news paper in a dry airy place until crisp, (all moisture must be gone). Then rub together into sprinkle sized bits and store in brown paper bags or glass jars.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 22nd October 2010
A chilly few days here in North Otago this week with the odd frost, I am finding some soft new growth still being effected by the cold. Hydrangea's, peony roses, agapantha's and even the new growth on roses are not enjoying the cold nights. They will recover and keep growing as it warms up then the the damaged growth can be removed.
Weeds are in full force now! I can not believe how many have been pulled from our garden, mostly biddy bid, chick weed and convolvulous. Weeds need to be removed before they make seed or, you will be chasing them forever.
I have been potting up seedlings grown from seed, lupins, Oriental poppies, delphiniums, penstamains and nasturtiums. It is best to pot seedlings on into individual pots for roots to become established before planting out.
Strong growing plants like sun flowers and delphinium seeds need to be planted straight into peat pots and once the pot is filled with new roots plant pot and all into the ground, the strong roots will grow out through the pot as it breaks down.
Companion planting:
With all the planting that is going on right now it is time to think about companion planting.
Gardeners have past successful companion planting knowledge down through the years for us to follow. Some plants give off an aroma that is disliked by unwanted insects and others are thought to enhance the growth of certain plants if planted along side them.
Nasturtium attract caterpillars, so planting it alongside or around vegetables such as lettuces, broccoli and cabbages should mean the nasturtium will get attacked rather than your edible crop.
Fox Gloves have stimulating effects on all plants in the garden, a welcome addition to the flower and veggie garden.
Marigolds have a scent that repels aphids and attracts hoverflies, which are predator insects
Tagetes, the lovely little tagetes, or French marigold, is invaluale in companion planting. Cabbage white butterfly are attracted to their host plant by smell and planting rows of tagetes is effective in masking the smell and reducing cabbage moth damage. A secretion from the roots of the Mexican tagetes deters eelworms and your potatoes and tomatoes are left alone.
Tagetes are also said to kill couch grass, this would be a pretty trial which I plan to put in place in a couch filed area in our garden.
Tagetes and calendula marigolds planted near tomatoes and roses will reduce aphid attack as the marigolds will attract the hoverflies that are voracious eaters of these pests.
Basil and tomatoes are a well-known combination; the strong smelling foliage makes these plants great companions.
Garlic, chives and parsley can be benificial planted with Roses. The herbs deter aphids from the roses.
Dill is popular with bees and attracts them into the garden. Dill planted with corn will ensure a bumper crop, as more bees will be around to pollinate the corn strings.
Marigolds, plant marigolds in the veg patch, glass house and flower garden.
Sage is also a great herb to plant around the celery crop, as it helps to keep the aphids away.
Hyssop repels white butterfly from cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli and other brassica crops.
Carrots and leeks work well planted together, they both have strong aromas, which repel other’s pests.
I have been planting out more wild flowers but this time I am using fertiliser bags filled with sifted soil and compost. I stapled the open end of the bags closed, lay them length wise and cut a few slits for drainage on the underside then cut a large rectangled opening on the top to plant out in wild flowers.
In the past I have planted wild flowers directly into the ground but weeds germinated along with the flower seeds and choked them out. This way it will be only the flowers that germinate. I have placed the bag gardens in gaps where spring bulbs are dieing down and covered the bag with the pea straw already on the garden leaving the planted area open to light and rain.
Hosta's are pushing fresh new leaves out for waiting slugs! put sharp gravel under hosta's and spray with fish emulsion to deter them. I have 6 little Peking bantams who take care of snails and slugs in my garden. because they are very short in the leg their scratching is minimal compared to long legged hens.
Vegetables:
My raised veg gardens had a visit from a very large ewe this week, she was working her way over them when I came across her and gave her a short shift! She trimmed back all the herbs, carrots, lettuce, brassica, ignored the leeks and broad beans and was just starting on the peas and potatoes!!
The herbs will benefit from the trim and planting new veg is not a problem at this time of the year so not all bad. (it's the fence that is the problem)
With all the fruit trees in blossom it's sunny days we need to keep the bees busy working at pollinating along with the help of windy days. Keep the water up to them and mulch with un -sprayed grass clippings right out to their drip line, they have a lot of work ahead of them growing juicy fruit.
The garden is looking very pretty right now and is open this long week end for viewing should people be interested in taking a drive out to Weston.
Cheers, Linda
Weeds are in full force now! I can not believe how many have been pulled from our garden, mostly biddy bid, chick weed and convolvulous. Weeds need to be removed before they make seed or, you will be chasing them forever.
I have been potting up seedlings grown from seed, lupins, Oriental poppies, delphiniums, penstamains and nasturtiums. It is best to pot seedlings on into individual pots for roots to become established before planting out.
Strong growing plants like sun flowers and delphinium seeds need to be planted straight into peat pots and once the pot is filled with new roots plant pot and all into the ground, the strong roots will grow out through the pot as it breaks down.
Companion planting:
With all the planting that is going on right now it is time to think about companion planting.
Gardeners have past successful companion planting knowledge down through the years for us to follow. Some plants give off an aroma that is disliked by unwanted insects and others are thought to enhance the growth of certain plants if planted along side them.
Nasturtium attract caterpillars, so planting it alongside or around vegetables such as lettuces, broccoli and cabbages should mean the nasturtium will get attacked rather than your edible crop.
Fox Gloves have stimulating effects on all plants in the garden, a welcome addition to the flower and veggie garden.
Marigolds have a scent that repels aphids and attracts hoverflies, which are predator insects
Tagetes, the lovely little tagetes, or French marigold, is invaluale in companion planting. Cabbage white butterfly are attracted to their host plant by smell and planting rows of tagetes is effective in masking the smell and reducing cabbage moth damage. A secretion from the roots of the Mexican tagetes deters eelworms and your potatoes and tomatoes are left alone.
Tagetes are also said to kill couch grass, this would be a pretty trial which I plan to put in place in a couch filed area in our garden.
Tagetes and calendula marigolds planted near tomatoes and roses will reduce aphid attack as the marigolds will attract the hoverflies that are voracious eaters of these pests.
Basil and tomatoes are a well-known combination; the strong smelling foliage makes these plants great companions.
Garlic, chives and parsley can be benificial planted with Roses. The herbs deter aphids from the roses.
Dill is popular with bees and attracts them into the garden. Dill planted with corn will ensure a bumper crop, as more bees will be around to pollinate the corn strings.
Marigolds, plant marigolds in the veg patch, glass house and flower garden.
Sage is also a great herb to plant around the celery crop, as it helps to keep the aphids away.
Hyssop repels white butterfly from cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli and other brassica crops.
Carrots and leeks work well planted together, they both have strong aromas, which repel other’s pests.
I have been planting out more wild flowers but this time I am using fertiliser bags filled with sifted soil and compost. I stapled the open end of the bags closed, lay them length wise and cut a few slits for drainage on the underside then cut a large rectangled opening on the top to plant out in wild flowers.
In the past I have planted wild flowers directly into the ground but weeds germinated along with the flower seeds and choked them out. This way it will be only the flowers that germinate. I have placed the bag gardens in gaps where spring bulbs are dieing down and covered the bag with the pea straw already on the garden leaving the planted area open to light and rain.
Hosta's are pushing fresh new leaves out for waiting slugs! put sharp gravel under hosta's and spray with fish emulsion to deter them. I have 6 little Peking bantams who take care of snails and slugs in my garden. because they are very short in the leg their scratching is minimal compared to long legged hens.
Vegetables:
My raised veg gardens had a visit from a very large ewe this week, she was working her way over them when I came across her and gave her a short shift! She trimmed back all the herbs, carrots, lettuce, brassica, ignored the leeks and broad beans and was just starting on the peas and potatoes!!
The herbs will benefit from the trim and planting new veg is not a problem at this time of the year so not all bad. (it's the fence that is the problem)
With all the fruit trees in blossom it's sunny days we need to keep the bees busy working at pollinating along with the help of windy days. Keep the water up to them and mulch with un -sprayed grass clippings right out to their drip line, they have a lot of work ahead of them growing juicy fruit.
The garden is looking very pretty right now and is open this long week end for viewing should people be interested in taking a drive out to Weston.
Cheers, Linda
Friday, October 15, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 16th October 2010
What a lovely week it has been weather wise ,the Kanzan cherry trees are in full bloom right now and look glorious, these are the bright pink double blossom vase shaped tree's. Most years they come out and the wind takes the blossom within a few days.
I have been sifting soil again this week for resowing the patches in lawn and using to add body to gardens and pots, baskets and seed trays. With all the mulches used today gardens become light and fluffy and don't hold moisture. Sifted soil is the answer, spread it on top and it will wash in beneith the mulch with each watering.
Spring bulbs are finishing now, don't be tempted to cut leaves off just yet the bulbs top up on food for next year from the leaves as they die back. I was lucky enough to score a boot full of bulbs this week, they were not wanted in a Duntroon garden getting ready for a revamp. Always happy to take a spade and adopt bulbs, thank you once again to the kind lady who offered them. I will let the leaves die off and plant them in the Autumn.
I have had to pull quite a few lavenders out this year because they have reached the end of their growing, After their trim back at the end of Winter they were not making a lot of new growth. Just a little bit here and there and most of the plant staying woody. If you have the odd lavender doing this pull it out and replace it with a fresh plant. I noticed last year that some plants were not as strong so I put in cuttings from stronger growing ones which I can plant out now to fill the gaps.
Take tip cuttings now dip them in hormone and push them into firm river sand, they will make roots over the Spring and summer then you can plant them out next Spring.
Tip cuttings from, hebe's, and chrysanthemum can also be taken now, as long as the stems snap off when bent they are ready, if they don't then they are still too soft. Now is the time to cut back the new growth on tall growing chrysanthemums for the first time, then when they put up another lot of new growth cut them back again. They do not flower until the Autumn and if you let them flower on their third lot of new growth they should grow shorter and be more manageable.
Prune fuchsias back now and they will make new fresh growth, they flower on their new wood so can be taken well back.
Too early yet to trim my box hedges, wait until the new growth firms up a little. The perfect time to trim box in spring is when there are a few overcast days in a row, the hot sun burns new undergrowth, dull days give them time to recover.
It's time to think about Dahlias in the garden for summer colour. If you have a sunny spot that needs a bit of brightening up how about putting in a few dahlia tubers they are so reliable and there are some beautiful shades and varieties on offer now, tall, medium and dwarf. They are just starting to make a move so if you want colour to continue in your garden when the spring show is over dahlias will do the trick. If you choose some and get them into those gaps now they will be up and flowering in no time. Dahlias like a warm full sun free draining spot, the tubas will rot if planted in ground that stays wet.
Vegetables:
Tomatoes are in the shops now for those with glass houses, prepare the soil well by digging in good organic compost. This will need to have been heated to the point of all fungus disease being eradicated. Because our summers here in North Otago are on the cooler side and a glass or tunnel house is the a must if wanting to be a serious tomato grower. However a glass house is a perfect incubator for fungus disease during nights and dull days when moisture is not taken up quickly by plants, never let tomato plant leaves go into the night wet.
There are a lot of varieties to choose from.
Beefsteak, the big tomato best for sandwiches & cooking,
Early girl, stars producing early and keeps on until late in the season,
Potentate, medium/small firm with moderate acidity and low in sugar,
Money maker, medium size and good flavor ,
Doctor Walter is the very low acid tomato
Cherry tomato's, the plant you can grow in a pot inside or on a porch, great for kids lunch boxes.
Russian red a tomato to grow outside in a sunny spot protected from the wind.
Heirloom tomatoes have become popular, they don't look great but they have the great taste of yesteryear.
There are others that I have not mentioned, nearly all need staked and tied up in the glass house and ALL tomato's like sun all day, 6 to 8 hours and it helps the fruit if there are fewer leaves on the plants. Tomato leaves compete for nutrients, create unwanted shade and harbour disease.
Keep planting vegetable seeds directly into the garden but don't sow too thickly mix seeds with fine soil when sowing and you may not have to thin seedlings out.
Cheers, Linda.
I have been sifting soil again this week for resowing the patches in lawn and using to add body to gardens and pots, baskets and seed trays. With all the mulches used today gardens become light and fluffy and don't hold moisture. Sifted soil is the answer, spread it on top and it will wash in beneith the mulch with each watering.
Spring bulbs are finishing now, don't be tempted to cut leaves off just yet the bulbs top up on food for next year from the leaves as they die back. I was lucky enough to score a boot full of bulbs this week, they were not wanted in a Duntroon garden getting ready for a revamp. Always happy to take a spade and adopt bulbs, thank you once again to the kind lady who offered them. I will let the leaves die off and plant them in the Autumn.
I have had to pull quite a few lavenders out this year because they have reached the end of their growing, After their trim back at the end of Winter they were not making a lot of new growth. Just a little bit here and there and most of the plant staying woody. If you have the odd lavender doing this pull it out and replace it with a fresh plant. I noticed last year that some plants were not as strong so I put in cuttings from stronger growing ones which I can plant out now to fill the gaps.
Take tip cuttings now dip them in hormone and push them into firm river sand, they will make roots over the Spring and summer then you can plant them out next Spring.
Tip cuttings from, hebe's, and chrysanthemum can also be taken now, as long as the stems snap off when bent they are ready, if they don't then they are still too soft. Now is the time to cut back the new growth on tall growing chrysanthemums for the first time, then when they put up another lot of new growth cut them back again. They do not flower until the Autumn and if you let them flower on their third lot of new growth they should grow shorter and be more manageable.
Prune fuchsias back now and they will make new fresh growth, they flower on their new wood so can be taken well back.
Too early yet to trim my box hedges, wait until the new growth firms up a little. The perfect time to trim box in spring is when there are a few overcast days in a row, the hot sun burns new undergrowth, dull days give them time to recover.
It's time to think about Dahlias in the garden for summer colour. If you have a sunny spot that needs a bit of brightening up how about putting in a few dahlia tubers they are so reliable and there are some beautiful shades and varieties on offer now, tall, medium and dwarf. They are just starting to make a move so if you want colour to continue in your garden when the spring show is over dahlias will do the trick. If you choose some and get them into those gaps now they will be up and flowering in no time. Dahlias like a warm full sun free draining spot, the tubas will rot if planted in ground that stays wet.
Vegetables:
Tomatoes are in the shops now for those with glass houses, prepare the soil well by digging in good organic compost. This will need to have been heated to the point of all fungus disease being eradicated. Because our summers here in North Otago are on the cooler side and a glass or tunnel house is the a must if wanting to be a serious tomato grower. However a glass house is a perfect incubator for fungus disease during nights and dull days when moisture is not taken up quickly by plants, never let tomato plant leaves go into the night wet.
There are a lot of varieties to choose from.
Beefsteak, the big tomato best for sandwiches & cooking,
Early girl, stars producing early and keeps on until late in the season,
Potentate, medium/small firm with moderate acidity and low in sugar,
Money maker, medium size and good flavor ,
Doctor Walter is the very low acid tomato
Cherry tomato's, the plant you can grow in a pot inside or on a porch, great for kids lunch boxes.
Russian red a tomato to grow outside in a sunny spot protected from the wind.
Heirloom tomatoes have become popular, they don't look great but they have the great taste of yesteryear.
There are others that I have not mentioned, nearly all need staked and tied up in the glass house and ALL tomato's like sun all day, 6 to 8 hours and it helps the fruit if there are fewer leaves on the plants. Tomato leaves compete for nutrients, create unwanted shade and harbour disease.
Keep planting vegetable seeds directly into the garden but don't sow too thickly mix seeds with fine soil when sowing and you may not have to thin seedlings out.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 12th September 2010
Spring is sitting pretty so far and doing all it should be doing here in North Otago, the public and private gardens are fresh and colourful.
We have the first wedding of the new season here in our garden this weekend so I have been really busy this week getting it into wedding mode, plenty of blossom and spring colour about so all good.
Now that it's planting out time and there is a lot on offer it's probably a good time to talk about plants for the right place. starting with
dry areas of the garden, under hungry trees or areas that drain too readily. You will be wasting your time and money planting shallow rooted plants like rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas or hellebore's in these areas. It's best to group plant with plants that will work their roots down to look for moisture like:
Euphorbias in all their varieties, colours and sizes.
Agapanthus: Large and small varieties they are great on a slope
Buddleias: To fill back ground gaps, lovely sliver blue foliage and blue to cerise/ purple flowers, must be cut back well after
flowering to keep bushy and at the height you require them to be.
Grass's: grouped together as they are in nature do well in the dry and add movement to the garden as they waft in the wind.
Geraniums: They need water until their roots get down and also need cut back after flowering.
Lupins: Are wonderful in big groups but need water until they become established, after the first flowering they will self seed to make their groups larger.
All these plants once established will not need watering.
(Shady areas next week.)
Bedding plants
All bedding plants need attention once planted, water and foliage feeding. I have found planting annuals in sifted soil gives them a good start. I had been sifting soil for resowing patches in the lawn and decided to use the sifted soil as a top layer to the soil before planting annuals and seeds to get the same good results I am getting with the grass seed germinating.
Sifted soil is so fine and packs round new roots firmly so they don't dry out, and is soft and fine allowing roots to grow quickly.
Hydrangea's are popular again, they are leafing up now and will need fed ready for their long flowering season, animal manure is a good food source for them ( not fresh) they are shallow rooted so need watered often. To keep pink use a little lime around the drip line and for blue you use aliumn sulphate or epson salts, These must be watered in and not just left on top of the roots.
.Ponds: I know talked about ponds not long ago but with the warmer weather weather quickening up pond growth it's time to watch for slime developing which is harmful to fish when getting caught in their gills.
If you haven't cleaned out your pond do it now, I have been removing the duck weed that has sat on top of my ponds during the Winter.
Over the Winter months it turns a rusty red colour with the cold and stops growing but at this time of the year it takes off again and multiplies so fast it can cover a pond in a matter of day's.
I used to curse it but now I wait for it to grow and scoop it out to put on the garden as a Summer mulch. If you have fish & water lilies you must remove duck weed now to let the sun in. Water lilies are starting to make leaf now and need sun to bud up.
I will tackle the oxygen weed next, that is also very good as a mulch on the garden, I will remove half of it soon before the fish start to breed in the warmer water and blow their eggs into it.
When I added fish to my ponds I just put in some oxygen weed from a pond full of fish and the baby fish all hatched out. With no other older fish in the pond to eat the eggs and hatching's in the oxygen weed they had no predators so all survived.
A good way of clearing a pond after Winter is to flood it, most of the rubbish will float off. Don't stir up the bottom as long as the water is clear on top then the pond is working.
If a pond fills with green slime in the warmer weather it means that there is too much nitrogen in the water, maybe fertiliser drifted in when the lawn or garden was being feed. Or if you feed the water lilies with Manure some may have leached out into the water.
. If you have a large pond put in a bale of old straw and just leave it to rot down. If your pond is small break some squares from a bale and weight them down to the bottom. This works wonders on murky pond water and will get the pond working and clear in no time.
Vegetable garden:
Keep molding up potatoes as they show leaf, this keeps them cooler allowing more time for them to grow a bigger crop.
FIRST EARLY VARIETIES: Cliffs Kidney, Jersey Bennes, Maris Anchor, Rocket.
SECOND EARLY Ilam Hardy, Karaka, Red king.
MAINCROP VARIETIES: Desiree, Mondial, Nadine, Pentland Dell, Red Rascal, Rua
I have sown mixed lettuce seeds in a tray and plan to transplant them into the garden as i need them, lettuce seedlings will hold in a tray for a long time and then really start growing when they are planted, fed and watered.
Cheers Linda.
We have the first wedding of the new season here in our garden this weekend so I have been really busy this week getting it into wedding mode, plenty of blossom and spring colour about so all good.
Now that it's planting out time and there is a lot on offer it's probably a good time to talk about plants for the right place. starting with
dry areas of the garden, under hungry trees or areas that drain too readily. You will be wasting your time and money planting shallow rooted plants like rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas or hellebore's in these areas. It's best to group plant with plants that will work their roots down to look for moisture like:
Euphorbias in all their varieties, colours and sizes.
Agapanthus: Large and small varieties they are great on a slope
Buddleias: To fill back ground gaps, lovely sliver blue foliage and blue to cerise/ purple flowers, must be cut back well after
flowering to keep bushy and at the height you require them to be.
Grass's: grouped together as they are in nature do well in the dry and add movement to the garden as they waft in the wind.
Geraniums: They need water until their roots get down and also need cut back after flowering.
Lupins: Are wonderful in big groups but need water until they become established, after the first flowering they will self seed to make their groups larger.
All these plants once established will not need watering.
(Shady areas next week.)
Bedding plants
All bedding plants need attention once planted, water and foliage feeding. I have found planting annuals in sifted soil gives them a good start. I had been sifting soil for resowing patches in the lawn and decided to use the sifted soil as a top layer to the soil before planting annuals and seeds to get the same good results I am getting with the grass seed germinating.
Sifted soil is so fine and packs round new roots firmly so they don't dry out, and is soft and fine allowing roots to grow quickly.
Hydrangea's are popular again, they are leafing up now and will need fed ready for their long flowering season, animal manure is a good food source for them ( not fresh) they are shallow rooted so need watered often. To keep pink use a little lime around the drip line and for blue you use aliumn sulphate or epson salts, These must be watered in and not just left on top of the roots.
.Ponds: I know talked about ponds not long ago but with the warmer weather weather quickening up pond growth it's time to watch for slime developing which is harmful to fish when getting caught in their gills.
If you haven't cleaned out your pond do it now, I have been removing the duck weed that has sat on top of my ponds during the Winter.
Over the Winter months it turns a rusty red colour with the cold and stops growing but at this time of the year it takes off again and multiplies so fast it can cover a pond in a matter of day's.
I used to curse it but now I wait for it to grow and scoop it out to put on the garden as a Summer mulch. If you have fish & water lilies you must remove duck weed now to let the sun in. Water lilies are starting to make leaf now and need sun to bud up.
I will tackle the oxygen weed next, that is also very good as a mulch on the garden, I will remove half of it soon before the fish start to breed in the warmer water and blow their eggs into it.
When I added fish to my ponds I just put in some oxygen weed from a pond full of fish and the baby fish all hatched out. With no other older fish in the pond to eat the eggs and hatching's in the oxygen weed they had no predators so all survived.
A good way of clearing a pond after Winter is to flood it, most of the rubbish will float off. Don't stir up the bottom as long as the water is clear on top then the pond is working.
If a pond fills with green slime in the warmer weather it means that there is too much nitrogen in the water, maybe fertiliser drifted in when the lawn or garden was being feed. Or if you feed the water lilies with Manure some may have leached out into the water.
. If you have a large pond put in a bale of old straw and just leave it to rot down. If your pond is small break some squares from a bale and weight them down to the bottom. This works wonders on murky pond water and will get the pond working and clear in no time.
Vegetable garden:
Keep molding up potatoes as they show leaf, this keeps them cooler allowing more time for them to grow a bigger crop.
FIRST EARLY VARIETIES: Cliffs Kidney, Jersey Bennes, Maris Anchor, Rocket.
SECOND EARLY Ilam Hardy, Karaka, Red king.
MAINCROP VARIETIES: Desiree, Mondial, Nadine, Pentland Dell, Red Rascal, Rua
I have sown mixed lettuce seeds in a tray and plan to transplant them into the garden as i need them, lettuce seedlings will hold in a tray for a long time and then really start growing when they are planted, fed and watered.
Cheers Linda.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 2nd October 2010
October
This month is where chasing weeds becomes a full time job - Hoeing and hand pulling weeds is still the best option in planted areas.
If you are clearing a garden to plant out for a summer show I suggest clear all annual weeds, pull out, or dig well under. Couch grass needs to be taken right out, get each long runner under the ground and any little pieces that may have been chopped with the spade, they grow and spread very fast if left, I spot spray Couch with round up now in badly effected areas.
Once all obvious weeds are gone cover the area with organic compost, thick enough to keep the light from allowing any seeds left behind from weeds to germinate. Organic compost, mushroom compost, any medium that has been heated to the point of destroying any seeds that it once contained. NOW plant,plant, plant! as many annuals and perennials as you can into the prepared area. They will grow really fast from now on and beat any weed seeds blown in or dropped by birds.
Moisture and liquid feeding for new plantings is the key to success as they settle in and make new feeding roots, first thing in the morning is the best time to do this giving plants and dirt time to dry off before night time, fungus thrives in damp ground on mild nights.
Mulching is really important now, the areas I mulched with pea straw in late winter are holding the moisture around trees and shrubs and watering is not required. Pea straw looks ok in shrubberies but I do not use it in ornamental gardens where I plant annuals and find these gardens need watered often from now on.
If you have not feed plants, roses or shrubs do it now, powered plant food should always be watered in, if you have home compost ready add eight parts (by weight) blood & bone and one part sulphate of pot ash this will to add food and a flowering and fruiting component. I often mention using old stable manure around roses which they love and will keep them going over their long flowering period, however I to stress on no account should the manure be dug in as this can cause root damage, watering will take it to the roots as required. Keep this compost / fertiliser at least a hand's- breadth from the trunks and steams and extend out just beyond the drip line enabling the food to be on the outer third of of this circle where the most active feeding roots are.
Camellias finished flowering can be trimmed and shaped now, take out branches from the middle if your bush is dense and bushy. This lets the light in to help form next years buds.There should be enough gaps for a bird to fly through to allow good bud forming for next spring. A lot are still flowering so enjoy the flowers a while longer.
Hosta's are starting to leaf now, so watch when working around them in the garden, it will not take much to knock the point off the new leaves. Give them a dressing of compost and blood & bone and get the slug bate around them, keep them moist from now on and they will clump up and reward you well.
I have been noticing a few cherry blossom trees with root stock branches being left to grow. By this I mean any branches that develop below the graft (where the branches begin at the top of the trunk); these should be cut off while still small. If they are allowed to develop into branches they will take over the whole tree because they will grow faster than the grafted stock. All flowering cherry trees are grafted onto a strong root stock of a very ordinary white blossom tree so if you have a tree with lovely pink or white blossom and you notice some blossom looks different then most likely it will be a branch growing from below the graft, cut it right out.
Lawns are really going for it now and need fed often during their growing season, have some lawn fertiliser on hand for the next decent rain we get as this is the very best time to apply lawn fertiliser to established lawns. If applied in dry sunny weather it is likely to burn grass off. Don't fertilise newly struck grass, all fertilisers will be too strong.
I planted grass seed last Saturday and it has already struck letting me know the ground is warm enough now for germination so I will keep sowing seed in the bare patches left by the grass grubs.
Vegetable garden
The shops are full of veg, herb plants and seeds, tomatoes plants and seed potatoes, from now on it is so easy to grow your own food.
If you do not have an existing vegetable garden but you do have a patch of vacant ground, clear it, dig it or rotary hoe it, edge it with what ever you have on hand , lime stone blocks, tree branches or sleepers. Spray the weeds around the outside of your edging so they will not encroach on your planting space then go for it, get planting at this time of the year everything will grow fast and grow well as long as you keep the water up and hoe the weeds away. Compost will be needed only on ground that had large tree's or hedges growing near by because vacant soil will have all the plants require.
Corn and pumpkins need to be planted now to assure the long ripening season they need.
If it's a Herb garden you are keen to make then top dress with old stable manure and lime, all herbs like both. Plant up some mixed herb pots now and they will be ready to give as Christmas presents.
Cheers, Linda
This month is where chasing weeds becomes a full time job - Hoeing and hand pulling weeds is still the best option in planted areas.
If you are clearing a garden to plant out for a summer show I suggest clear all annual weeds, pull out, or dig well under. Couch grass needs to be taken right out, get each long runner under the ground and any little pieces that may have been chopped with the spade, they grow and spread very fast if left, I spot spray Couch with round up now in badly effected areas.
Once all obvious weeds are gone cover the area with organic compost, thick enough to keep the light from allowing any seeds left behind from weeds to germinate. Organic compost, mushroom compost, any medium that has been heated to the point of destroying any seeds that it once contained. NOW plant,plant, plant! as many annuals and perennials as you can into the prepared area. They will grow really fast from now on and beat any weed seeds blown in or dropped by birds.
Moisture and liquid feeding for new plantings is the key to success as they settle in and make new feeding roots, first thing in the morning is the best time to do this giving plants and dirt time to dry off before night time, fungus thrives in damp ground on mild nights.
Mulching is really important now, the areas I mulched with pea straw in late winter are holding the moisture around trees and shrubs and watering is not required. Pea straw looks ok in shrubberies but I do not use it in ornamental gardens where I plant annuals and find these gardens need watered often from now on.
If you have not feed plants, roses or shrubs do it now, powered plant food should always be watered in, if you have home compost ready add eight parts (by weight) blood & bone and one part sulphate of pot ash this will to add food and a flowering and fruiting component. I often mention using old stable manure around roses which they love and will keep them going over their long flowering period, however I to stress on no account should the manure be dug in as this can cause root damage, watering will take it to the roots as required. Keep this compost / fertiliser at least a hand's- breadth from the trunks and steams and extend out just beyond the drip line enabling the food to be on the outer third of of this circle where the most active feeding roots are.
Camellias finished flowering can be trimmed and shaped now, take out branches from the middle if your bush is dense and bushy. This lets the light in to help form next years buds.There should be enough gaps for a bird to fly through to allow good bud forming for next spring. A lot are still flowering so enjoy the flowers a while longer.
Hosta's are starting to leaf now, so watch when working around them in the garden, it will not take much to knock the point off the new leaves. Give them a dressing of compost and blood & bone and get the slug bate around them, keep them moist from now on and they will clump up and reward you well.
I have been noticing a few cherry blossom trees with root stock branches being left to grow. By this I mean any branches that develop below the graft (where the branches begin at the top of the trunk); these should be cut off while still small. If they are allowed to develop into branches they will take over the whole tree because they will grow faster than the grafted stock. All flowering cherry trees are grafted onto a strong root stock of a very ordinary white blossom tree so if you have a tree with lovely pink or white blossom and you notice some blossom looks different then most likely it will be a branch growing from below the graft, cut it right out.
Lawns are really going for it now and need fed often during their growing season, have some lawn fertiliser on hand for the next decent rain we get as this is the very best time to apply lawn fertiliser to established lawns. If applied in dry sunny weather it is likely to burn grass off. Don't fertilise newly struck grass, all fertilisers will be too strong.
I planted grass seed last Saturday and it has already struck letting me know the ground is warm enough now for germination so I will keep sowing seed in the bare patches left by the grass grubs.
Vegetable garden
The shops are full of veg, herb plants and seeds, tomatoes plants and seed potatoes, from now on it is so easy to grow your own food.
If you do not have an existing vegetable garden but you do have a patch of vacant ground, clear it, dig it or rotary hoe it, edge it with what ever you have on hand , lime stone blocks, tree branches or sleepers. Spray the weeds around the outside of your edging so they will not encroach on your planting space then go for it, get planting at this time of the year everything will grow fast and grow well as long as you keep the water up and hoe the weeds away. Compost will be needed only on ground that had large tree's or hedges growing near by because vacant soil will have all the plants require.
Corn and pumpkins need to be planted now to assure the long ripening season they need.
If it's a Herb garden you are keen to make then top dress with old stable manure and lime, all herbs like both. Plant up some mixed herb pots now and they will be ready to give as Christmas presents.
Cheers, Linda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
