Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Gardening in North Otago 27th August 2012
Well this has been a better week, nice sunny warm days to help spring along.
The Garden centers are filling up with wonderful well grown bedding plants, some even in flower which makes me think they will need protection in the garden when planted out while frosts are around. The best idea is to buy while there is a good selection on offer and hold them in a sheltered place to harden off for a week or two before planting out.
Roses on sale now are all leafing up in their bags, it is still ok to plant them for a while yet while the ground is moist and cold. They will be making feeder roots into the potting mix in their bags so planting will need to done carefully from now on so not to disturb those new feeder roots.
We have been doing some major tree topping here in our garden which involved a young man climbing and harnessing himself to branches as he cut them back bit by bit while trying not to damage the planting below. He did a fantastic job, took heaps of tall branches back that have been
Trees and shrubs
There are some lovely magnolias and michelia's on offer now as well, they are all in bud.,to get plants to look as good as that this early in the South Island they will have had some pretty special growing conditions so protect from frosts if you need to. One lovely small magnolia I noticed was called Fairy blush, it is an evergreen which grows bushier and smaller than the original grandiflora magnolias. This one can be grown as a hedge or in a large pot. magnolias resent having their fleshy roots disturbed so be very careful when planting.Also keep an eye out for flowering camellias and rhododendrons now in the garden centers, most are showing buds and flowers, this is the time to choose the right shades for your garden and keep planting seasonal bulbs and tuberous begonias as they become available, such a great investment for every garden.
Lawns
I had the lawn mower out for the first mow of the new season in the weekend and they came up really well. They are so lush and green after the good feeding I gave them during that last big rain. I feed them with nitrophoska blue which I have found is a great boost for grass coming back from winter conditions. it requires being watered in before it can become available to roots and rain is best for this. Lawn fertilisers will burn grass and roots if left sitting on dry lawn.
Herbs
With the popular modern cooking trend these days a kitchen herb garden is a pleasure to grow and have close to the house.
It is wonderful to be able to pluck needed herbs from your kitchen garden like parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, bay, basil, to name just a few. Herbs grow happily together and all like the same growing conditions, full sun and a well nourished good draining sweet soil. This means they can grow in a small area or even a large deep good draining container. A dressing of lime in winter will sweeten the soil in time for their growing season which is mid spring through to winter.
Rosemary being a woody herb will produce strong roots that will encroach on softer growing herbs so in small herb gardens plant this in a bucket with the bottom cut out, buried in the ground. The bucket will contain the roots. Mint can be contained this way as well.
Never plant lemon balm in a kitchen herb garden because in no time at all it will spread and choke every other plant. Best planted in a container.
Tall plants like pineapple sage, fennel and upright rosemary can be planted as a low hedge divider if you wanted to section off an area in the veg garden for herbs. A standard bay planted at each end of a herb divider hedge looks good.
Vegetables
Its all on now for sowing as many seeds as you have room for and planting leaf veg before the white butterfly's arrive here on the coast,
keep the hoe moving between rows to keep weeds down, this movement will keep soil warmer.
Protection will still be needed further inland.
Seed Potatoes are available now for sprouting – place on a tray in a dry area for a couple of weeks until the ‘eyes’ are at least 2cm long. Early varieties around now include Swift, Rocket and Cliffs Kidney
Onions – spring, red or the popular Pukekohe ‘Long Keeper’ can be planted now, provided the soil is draining well.
Last weekend I cut back the leaves on strawberries that fruited for the first time last summer, added manure enriched compost to existing plants then planted out new runner plants. I created a raised strawberry bed last year by using two logs high edging to raise the bed up higher than ground level, Strawberry plants benefit from manure buried in shallow trenches along the side of the rows then when they start growing a dressing of fertiliser high in potash for good fruit development and pine needles around the plants to keep the fruit clean and deter bugs. Putting out runners weakens a strawberry plant, best to remove the runners before new growth begins. I don't keep plants any longer that two fruiting seasons and always plant a bed of new runner plants which will take place of the second year fruiting plants once removed.
I have finished pruning my wine grapes, I noticed the buds were swelling so needed to get the pruning done as soon as possible, once in leaf the sap is high which will result in pruning wounds bleeding. To prune a fruiting leader prune all side growth on the vine back to the second bud. These fruiting buds should be around a hand space apart to ensure adequate sized fruit, this means removing some of the new bud growth along the top of the leader and all of the new bud growth growing underneath. Some of these new budding top growths will throw two lots of bud branch, remove the least stronger one leaving only one lot of double buds to produce fruit.
Gardening by the moon.
FULL MOON
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Garden:
Foliar feed seedlings to promote strength
Sow carrots, beetroot, parsnip, turnips, salsify, scorzonera etc... 3 days after full moon
Transplant the last of your onion sets
Continue bed preparation and compost heap making
General tidy up, weed, mulch
Orchard:
Foliar feed any trees you think might need the extra strengthening.
Finish mulching
Organise hoses and watering systems this month!
Cheers, Linda
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Gardening in North 21st August 2012
Mud, mud glorious mud this week, but I feel things are really moving now with the absence of the usual frosts at this time of the year allowing the ground to warm up. The rain was good for me, however last week would have been enough without more this week! Sun, sun and more sun is what gardens need after such a drowning.
I am continuing to cut back the lavenders because I see them starting to put out new growth. Really old woody bushes can be cut back hard to encourage new lower growth, time to replace them if they do not respond. Newer plants just need a hair cut. (Early enough yet though), Feed them manure enriched compost and a little lime.
Softer shrubs that are encroaching on drive and walkways can be trimmed back , they will soon recover with new spring growth. I have been reducing the height on some of my taller shrubs like phebaliums, pittosporums, psudopanax and the like. You can do this if height is a problem without spoiling the shape of shrubs.What I do is cut out the center branch down to where the other branches bush out. this removes the natural point at the top of the shrub and will sometimes reduce the height by 2 or more meters.The shrubs will soon send up a new leader but will also put more growth into the side branching which can be trimmed into shape if a problem. This sort of control works now is because it is just the start of the growing season and plants will heal fast because they are intent on just growing. Leave doing this for another month further inland.
A lot of climbers are in bud now ready to do their thing in Spring so when trimming watch you are not cutting off new buds. Hardenbergia ( happy wanderer) flowered in early winter so that is one that can be cut back. Jasmines have been knocked by frosts in my garden, I will leave them a bit longer until I am sure the frosts are over before trimming them.
If you have still not feed your roses do it as soon as possible! they are moving fast now and need food kept up to them if you want them to stay healthy.
If you have no time to do anything else in the garden now feeding plants is a must for health and vigour to take them right through to autumn, it is well worth the effort and will minimize the spaying needed for unhealthy plants.
Slow release fertilisers are a safe bet for continual feeding with over a long period. They are very clean and easy to apply, and now days formulated to feed specific plants.
Now would be a good time to mention plants that resent being fed. Many South African plants and Australian natives such as proteas, leucodendrons, banksias, and all grevillia's do not need feeding. I have lost some of these because they had absorbed fertiliser from neighbouring plants.
There is still time to divide hostas, these dramatic shade loving perennials can really highlight a shaded spot with their fresh greens and variegated light shades. Simply lift established clumps at least 4 to 5 years old, use a sharp spade to slice them into a few good sizes pieces, then replant. They also look great in pots but get slug bate around them as soon as they start showing leaf or try some of the slug repellent methods that have been passed down by gardeners listed below.
Coffee Grounds: Used coffee grounds spread around susceptible plants may work.
Epsom Salts: Epsom salts sprinkled on the soil will supposedly deter slugs and also helps prevent Magnesium deficiency in your plants. Magnesium helps to deepen color, thickens petals and increases root structure.
Oat Bran: Scatter oat bran on the soil to kill slugs and snails.
Builders Sand: Try barriers of builders sand which has a sharp texture.
Nut Shells: Ground shells of filberts, pecans and walnuts may work, if you can find a source or grind your own.
Rosemary: Sprigs of rosemary scattered around repel slugs and are refreshing with their piney scent.
Pine Needles: Try a mulch of pine needles which works well around strawberry plants
Keep an eye out for flowering camellias and rhododendrons now in the garden centers, most are showing buds and flowers, this is the time to choose the right shades for your garden, they thrive in semi shade or afternoon shaded areas of the garden.
It's the perfect time to sow seeds under cover as I mentioned last week, the seeds I planted two weeks ago and have had under plastic are up already.Any seeds that say spring sowing on the back of the packet will pop up now. I use a tray of compost / soil with a layer of seed raising mix on the top.This way your seed raising mix goes further. Once planted cover the trays with plastic or glass, but use spacers to let air circulate between the plastic / glass and tray.
Fruit & Vegatables
This is also the time to give fruiting shrubs & trees a dressing of pot ash, this helps with fruiting.
If you plan to grow vegetables this year get the garden ready now, dig in some weed free compost and let the soil settle again.
In area's you will not be planting out for a while why not sow a green crop to add humus to tired soils, mustard, lupine, barley or wheat.These will sprout in no time here on the coast but only when the ground is warm enough up further inland but If weeds are growing you should get a strike. If you do fill vacant areas with green crop dig in when lush, soft and green. Don't let it get to the flowering stalky stage, it takes too long to break down and is not worth the effort of digging in.
Deciduous fruit trees should be planted in August at the latest and everything in the way of small fruit.
Now is a good time to shift citrus trees.
Gardening by the moon
FIRST QUARTER
Friday, 24 August 2012
Garden:
Time to transplant early veggies under cloches, e.g. courgettes and beans.
Do loads of weeding and compost making with all over wintered compost crops like lupin. Foliar feed 3 days before full moon.
You should be seriously taking out all compost crops and preparing beds for major planting next month Sow seed into trays (under cloche protection) early pumpkins, courgettes, Squash, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Sow out side in warmer areas, dwarf beans, marigold Sweet Hyssop, nasturtium, sweet pea, lettuce, coriander, parsley, rocket, peas.
Cheers, Linda.
I am continuing to cut back the lavenders because I see them starting to put out new growth. Really old woody bushes can be cut back hard to encourage new lower growth, time to replace them if they do not respond. Newer plants just need a hair cut. (Early enough yet though), Feed them manure enriched compost and a little lime.
Softer shrubs that are encroaching on drive and walkways can be trimmed back , they will soon recover with new spring growth. I have been reducing the height on some of my taller shrubs like phebaliums, pittosporums, psudopanax and the like. You can do this if height is a problem without spoiling the shape of shrubs.What I do is cut out the center branch down to where the other branches bush out. this removes the natural point at the top of the shrub and will sometimes reduce the height by 2 or more meters.The shrubs will soon send up a new leader but will also put more growth into the side branching which can be trimmed into shape if a problem. This sort of control works now is because it is just the start of the growing season and plants will heal fast because they are intent on just growing. Leave doing this for another month further inland.
A lot of climbers are in bud now ready to do their thing in Spring so when trimming watch you are not cutting off new buds. Hardenbergia ( happy wanderer) flowered in early winter so that is one that can be cut back. Jasmines have been knocked by frosts in my garden, I will leave them a bit longer until I am sure the frosts are over before trimming them.
If you have still not feed your roses do it as soon as possible! they are moving fast now and need food kept up to them if you want them to stay healthy.
If you have no time to do anything else in the garden now feeding plants is a must for health and vigour to take them right through to autumn, it is well worth the effort and will minimize the spaying needed for unhealthy plants.
Slow release fertilisers are a safe bet for continual feeding with over a long period. They are very clean and easy to apply, and now days formulated to feed specific plants.
Now would be a good time to mention plants that resent being fed. Many South African plants and Australian natives such as proteas, leucodendrons, banksias, and all grevillia's do not need feeding. I have lost some of these because they had absorbed fertiliser from neighbouring plants.
There is still time to divide hostas, these dramatic shade loving perennials can really highlight a shaded spot with their fresh greens and variegated light shades. Simply lift established clumps at least 4 to 5 years old, use a sharp spade to slice them into a few good sizes pieces, then replant. They also look great in pots but get slug bate around them as soon as they start showing leaf or try some of the slug repellent methods that have been passed down by gardeners listed below.
Coffee Grounds: Used coffee grounds spread around susceptible plants may work.
Epsom Salts: Epsom salts sprinkled on the soil will supposedly deter slugs and also helps prevent Magnesium deficiency in your plants. Magnesium helps to deepen color, thickens petals and increases root structure.
Oat Bran: Scatter oat bran on the soil to kill slugs and snails.
Builders Sand: Try barriers of builders sand which has a sharp texture.
Nut Shells: Ground shells of filberts, pecans and walnuts may work, if you can find a source or grind your own.
Rosemary: Sprigs of rosemary scattered around repel slugs and are refreshing with their piney scent.
Pine Needles: Try a mulch of pine needles which works well around strawberry plants
Keep an eye out for flowering camellias and rhododendrons now in the garden centers, most are showing buds and flowers, this is the time to choose the right shades for your garden, they thrive in semi shade or afternoon shaded areas of the garden.
It's the perfect time to sow seeds under cover as I mentioned last week, the seeds I planted two weeks ago and have had under plastic are up already.Any seeds that say spring sowing on the back of the packet will pop up now. I use a tray of compost / soil with a layer of seed raising mix on the top.This way your seed raising mix goes further. Once planted cover the trays with plastic or glass, but use spacers to let air circulate between the plastic / glass and tray.
Fruit & Vegatables
This is also the time to give fruiting shrubs & trees a dressing of pot ash, this helps with fruiting.
If you plan to grow vegetables this year get the garden ready now, dig in some weed free compost and let the soil settle again.
In area's you will not be planting out for a while why not sow a green crop to add humus to tired soils, mustard, lupine, barley or wheat.These will sprout in no time here on the coast but only when the ground is warm enough up further inland but If weeds are growing you should get a strike. If you do fill vacant areas with green crop dig in when lush, soft and green. Don't let it get to the flowering stalky stage, it takes too long to break down and is not worth the effort of digging in.
Deciduous fruit trees should be planted in August at the latest and everything in the way of small fruit.
Now is a good time to shift citrus trees.
Gardening by the moon
FIRST QUARTER
Friday, 24 August 2012
Garden:
Time to transplant early veggies under cloches, e.g. courgettes and beans.
Do loads of weeding and compost making with all over wintered compost crops like lupin. Foliar feed 3 days before full moon.
You should be seriously taking out all compost crops and preparing beds for major planting next month Sow seed into trays (under cloche protection) early pumpkins, courgettes, Squash, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Sow out side in warmer areas, dwarf beans, marigold Sweet Hyssop, nasturtium, sweet pea, lettuce, coriander, parsley, rocket, peas.
Cheers, Linda.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Gardening in North 14th August 2012
Ohhh yes the forecasters were right, that was a deluge! and seemed to go on and on. But from the garden and land point of view a good rain is just what a known drought area like North Otago needs to set us up for spring. Even though It is still very wet and muddy under foot plants and new lambs are pushing on and making it feel more like spring everyday.
I did duck in and out between the heavy showers while pruning hydrangeas but was forced to do inside stuff. The pea straw waiting to be spread on gardens is nicely wet now which means it will settle down onto the now wet gardens and help retain that moisture.
The gardens I don't mulch with pea straw get a covering of the lovely black compost we get each year from the Pukuiri freezing works. This allows spring bulbs to take center stage for the next couple of months. I do have pea straw in other areas where bulbs are growing and now that I can see where where they are popping up I push the straw away from them to let in light.
It is at this time of the year I notice yellowing of some plants, the ground gets depleted of nitrogen during winter especially when plants are shallow rooted like camellias, azaleas and rhododendron, give them a feed with an acid fertiliser especially formulated for them.( If powder water in)
Potted plants that make a lot of roots and have out grow their containers will soon show poor growth but these plants can be revived by either re-potting them into a larger pot or reducing the root mass by half then re-potting back into the same pot. I remove excess roots by removing the root bound plant from the pot, lay it on the ground then I use a sharp spade to chop the root ball in half. Once potted up again I apply applications of complete plant food and compost to either soil or a heavy tree & shrub mix. With all the slow release fertilisers on offer now it's makes it easy to choose the right one for all plants.
Remove saucers from all outside pots while plants are saturated,they need to drain now.
Ornamental grass's can be trimmed back now if you have not already done so, cut back the old seeded ends and clean out the dead thatch around the base, its amazing how much you will need to cart away after this hair cut but they will look wonderful and will grow back to their soft wafting shape in no time. Use what you have cut off as mulch around the garden, a cover for the compost or in the chook house.
Lawns
After all the rain moss will thrive in lawns, pathways and garden structures. There are a lot of products out there to deal with moss but killing the moss in lawns is simply a short term measure, they do not address the basic problem of moss in lawns.
If you really want to eradicate moss from your lawn, then you have to find the problem causing it. The reasons are varied, but not too difficult to isolate. Moss is a sign that something is wrong with your lawn.
Things that would be causing moss in your lawn could be:
Water logging - in winter or summer.
Poor feeding regime - usually shown by light green grass.
Soil too acid - carry out a test, lime may be needed.
Shaded Lawns - overhanging trees or large shrubs.
Mowing lawns too close is a very common cause, for it weakens the grass allowing moss to take hold.
Drought - if severe enough to harm or kill the grass. Not to be confused with a bit of summer-browning
Sandy - free-draining soils. This can weaken the grass and allow moss to take over. Some mosses are quite happy in these conditions. Add humus (compost or sieved soil) to add more body and rake in, this will encourage worms as well.
Compaction - continued use by children and pets with no remedial attention by way of aeration in the Autumn.
Generally, lawns that are well maintained - which includes being well fed, cut properly, aerated and de-thatched - problems which result in moss will not occur in the first place. Moss rarely competes with strong growing grass in lawns. Get the grass growing properly starting with the first spring feeding when temperatures rise soon. Slow release grass fertliser is ideal when the ground is wet and rain is about to happen.
Treating small areas of lawn moss can be carried out with sulphate of iron watered on at the strength displayed on the pack per sq meter. After a couple of weeks you can rake out the dead moss and re-seed.
Vegetables
Pick winter crops while still at their best - Fold cauliflower leaves over and tie to protect from frost and keep florets tight.
Asparagus is a vegetable that repays planting over many years. To prepare beds cultivate deeply and add generous amounts of compost. Existing asparagus beds should be cultivated carefully to avoid damaging the crowns that lie just below the surface, add a new layer of mulch.
Here on the coast get spring sowings off to an early start now, use a row of cloches or a stretch of clear polythene to warm and dry out the soil.
Further inland the soil will take a bit of thawing out before any planting Can be done but as I mentioned last week prepare the garden by digging in compost / humus.
Fruit
My peach tree is just at bud burst right now so I am waiting for the rain to stop so I can spray with a copper spray for leaf curl before it bursts into blossom. Once in blossom it is too late to spray.
If you have not already pruned your peach or nectarine tree I will run through how to go about it although it is late enough with the sap up and trees coming into blossom.
1. For the glass shape pick four main scaffold branches and simplify, cut larger branches needing removed close to the trunk, leave a collar, it will encourage tree borer.
2. Remove small weak upright branches on trunk or main branches.
3. Leave 50 to 75% pencil thick shooting wood per tree.
Both peach and nectarine fruit on wood developed last summer. Inspect the buds on newer wood, single buds are leaf buds, double buds are immature fruit buds and triple buds are mature fruit buds. Cut to an outward facing double bud, leave triples.
Citrus bushes are susceptible to water logging so remove saucers from under potted lemon bushes while it is so wet and always ensure that your bushes in the ground have good drainage and are not sitting in a puddle of water.
Gardening by the moon
NEW MOON
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Garden:
Time to transplant early veggies under cloches, e.g. courgettes and beans
Do loads of weeding and compost making with all over wintered compost crops lupins vetch etc
Foliar feed 3 days before full moon
You should be seriously taking out all compost crops and preparing beds for major planting next month
For the cloche, sow seed into trays of early pumpkins and courgettes, Squash, early tomatoes, cucumbers, dwarf beans, marigold Sweet Hyssop, nasturtium, sweet pea, lettuce, coriander, parsley, rocket, peas.
Sow peppers in an even warmer place. These seeds really need 20 degrees day and even nights to germinate well. I recommend you build a small plastic cloche, over a seed tray with these seeds in it, inside the green house.
Orchard:
Slug and snail control essential around newly grafted trees
Mulch all fruit trees – you can use the scythed grass from the orchard to do this at this time of the year
Cheers, Linda
I did duck in and out between the heavy showers while pruning hydrangeas but was forced to do inside stuff. The pea straw waiting to be spread on gardens is nicely wet now which means it will settle down onto the now wet gardens and help retain that moisture.
The gardens I don't mulch with pea straw get a covering of the lovely black compost we get each year from the Pukuiri freezing works. This allows spring bulbs to take center stage for the next couple of months. I do have pea straw in other areas where bulbs are growing and now that I can see where where they are popping up I push the straw away from them to let in light.
It is at this time of the year I notice yellowing of some plants, the ground gets depleted of nitrogen during winter especially when plants are shallow rooted like camellias, azaleas and rhododendron, give them a feed with an acid fertiliser especially formulated for them.( If powder water in)
Potted plants that make a lot of roots and have out grow their containers will soon show poor growth but these plants can be revived by either re-potting them into a larger pot or reducing the root mass by half then re-potting back into the same pot. I remove excess roots by removing the root bound plant from the pot, lay it on the ground then I use a sharp spade to chop the root ball in half. Once potted up again I apply applications of complete plant food and compost to either soil or a heavy tree & shrub mix. With all the slow release fertilisers on offer now it's makes it easy to choose the right one for all plants.
Remove saucers from all outside pots while plants are saturated,they need to drain now.
Ornamental grass's can be trimmed back now if you have not already done so, cut back the old seeded ends and clean out the dead thatch around the base, its amazing how much you will need to cart away after this hair cut but they will look wonderful and will grow back to their soft wafting shape in no time. Use what you have cut off as mulch around the garden, a cover for the compost or in the chook house.
Lawns
After all the rain moss will thrive in lawns, pathways and garden structures. There are a lot of products out there to deal with moss but killing the moss in lawns is simply a short term measure, they do not address the basic problem of moss in lawns.
If you really want to eradicate moss from your lawn, then you have to find the problem causing it. The reasons are varied, but not too difficult to isolate. Moss is a sign that something is wrong with your lawn.
Things that would be causing moss in your lawn could be:
Water logging - in winter or summer.
Poor feeding regime - usually shown by light green grass.
Soil too acid - carry out a test, lime may be needed.
Shaded Lawns - overhanging trees or large shrubs.
Mowing lawns too close is a very common cause, for it weakens the grass allowing moss to take hold.
Drought - if severe enough to harm or kill the grass. Not to be confused with a bit of summer-browning
Sandy - free-draining soils. This can weaken the grass and allow moss to take over. Some mosses are quite happy in these conditions. Add humus (compost or sieved soil) to add more body and rake in, this will encourage worms as well.
Compaction - continued use by children and pets with no remedial attention by way of aeration in the Autumn.
Generally, lawns that are well maintained - which includes being well fed, cut properly, aerated and de-thatched - problems which result in moss will not occur in the first place. Moss rarely competes with strong growing grass in lawns. Get the grass growing properly starting with the first spring feeding when temperatures rise soon. Slow release grass fertliser is ideal when the ground is wet and rain is about to happen.
Treating small areas of lawn moss can be carried out with sulphate of iron watered on at the strength displayed on the pack per sq meter. After a couple of weeks you can rake out the dead moss and re-seed.
Vegetables
Pick winter crops while still at their best - Fold cauliflower leaves over and tie to protect from frost and keep florets tight.
Asparagus is a vegetable that repays planting over many years. To prepare beds cultivate deeply and add generous amounts of compost. Existing asparagus beds should be cultivated carefully to avoid damaging the crowns that lie just below the surface, add a new layer of mulch.
Here on the coast get spring sowings off to an early start now, use a row of cloches or a stretch of clear polythene to warm and dry out the soil.
Further inland the soil will take a bit of thawing out before any planting Can be done but as I mentioned last week prepare the garden by digging in compost / humus.
Fruit
My peach tree is just at bud burst right now so I am waiting for the rain to stop so I can spray with a copper spray for leaf curl before it bursts into blossom. Once in blossom it is too late to spray.
If you have not already pruned your peach or nectarine tree I will run through how to go about it although it is late enough with the sap up and trees coming into blossom.
1. For the glass shape pick four main scaffold branches and simplify, cut larger branches needing removed close to the trunk, leave a collar, it will encourage tree borer.
2. Remove small weak upright branches on trunk or main branches.
3. Leave 50 to 75% pencil thick shooting wood per tree.
Both peach and nectarine fruit on wood developed last summer. Inspect the buds on newer wood, single buds are leaf buds, double buds are immature fruit buds and triple buds are mature fruit buds. Cut to an outward facing double bud, leave triples.
Citrus bushes are susceptible to water logging so remove saucers from under potted lemon bushes while it is so wet and always ensure that your bushes in the ground have good drainage and are not sitting in a puddle of water.
Gardening by the moon
NEW MOON
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Garden:
Time to transplant early veggies under cloches, e.g. courgettes and beans
Do loads of weeding and compost making with all over wintered compost crops lupins vetch etc
Foliar feed 3 days before full moon
You should be seriously taking out all compost crops and preparing beds for major planting next month
For the cloche, sow seed into trays of early pumpkins and courgettes, Squash, early tomatoes, cucumbers, dwarf beans, marigold Sweet Hyssop, nasturtium, sweet pea, lettuce, coriander, parsley, rocket, peas.
Sow peppers in an even warmer place. These seeds really need 20 degrees day and even nights to germinate well. I recommend you build a small plastic cloche, over a seed tray with these seeds in it, inside the green house.
Orchard:
Slug and snail control essential around newly grafted trees
Mulch all fruit trees – you can use the scythed grass from the orchard to do this at this time of the year
Cheers, Linda
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Gardening in North Otago 7th August 2012
More of those dull damp days this week but still so much is beginning to awake in the garden, I feel spring in the air with the fragrance from winter sweet, witch hazel, Daphne and boronia wafting to the music of Chopin around our garden. The birds are beginning to nest and I see the first jonquils opening. I do love the beginning of a new growing season as you can surely to tell!
After months of winter work going on in this garden it is now time to create and dress the garden by planting out and feeding . I have been liquid feeding with worm juice from my worm farm, which I add at black tea strength to a full watering can then apply generously to all new leaf and budding plants like pollyantha's, forget-me-nots, dianthus, sweet peas, pansy, viola and winter roses. Helping them along with feeding now will get their roots going and keep them green and strong through any cold snaps yet to come.
Slow release fertiliser is a great idea now as well, sprinkle around established ornamental and newly planted trees and shrubs to be there ready when the plants need food as the awake.
This week I am still pruning the hydrangeas and noticed nice fat buds swelling on the stems, prune only those stems that have flowered, cut at the second bud from the bottom, leave all other stems because these are the flowers for this year. Spread old stable manure around the drip line and a dressing of lime for pink flowers and aluminum sulphate for blue, White never changes, but are best planted in light shade – the flowers will tinge pink in the full sun. It is much easier to control the colour of hydrangea's in a pot, if the PH of your soil is high blue hydrangeas will always revert to pink no matter how often you add aluminum to the soil. If your PH is too high and you plan to grow hydrangeas in large pots to achieve a certain shade,it would be best to use soil from a garden in a different area mixed with tree and shrub mix. Used coffee grinds, grass clippings or pine needles spread around the drip line can help lower the PH.
I have been taking cuttings from the hardened off geranium steams, fresh grown geraniums give amazing colour to a warm sunny garden for all of the growing season and even into the winter, they are so easy to grow from cuttings. Take short cuttings with semi hard wood, (not a new green steam) and let them dry out a little before planting, which means you don't have to deal with them straight away. plant them into a soil and river sand mix and firm down, Potting mix is too light to get a tight seal around the cutting. I am forever taking cuttings from geraniums I like when I come across them in friends gardens, and giving cuttings from mine.
Trim dentata lavender now, that's the tall growing one with the lavender bumblebee flower, they are budding up now ready to burst into flower. Lavenders like sweetening up with a dressing of lime. Leave trimming other lavenders a little longer
Cut back bush lavatera now also, they get very woody if left.
Dahlias and gladioli, can be planted from now until September.
I will mention again to apply a dressing of Rose Food to establish Rose's (Water in if powder), slow release will add food each time you water or when it rains.
Trees and Roses are still available in most Garden Centres. If you think your garden is too small for trees, I have seen dwarf Peach and Nectarine Trees on offer, what better if you need a little tree to add height in an era of your garden why not have one that blossoms beautifully and then gives you fruit.They are perfect for the smaller garden as they only grow to a width and height of 1.5 metres. They can also be grown in a tub and require very little pruning.
There are masses of bedding plants on offer now and the ground temperature warming up now to get them growing.
Vegetables
The vegetable garden has been enjoying the rain, I am still digging carrots and using silver beet, it is so good not to have to worry about the bugs during these colder months when planting out leaf veg.
Cold and frosty areas inland can make a start now by adding some compost and a little lime in readiness for when you plant out later this month.
Lets hope these dull overcast days are over by the time the fruit trees blossom so the bee's will come out and set to work pollinating .
It’s the right time to spray copper fungicide to prevent leaf curl in peach trees if they are just at bud burst. If they are already in flower it is too late, don't spray.
Gardening by the moon.
LAST QUARTER
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Garden:
Prepare seed raising mix 1/3 sieved compost, 1/3 sieved garden soil, 1/3 sand - possibly 10% vermicast if available. it is critical to use seedraising mix that does not contain fungicides to get maximum vigor and strength from your plants.
Pot up any cuttings that you took in May and are now shooting in a sand box
Weed garden beds, make compost, double-dig or prepare beds fo planting as they become dry enough
Orchard:
Very last tree planting for deciduous fruit tree
Good time to plant citrus
Very last pruning
Mulching trees for the summer (if you didn't feed the orchard earlier then feed now underneath the much)
Mulch all newly planted trees before the grass begins to grow
Cheers, Linda.
http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.com/
After months of winter work going on in this garden it is now time to create and dress the garden by planting out and feeding . I have been liquid feeding with worm juice from my worm farm, which I add at black tea strength to a full watering can then apply generously to all new leaf and budding plants like pollyantha's, forget-me-nots, dianthus, sweet peas, pansy, viola and winter roses. Helping them along with feeding now will get their roots going and keep them green and strong through any cold snaps yet to come.
Slow release fertiliser is a great idea now as well, sprinkle around established ornamental and newly planted trees and shrubs to be there ready when the plants need food as the awake.
This week I am still pruning the hydrangeas and noticed nice fat buds swelling on the stems, prune only those stems that have flowered, cut at the second bud from the bottom, leave all other stems because these are the flowers for this year. Spread old stable manure around the drip line and a dressing of lime for pink flowers and aluminum sulphate for blue, White never changes, but are best planted in light shade – the flowers will tinge pink in the full sun. It is much easier to control the colour of hydrangea's in a pot, if the PH of your soil is high blue hydrangeas will always revert to pink no matter how often you add aluminum to the soil. If your PH is too high and you plan to grow hydrangeas in large pots to achieve a certain shade,it would be best to use soil from a garden in a different area mixed with tree and shrub mix. Used coffee grinds, grass clippings or pine needles spread around the drip line can help lower the PH.
I have been taking cuttings from the hardened off geranium steams, fresh grown geraniums give amazing colour to a warm sunny garden for all of the growing season and even into the winter, they are so easy to grow from cuttings. Take short cuttings with semi hard wood, (not a new green steam) and let them dry out a little before planting, which means you don't have to deal with them straight away. plant them into a soil and river sand mix and firm down, Potting mix is too light to get a tight seal around the cutting. I am forever taking cuttings from geraniums I like when I come across them in friends gardens, and giving cuttings from mine.
Trim dentata lavender now, that's the tall growing one with the lavender bumblebee flower, they are budding up now ready to burst into flower. Lavenders like sweetening up with a dressing of lime. Leave trimming other lavenders a little longer
Cut back bush lavatera now also, they get very woody if left.
Dahlias and gladioli, can be planted from now until September.
I will mention again to apply a dressing of Rose Food to establish Rose's (Water in if powder), slow release will add food each time you water or when it rains.
Trees and Roses are still available in most Garden Centres. If you think your garden is too small for trees, I have seen dwarf Peach and Nectarine Trees on offer, what better if you need a little tree to add height in an era of your garden why not have one that blossoms beautifully and then gives you fruit.They are perfect for the smaller garden as they only grow to a width and height of 1.5 metres. They can also be grown in a tub and require very little pruning.
There are masses of bedding plants on offer now and the ground temperature warming up now to get them growing.
Vegetables
The vegetable garden has been enjoying the rain, I am still digging carrots and using silver beet, it is so good not to have to worry about the bugs during these colder months when planting out leaf veg.
Cold and frosty areas inland can make a start now by adding some compost and a little lime in readiness for when you plant out later this month.
Lets hope these dull overcast days are over by the time the fruit trees blossom so the bee's will come out and set to work pollinating .
It’s the right time to spray copper fungicide to prevent leaf curl in peach trees if they are just at bud burst. If they are already in flower it is too late, don't spray.
Gardening by the moon.
LAST QUARTER
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Garden:
Prepare seed raising mix 1/3 sieved compost, 1/3 sieved garden soil, 1/3 sand - possibly 10% vermicast if available. it is critical to use seedraising mix that does not contain fungicides to get maximum vigor and strength from your plants.
Pot up any cuttings that you took in May and are now shooting in a sand box
Weed garden beds, make compost, double-dig or prepare beds fo planting as they become dry enough
Orchard:
Very last tree planting for deciduous fruit tree
Good time to plant citrus
Very last pruning
Mulching trees for the summer (if you didn't feed the orchard earlier then feed now underneath the much)
Mulch all newly planted trees before the grass begins to grow
Cheers, Linda.
http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.com/
Friday, August 3, 2012
Gardening in North Otago August 3rd 12012
The start of another new month!! and what a great rain North Otago received at the beginning of last week, and so good to have had warning it was to happen. I was able to lime the lawns and plants like lilac, clematis, carnations, dianthus,and all the herbs.
I was lucky enough to be offered access to a mountain of donkey manure last weekend and with the help of my Man and owner of the donkey's on the end of a shovel we filled a trailer, I got it onto the compost heaps just before the down pour, Ya!
Gardens that missed a good conditioning in autumn would still benefit from a layer of Compost spread on top. It can be dug in this month once the temperatures begin to rise. Before then the worms will work their way up towards this new layer of organic matter bringing the compost down into the soil for you!
Roses: I noticed while pruning that some roses were beginning to bud up so I took advantage of the rain and applied rose fertiliser, all powdered fertilisers need to be watered in. Not so important for slow release fertilisers they are designed to feed each time water is applied.
My roses will also get a dose of liquid donkey manure when I get around to it.
The wisteria is next to be pruned, All the long slim leaders growing out in all directions will be removed.
Once your wisteria has reached the length you require with a chosen leader, or maybe two going in opposite directions all other leaders can be removed. If allowed to grow, a wispy new leader will eventually become as thick as a tree branch, and too many of theses become a tangled mess and very heavy if being trained along a balcony.Don't prune any other part off a wisteria at this time of the year because you will remove the flower buds forming right now. Reduce the size of large established wisterias once flowering has finished.
Clumps of hellebore's are looking fantastic in our garden right now and with the sun we have had . Once pollinated the center of the flower changes to form seed pods, when this has taken place the stems become firmer and will last in water when picked. Hellebore's seed down very readily growing masses of baby plants beneath the mother plants. These seedlings can be transplanted or potted up in the second year when they have developed two strong leaves, but will not flower until around the forth year.
I notice Marguerite daisies and my bouganvillea have been badly damaged by frost, I will leave the damaged growth on top to protect the growth
below and cut back to hard wood when frosts have finished. I hung frost cloth in front of the bouganvilla to protect what is left which got saturated during the rain, I guess the next drying wind will sort that and I hope not to need it much longer.
Only this month to go and we will can roll head first into spring leaving these cold months behind us.
Plants that really appreciate the cold are erica's and calluna's they come into their own during winter displaying stunning shades of pink and white. Some ground cover erica can spread up to a meter and stay looking fresh for a good number of years. As a front planting in a boarder garden they form a carpet to stop that bird scratching problem, suppress weeds and are so pretty when other plants are resting. They like a dry, sunny situation, require no feeding just a hair cut when finished flowering. I noticed a good choice of flowering ericas on offer in Garden centers this week.
Vegetables & Fruit
On the warmer North Otago mid-winter days, especially after the rain seem perfect for planting at a time when we usually don't. There are edibles that can go into the ground when it is cold and damp. But remember none of these will survive in boggy soils so good drainage is essential with early plantings.
Garlic and Shallots are available to plant - dig compost through your soil or fill a container and plant separated cloves of garlic approximately twice the depth of the clove. Take care not to damage cloves when separating out the bulb. You could get up to 20 cloves per bulb!
Strawberries are easy to plant in all kinds of containers or straight into sunny / raised garden beds along with slow release fertiliser. I have enlarged my strawberry bed to twice the size, leaving last years plants to fruit again in one half and have planted the other half out in new runners.Strawberries also seem to do very well in a hanging strawberry bag with an abundance of slow release food, but it would pay to wrap it with bird netting once the fruit starts turning red.
I got really stuck into my gooseberry bushes this week, cleaned the middle out of cross over branches and took off the branches skirting the ground which lifted the bushes up enough for picking underneath, many of these lower branches had grown roots into the ground so I have potted these sections up, they will develop into good size bushes in a couple of growing seasons.
Gardening by the Moon in August
NEW MOON
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Garden:
Time to transplant early veggies under cloches, e.g. courgettes and beans
Do loads of weeding and compost making with all over wintered compost crops lupins vetch etc and prepare beds for major planting next month
Foliar feed 3 days before full moon
Sow seed into trays , dwarf beans, marigold Sweet Hyssop, nasturtium, sweet pea, lettuce, coriander, parsley, rocket, peas . Place in a warm green house ready to prick out when first leaves appear
Orchard:
Slug and snail control essential around newly grafted trees
Mulch all fruit trees – you can use the scythed grass from the orchard to do this at this time of the year
Cheers, Linda
I was lucky enough to be offered access to a mountain of donkey manure last weekend and with the help of my Man and owner of the donkey's on the end of a shovel we filled a trailer, I got it onto the compost heaps just before the down pour, Ya!
Gardens that missed a good conditioning in autumn would still benefit from a layer of Compost spread on top. It can be dug in this month once the temperatures begin to rise. Before then the worms will work their way up towards this new layer of organic matter bringing the compost down into the soil for you!
Roses: I noticed while pruning that some roses were beginning to bud up so I took advantage of the rain and applied rose fertiliser, all powdered fertilisers need to be watered in. Not so important for slow release fertilisers they are designed to feed each time water is applied.
My roses will also get a dose of liquid donkey manure when I get around to it.
The wisteria is next to be pruned, All the long slim leaders growing out in all directions will be removed.
Once your wisteria has reached the length you require with a chosen leader, or maybe two going in opposite directions all other leaders can be removed. If allowed to grow, a wispy new leader will eventually become as thick as a tree branch, and too many of theses become a tangled mess and very heavy if being trained along a balcony.Don't prune any other part off a wisteria at this time of the year because you will remove the flower buds forming right now. Reduce the size of large established wisterias once flowering has finished.
Clumps of hellebore's are looking fantastic in our garden right now and with the sun we have had . Once pollinated the center of the flower changes to form seed pods, when this has taken place the stems become firmer and will last in water when picked. Hellebore's seed down very readily growing masses of baby plants beneath the mother plants. These seedlings can be transplanted or potted up in the second year when they have developed two strong leaves, but will not flower until around the forth year.
I notice Marguerite daisies and my bouganvillea have been badly damaged by frost, I will leave the damaged growth on top to protect the growth
below and cut back to hard wood when frosts have finished. I hung frost cloth in front of the bouganvilla to protect what is left which got saturated during the rain, I guess the next drying wind will sort that and I hope not to need it much longer.
Only this month to go and we will can roll head first into spring leaving these cold months behind us.
Plants that really appreciate the cold are erica's and calluna's they come into their own during winter displaying stunning shades of pink and white. Some ground cover erica can spread up to a meter and stay looking fresh for a good number of years. As a front planting in a boarder garden they form a carpet to stop that bird scratching problem, suppress weeds and are so pretty when other plants are resting. They like a dry, sunny situation, require no feeding just a hair cut when finished flowering. I noticed a good choice of flowering ericas on offer in Garden centers this week.
Vegetables & Fruit
On the warmer North Otago mid-winter days, especially after the rain seem perfect for planting at a time when we usually don't. There are edibles that can go into the ground when it is cold and damp. But remember none of these will survive in boggy soils so good drainage is essential with early plantings.
Garlic and Shallots are available to plant - dig compost through your soil or fill a container and plant separated cloves of garlic approximately twice the depth of the clove. Take care not to damage cloves when separating out the bulb. You could get up to 20 cloves per bulb!
Strawberries are easy to plant in all kinds of containers or straight into sunny / raised garden beds along with slow release fertiliser. I have enlarged my strawberry bed to twice the size, leaving last years plants to fruit again in one half and have planted the other half out in new runners.Strawberries also seem to do very well in a hanging strawberry bag with an abundance of slow release food, but it would pay to wrap it with bird netting once the fruit starts turning red.
I got really stuck into my gooseberry bushes this week, cleaned the middle out of cross over branches and took off the branches skirting the ground which lifted the bushes up enough for picking underneath, many of these lower branches had grown roots into the ground so I have potted these sections up, they will develop into good size bushes in a couple of growing seasons.
Gardening by the Moon in August
NEW MOON
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Garden:
Time to transplant early veggies under cloches, e.g. courgettes and beans
Do loads of weeding and compost making with all over wintered compost crops lupins vetch etc and prepare beds for major planting next month
Foliar feed 3 days before full moon
Sow seed into trays , dwarf beans, marigold Sweet Hyssop, nasturtium, sweet pea, lettuce, coriander, parsley, rocket, peas . Place in a warm green house ready to prick out when first leaves appear
Orchard:
Slug and snail control essential around newly grafted trees
Mulch all fruit trees – you can use the scythed grass from the orchard to do this at this time of the year
Cheers, Linda
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