Gardening in North Otago 25th October 2011

Rain,wind then more lovely rain, I knew strong winds would arrive around Labour weekend when the pink Kanzan blossom will, as usual turn into pink snow in many gardens.
Spring rain is so needed to soak well down in the dry North Otago ground, with the moisture and warmth from now on summer growing is looking pretty good.
If you are wanting to transplant Rhododendrons, Camellias and Azaleas, do it immediately after flowering before they put on their new season growth, and if your spring flowering shrubs are in need of a trim prune them back once they have finished flowering.
Geraniums and pelargoniums are available now and should be planted in sunny positions. Fuchsias are also on offer, they benefit from afternoon shade.

If you are concerned about a hot dry Summer having a disastrous effect on your garden? Plenty of Mulch breaking down in your soil will help retain water as well as improving the structure of your soil and suppressing weed growth. Mulch like straw, grass clippings and weed free compost is also excellent for breaking down clay or poor draining soil.

Newly planted roses are starting to make new growth so this is the month to feed them with slow release Fertiliser which will add nutrients to roots when ever water is applied.
Potted plants also need slow release fertiliser and re-pot any plants that have been in the same container for more than three or four years. As long as they are not too root-bound they can go back into the same pot, but should have most of the old potting mix removed and some fresh mix packed around the roots.

cymbidium orchids, Divide and re-pot now if crowded.

Water lilies are available this month and need to be planted in a basket lined with sphagnum moss or old carpet underlay, add garden soil, slow release fertiliser tabs or manure then the lily and lastly a thick layer of shingle placed on top to help weigh the basket down in the water and stop the fertiliser / manure from leaching out which will create green slime growth in the pond as the water warms up.
Fish start breeding now as water warms, they will blow eggs into oxygen weed. If big fish are shifted to another pond at the end of spring eggs will be able to escape being eaten and hatch into tiny grey fish. These tiny fish will eventually become gold fish. The big fish can be returned to the pond when new fish have grown past a meal size.

Fruit and veg:
Watch your fruit trees and Grapes for fungal diseases which may need spraying with a fungicide.

Last chance to get your Codling Moth traps up.

Aphids may start to become a problem so keep an eye out for infestation and if necessary wash off with a forceful hose or spray with an organic pesticide.

Gardening by the Moon

Opps! last week I gave this weeks information so I will back track a week, this is from the 20th October.
LAST QUARTER
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Garden:
Continue pricking out seedlings and transplanting.
Mound up earlier plantings of potatoes, critical that you either mulch or mound up well to obtain heavy crops and avoid potato worms. A foliar spray with raw milk is a great way to kill blight spores, add to a foliar spray of high quality compost tea, this is a great way to strengthen the microbe populations on the potato and tomato leaves to help avoid blight.
Orchard:
Dig up comfrey root, cut into 3-5 cm pieces and plant into seedling trays to make roots before transplanting into the orchard. If soil conditions are good you can plant the pieces of root directly into the ground now.

Make sure all the irrigation systems are working well now.

Weed and feed comfrey borders and barriers.
If it's warm and the grass is growing well in the orchard then scything the grass will mean you can mulch your fruit trees. I guess most people would be inclined to use a weed eater these days, scything has proven to make a better usable mulch (quote)
Pop out to Weston and enjoy a walk around our pretty spring garden, we are hosting a wedding on Saturday afternoon but Sunday and during the week is open for viewing, seating and toilet available, donation box on entering.
Cheers, Linda
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