Gardening in North Otago April 7th 2015

Easter been and gone for another year already now it's that waiting time of year again, waiting for the deciduous trees and shrubs to put on their spectacular autumn show then drop their leaves, waiting for plants to finish flowering so I can cut them back, waiting for the roses to make seed and not be tempted to cut them back until pruning time in July. It is important not to dead head roses now even though they look untidy. When a spent bloom sets seed the sap continues to be drawn up to feed these seeds and keep them developing, when this is happening the bud shoots on the steam are not activated because the sap is bypassing them to get to the seed. If we cut the seed head off the sap will go into making new growth which will be too soft to go the  winter. Hard wood is needed for pruning so all I am doing with roses right now is remove and dispose of all the diseased leaves from bushes and the ground around them to prevent the over wintering of rust, black spot and mildew. A spray of lime sulphur spray next month will defoliate them and kill off the remainder of summer disease. 

Lovely lovely piles of leaves to break down into leaf mulch and compost to be put back onto the garden. Layer leaves with already made compost / soil, grass cuttings and frequent watering's to get it all cooking while the heat is still around and by spring you will have just what the garden needs for the new growing season.

This is a good time to shift camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, and small conifers. Larger conifers and shrubs can to be trenched now and shifted in the winter. If roots have been removed in the shifting a third of the top growth should be removed, if you don't do this nature will do it for you. 

I have been lucky enough to have received a truck load of good soil, I have been adding compost twice yearly to gardens but because of the very dry growing season we have been experiencing the top layer on gardens here are dry and too light so the addition of a thick layer of real soil is a bonus.

Bob sprayed around our garden, drive way and paved areas during a dry spell this week, I notice it worked well with everything wilting. Frosts will take care of the next lot of weeds that germinate so the weed spray can go away soon until spring. 

Hedges can be pruned for the last time if needed, leaves laying on the top of hedges need to be removed as they may rot the top growth of the hedge.

Lawns:  De- thatching can be done now if required, lawns can get thick with dead thatch under good grass a dethatcher will pull all that build up out to give remaining growing grass a chance to grow healthily. March / April are the best months to resow thin patches and sow a new lawn, nights start cooling after the clocks go back but the ground should stay warm for another six weeks to get some seed sown.  In autumn I often give lawns that have not done well a dressing of sifted compost, about 1/2 a bucket to the sqm working it down to the roots with the back of a rake. It will improve both very light and very compact soils. 

 

Vegetable and fruit 

Clean up sprays can be applied to all fruit trees and fruiting shrubs that have shown leaf spots. Super copper or Natures way fungus spray can be used. Any citrus bushes that have shown signs of leaf or fruit spot spray with super copper as well. 

Still time to sow a green crop when space becomes available in the vegetable garden, dig in veg gone to seed and annual weeds before they go to seed, it's all good humus. 

Keep planting winter veg and keep pumpkins growing on, no sign of frost yet here on the coast.

Begin to give plants more light In glass houses, remove any shading and give plants less water.

Cheers, Linda