Gardening in North Otago 17th January 2012

I would imagine many people are still in holiday mode and long may it last......it would be great if the lawns and garden followed suit.

So much growth happening here in our garden, the second round of weeds since the last spray are well up but easy to pull or hoe out out at this stage, I had the sprayer on the go when the wind dropped, I spray in the heat of the day when weeds are really thirsty.

Roses, spray if fungus or mildew is a problem. Use a systemic spray which will control both fungus and green fly, use at 10 day intervals.

Hydrangeas, with the rain we have been getting hydrangeas are looking fantastic but I have noticed a couple of mine are displaying light green leaves instead of dark green, iron deficiency! I remember adding some lime to the pink ones during the winter I must have given them too much and in doing so altered the PH of the soil. Proper choice of nitrogen and potassium fertilizer sources can help control iron deficiency.

Mulching around shrubs and trees is so important now to keep the moisture from the rain in the ground take the garden into what could be a long dry Autumn. All bulbs that have died down will need a good mulched to hold the moisture in. From now on is when bulbs dry out and whole clumps can disappear if they get too dry for too long. I have been cutting lavenders and bunching for drying. If you have very woody lavenders, it's a good time right now to cut them right back. They will regrow fresh and bushy and make hard wood again before winter.
Keep cutting back all early summer perennials and shrubs before they make seed. Cutting will promote a new lot of blooms, but remember to feed what you cut back because they will need it to make the new growth required of them.

Our wisteria went ballistic after flowing, sending out heaps of leaves and new leaders. It got the hedge trimmer treatment. Trim only the new growth, if you take it back past the hard wood you will be removing the flowering wood. I like doing this now before the autumn leaf drop, less to rake up then.

Lawn weeds can be sprayed out, use product at the suggested strength, consider spot spraying for the sake of the worms. If too heavy handed even the grass will be affected. There are a few different lawn weed sprays on offer, even one that weeds and feeds at the same time.
The best time to put dry fertiliser onto lawns, is when it is raining is to wash it in. Any patches left exposed to the hot sun will leave burnt patches, liquid fertiliser is fine any time.

Vegetable & Fruit

Keep rotating root and leaf vegetables to get the best results, i.e Where carrots have been growing, plant lettuce.
My corn is growing really fast. Corn needs a long ripening season but I am putting more plants in now with the hope of a long warm autumn ahead and enough time left for them to cob and ripen after flowering.
Pumpkins also require their growing and ripening to be done before the first frost. Mine are spreading fast, flowering and the bees are doing their job so I expect a bumper crop. Pumpkins love old stable manure to feed them while they spread.

Even after a good amount of blossom in spring we have no apricots on our tree. I guess a combination of blossom damage during a cold spell and the night beetle devouring most of the leaves was the problem. I hope they are plentiful else where.

Planting by the moon this weekend
21st January

Fruit Sagittarius
Waning crescent

Waning crescent


Use this time to weed and harvest from the garden. It is an excellent time to start building a new compost heap.

Moon in Sagittarius: This is a Fire sign. This is a good time to sow Fruiting plants like Broad Beans (Fava), Peas, but it would not be a good time to sow Leaf plants like Cabbages, Celeriac,Lettuce,

Moon in Sagittarius: Dry and barren. Good time to plant onion sets and bulbs.

Planting by the moon 22nd January


Fruit Sagittarius
NEW


Sow leafy vegetables and annuals that produce above ground. Lettuce, Spinach, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Sprouts, Sweetcorn, Cucumber. Grains are also good to plant now. This is a good time to pick vegetables if they are to be stored.

Moon in Sagittarius: This is a Fire sign. This is a good time to sow Fruiting plants like Broad Beans (Fava), Peas, but it would not be a good time to sow Leaf plants like Cabbages, Celeriac,Lettuce, Fruits Harvested now will store for longer.

Moon in Sagittarius: Dry and barren. Good time to plant onion sets and bulbs.

Cheers, Linda.