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