Gardening in North Otago 27th November 2012

Down to the last month now! frenzy time for Adults I guess as we get closer to Christmas. Some nice sunny days this week so the night beetle have started to make their appearance along with those fat brown moths. The spittle bug is in force again, they don't seem to be deterred by the cold snap. Spittlebug nymphs can turn a liquid secretion into bubbles by moving or pumping their bodies. Once the bubbles have formed, spittlebugs use their hind legs to cover themselves with the froth. The ‘spittle’ serves multiple purposes. It shields the spittlebugs from predators It insulates them from temperature extremes It prevents the spittlebugs from dehydrating Spittlebug eggs are laid in late summer and are left to over winter on plant debris. The eggs will hatch in early spring and go through five stages, before becoming adults. When the nymphs originally hatch in early spring, they will attach themselves to a plant and begin feeding. Although spittlebug nymphs do feed on plant sap, the damage is minimal and populations are usually small, so no pesticide is necessary. A strong blast with a hose should be enough to dislodge a spittlebug nymph. They’ll be gone in a few weeks anyway. In extreme cases, they can cause stunting and weaken plants or reduce yields. If you should have a severe infestation, remove plant debris in the autumn and work the soil to reduce egg population. Adult spittlebugs (frog hoppers) are 6 to 8mm long, elongated, oval and usually dull coloured with prominent eyes Nymphs are smaller and bright geenish/yellow. I am keeping up the fish emulsion to foliar feed to the roses and deter the green fly, but have had to use a nasty on the underside of my hellebore leaves because am sure this is where the green fly winter over in my garden. If you have orchids it is the time to re-pot them now, use the orchid mix for the best results, it takes the guess work out of wondering what to feed them. The dew's are still wetting so the ground is still holding some moisture, scatter grass clippings around as mulch if your lawns have not been sprayed, they become good humus. But don't pile them on too thickly because they are inclined to form a shield that stops the rain reaching the soil beneath. I throw them on to empty the catcher, then rake them out. So much spent spring growth in our garden needs cut back now, I am making a lot of gaps by cutting back aquilegia's, forget-me-not, pansies, viola's and catmint, plus digging out all the pollyanthus then replanting them in a shady damp spot until next winter. I have cosmos, poppies and statice to fill gaps. It is probably a good time to attend to the vegetable garden as things are growing fast now and will be needing food, we need to keep the food up to tomatoes, currants an berries, lemons and fruit trees... it takes a lot out of a plant to fruit. There are specially prepared fertilisers for most plants with instructions for how much to apply and when. Blood and bone is a good all rounder but can attract fly's at this time of the year so water it in well. All fruiting trees and plants need lots of water now to create juicy plump fruit, the small amount of rain we have been lucky enough to get have been perfect for them but it's the winds to come that will do the damage so keep the water up when you know it will be needed. Remember to cover your strawberries to keep the birds from eating them as soon as they show any sign of red. Strawberry netting stretches out to cover a large area and does the job well, the birds are helping themselves to my gooseberries so I have thrown some frost cloth over them until I get a chance to pick them. As tomatoes grow be sure to remove laterals of the taller growing variety and stake them to keep them upright as the fruit gets heaver. They should be flowering now waiting for the bee's to pollinate them. If your bees are few and far between like mine this year you may have to take a hair drier into the glass house to gently blow the pollen around while leaves are dry. Early morning soaking on the vegetable garden keeps moisture up to them through the day and helps with the germination of seeds. Successive planting can be kept up right through the Summer. If you must use spray's on your vegetables make sure you read the directions to know how long the with holding period is before you can eat the vegetables. Why not try an organic option there are more on offer every year, or try companion planting. Some plants have been proven to help and enhance others so I will list what has worked. Carrots and onions together, the onions help keep the carrot fly at bay and carrots the onion fly. Celery and the brassica family, i.e.: cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. the celery will confuse the white butterfly when wanting to land and lay it's larvae eggs. Marigolds and beans/brassicas, the marigold emits a natural gas which protects surrounding plants from insects like aphids and white fly. Make your own natural sprays: The following plant leaves can be boiled in water and the resulting liquid used on plants. Basil will eliminate aphids Chives prevent mildew occurring on cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. Coriander also for aphids and spider mite. Eucalyptus is a good general purpose insecticide. Rhubarb has been found to help prevent blackspot. These may be only plants but in liquid form they can be harmful to children so keep marked bottles high up. I found out that it is not a good idea to breath in fumes when bringing to the boil, and to keep doors and window open. the fumes from some of them can certainly make you feel really odd. Get corn and pumpkins in as soon as possible because they need a long growing and ripening season. Gardening by the moon LAST QUARTER Friday, 7 December 2012 Garden: Prick out any seedlings as necessary Keep up watering carefully observe all plants - they'll tell you if they need some more water, nutrients, help with pest control, tying up or more space.... This is a very important time to take good care of tomatoes and peppers Orchard: You should be able to have a break for a few weeks now if you're up to date! until it is time to begin picking the fruit and enjoying the season! Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 20th November 2012

This was a better week,apart from the chill in the wind. I have been weeding, weeding,!! and cutting back heaps of stuff that has finished flowering, alyssum, ground cover phlox, aubrietia and aquilegias, if you cut them back now they will green up again and look good over summer. Same goes for Erica's, cut all the brown spent flower stems off and they will green up again in no time. I have also been changing the flower beds from Spring to summer, all the forget-me-not is gone along with the died down bulb tops. I spread well cooked compost on the cleared ground then start filling every gap with flower seedlings like cosmos, static, blue salvia, natushims, lavatera and lobelia not leaving any room for weeds to grow. All trees have leafed up now, don't be afraid to cut out over crowding branches to let light in to what is planted underneath. If there are two branches filling the same spot take the lower one out. Maple trees tend to grow thick canopies so I have been thinning mine out. I remove heaps but when I stand back and look it is not noticeable and now there is nice dappled light coming through. Dahlias can be pinched out like chrysanthemums to encourage bushiness' but they will still get tall so put stakes in now before they begin to bend and fall. Autumn flowering bulbs are in now, like belladonnas, crocuses, nerines, plant in full sun where they will not be disturbed. If your daffodils did not flower so well this spring, It's a good time to break up large clumps while you can still see where they have been, flowering can be restricted when the clumps get over crowded. Plant out in small groups in about 20cm of compost...plant to a depth of double their height then feed with blood and bone and mulch so they don't dry out over summer.Christmas lilies could also use a feed so they’re ready to stun in summer displays. Prune daisies bushes where needed to encourage summer flowering, and prune spring-flowering shrubs once they’re done producing blooms. Geraniums are now available; plant in a sunny, dry spot. Don’t forget fuchsias! They are also available but prefer semi-shaded areas in the garden. My buxus hedging is still too soft to be trimmed, would be trimming it this week in past years. Lawn mowers need to be lifted a notch now, try mowing without the catcher now and then, and rake the clippings out over the lawn to add humus to the lawn. Lawns need fed regularly through the growing and cutting seasons but never feed a dry lawn, if you do you are in danger of burning it. Have some fertiliser on hand for the next rain which never seems far away this month. I sprayed the lawn weeds two weeks ago, then fed them in the last rain, and filled the gaps with lawn seed. already the gaps where the weeds died have a green grass tinge. Vegetables & fruit Keep planting all vegetables but not too many of the same at one time. The ground is taking longer than usual to warm up this year which is holding rapid vegetable growth back, good in a way I think because leafy veg are not bolting to seed before they are used. I planted basil, corn and silver beet seeds this week ( have to keep the greens up to my chooks with the silver beet) Check your fruit trees now for over crowded bunches, thin the bunches out by snipping small fruits off with sharp scissors. Give each fruiting tree and bush a good root soak now and then in this dry weather. Gardening by the moon. First Quarter on 2012-11-20 The first quarter, which occurs in the waxing period, is considered the period of growth. This it the time to concentrate on the upward movement of plants or tasks that require water and light. Plant or sow seeds that are productive above ground. This includes everything from beans and flowers to fruit trees. It is also an excellent time to take cuttings. Grafting, too, requires a strong flow of water through the stems. Root crops, on the other hand, should not be planted in this period, as the rising water will enhance top growth at the expense of root development. Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 12th November 2012

What a wonderful rain last Sunday spring in North Otago is always so much better for a rain like that but then such cold days to follow have held growth back a little. My rose and iris buds are not willing to open and plants like pollyanthus and pansies which should be struggling with heat at this time of the year are still happily flowering away and my late rhododendrons are so vibrant and holding well with the cooler days. After many years trying to grow plants regardless of the conditions preferred, thinking as long as I kept the water up and protected them through the winter I could beat nature. I finally learned that it's a waste of time and money nursing plants that need warmer conditions and more rain than we have here. Plants like hibiscus, banana, gardenia, palms, anything that requires a tropical seasonal rain is going to struggle. Bougainvillea is growing here on the coast, mine can be fine for a couple of years but other years the frost really knocks it back. Read the labels and make sure that our conditions are right for the plants on offer at this time of the year, for example there are some lovely pelagoniums on offer right now but I have yet to have one survive the winter in my garden, although I see them growing well on the south hill where the frosts are not so harsh so I guess it's a matter of looking at what is growing well in gardens close by to you and knowing that the same plants will do well in your garden. Roses:Time to start spraying roses for green fly and disease if you have not already started. Shield takes care of both if you follow the instructions and spray at the suggested intervals. Keep the food up as they flower, it's hungry roses that are more susceptible to disease. Slow release rose fertiliser will feed each time you water. Spring bulbs have finished flowering, tie a knot in the leaves of daffodils rather than cut them off yet as they need to take all the top green into storage. Tulips collapse quickly and can be dug up and stored in a dry place until planting out again in May next year but keep covered because rats will sniff them out and feast on them over winter. Blue bells need to be left to seed if you want them in mass, they increase in the bulb but also seed successfully. Keep the water up to Lillie's, they are making rapid growth now and resent drying out, stake them now before they become too heavy. I will once again sing the praises of raised gardens, Some advantages of raised bed gardens include: Soil warms up faster in the spring, and doesn't cool as fast in the autumn. You don't have to bend far to work in the garden and access the plants. The soil has better drainage, so there is less disease. You don't walk on the soil, so it doesn't get compacted, roots need air, and therefore compacted soil is very detrimental to plant growth. A raised garden can be a garden feature as it has a specified geometry and form. Studies have shown that a raised bed garden may be up to two times more productive per square foot compared to normal gardening techniques. While you may make the raised bed garden to any shape there are some guidelines to follow. The garden can be any length you want, but it shouldn't be more than 4ft wide so you can reach it comfortably from either side. It can be as high as you want it, but keep in mind that the higher you go, the more support you will need to build. Even a railway sleeper high will give benefits. If it's a raised vegetable garden then it must be built in a spot that gets all day sun. Raised beds for shade and moisture loving plants need to be closer to the damp ground, if they are raised too high the drainage is too great for these plants. Once you have constructed your raised bed fill with fresh soil, compost, and well aged manure If you choose to frame your raised garden with wood make sure not to use treated timber, this has been known to leach chemicals into the soil. While untreated wood will not last as long, it is a safer alternative. Rocks are an economical option but they tend to loose soil with rain and watering, we are fortunate here in Oamaru to have our own versatile Oamaru stone. I have seen ready made wooden raised garden surrounds on offer, these would do the trick if space was a problem. Vegetables: Keep mounding the potatoes to keep them producing, consistent watering is important for potatoes now during this dry spell, this goes for all root vegetables. Leafy veg don't need any extra feeding at this time of the year it will just encourage them to bolt once it warms up. Plant only as many plants you think you would use when ready to pick and hold back other small seedling plants from the same batch and keep in a semi shady place until required for planting. The small plants will hold if watered only when too dry (don't over water seedlings they do not have enough root growth to absorb and will rot,. Keep pumpkin and squash plants mulched, their roots are fragile until their large leaves grow to create the root shade needed. All new small plants can be over watered to the point where their roots cannot cope and they collapse, the soil should be dry on top between watering's and good drainage is essential . Gardening by the moon Wednesday 14 new moon. Plant flowers & leafy vegies: Sat 17, Sun 18, Wed 21, Thu 22 Plant root crops & perennials: Sun 4, Mon 5, Mon 26, Tue 27 Mow, weed or tackle pests: Tue 6, Wed 7, Thu 8, Fri 9, Sat 10 Cheers, Linda