Gardening in North Otago August 27th 2019

Magnolias shed their fury bud covers.

It's here! I can feel the throb of springs pulse fattening buds, pushing out bulbs, shedding magnolia's fury bud covers , birds nesting and bees humming in blossom trees.

 Sap is on the way up again so unwanted growth from prunus trees  (flowering cherry) can be removed, this is the time to make cuts in prunus to avoid the spread of silver leaf which can spread from tree to tree while in the dormant stage. Cut out  any weak growth and cross over branches before they grow thick. Kilmarnoch willows need old wood cut out as well, this is the ornamental pussy willow used so often now in small gardens. Each new branch grows out from the bud of last years growth. All subsequent years growth dies and builds up under the new growth. The grafted weeping tree is much nicer to look at with all those dead branches removed and it is easier to do this when bare of leaves. Another tree planted often today is robinia lace Lady, height and width can be taken of these now if becoming too big. To keep robinia lace Lady small they can be planted in a grow bag then bag and all planted into the soil, they make a very attractive dwarf tree for a small garden.

Sow seeds for late spring and summer flowering into seed trays, raise trays up off the cold ground and cover with glass or plastic to get good germination and water when dry with a mist spray early in the day.

Cuttings put into river sand in autumn should be pushing out roots soon as buds swell and burst,  once lifted and roots identified pot into small pots in a heavy potting mix then store in a warm location until roots fill pots. Only water when mix is dry on top as roots will be too small to take up moisture if over watered, once roots have pots have  either pot on into a larger pot or plant into the garden. 

Folia feed spring flowering plants (other than bulbs ) with liquid plant food to encourage strong growth and plant, plant,plant all the pretty spring seedlings on offer now. 

Cleaning out ponds is a must  in early spring before pond weed and plants  really take off,  if  oxygen weed is choking the pond reduce it now because as water looses it's chill fish begin notice each other again and eggs are blown into the weed. I over flow the ponds, clean out leaves and dead iris leaf leaving a good amount of sludge on the pond bottom. A couple of years ago a helper and I removed all the yellow bog iris's from the big pond, this was a much needed job because this common yellow iris was spreading so fast and took up a quarter of the pond with it's mat forming roots ( lesson learned, don't plant yellow bog iris in a domestic pond) The place for this iris is along the banks of a creek, the fibrous roots are fantastic at holding the sides back from erosion. Don't be tempted to add bull rushes to a domestic pond either, they also spread too quickly.

Lawns, 

Lawns benefit greatly from an early spring feed of lawn fertilizer,  this works best with rain to wash it in, if moss is a problem  sulphate of iron watered on from a watering can will deal to it. Rake it out once it has turned black.  Unfortunately too much soil is removed from new sections these days which means clay is not far down there for creating a solid moisture holding pan under soil. Gypsum ( soluble lime) will work on opening up clay without changing the ph of soil.

Vegetables:

Soil is warming with sun staying around longer so heaps to do in the veg garden as you ready it for planting. Spread old stable or pig manure and dig in while turning soil over, a metal rake will soon break up winter clods to fine soil down for direct seed sowing. Get pumpkin, butternut and squash and corn seeds started now under protection, they need a long warm growing season to grow and ripen. It's so good to be planting salad veg again especially while there are no white butterflies or aphids about. As an early season deterrent fish emulsion can be sprayed on both veg and flowering seedlings, this will feed the plants and repel pests by fooling them into thinking their favorite food is now protein not vegetable, repeat after rain.

Once seed potatoes have sprouted get them in the ground, when leaves appear start mounding soil up over most of the leaves to add soil depth which encourages plan

ts to make more potatoes.

Fruit: All deciduous fruit trees can still be planted in September, a wide selection will be available in garden centers now.  All fruits require a position in full sun, shelter from prevailing winds is preferable or a stake added for a couple of years until roots are well anchored. Spray stone fruit trees on bud burst with Super Copper to protect from leaf curl disease.

Strawberries: Delicious strawberries are easy to grow, in a home garden, as little as 25 plants can yield more than 50 pounds. Strawberries need at least six hours of direct sun daily and will do well with a dressing of fertilizer specifically formulated with extra potassium, regular irrigation and slightly acidic soil which can be achieved by adding coffee grinds and covering the bed in pine needles which also keep the weeds down and the fruit clean. All other berries on offer should be planted now to settle in to a season of fruiting

Cheers, Linda.

                    

Gardening in North Otago August 13th 2019

Magnolia buds just opening

What a good rain this week to set us up for spring growth. "Blossom by blossom the spring begins.”  Algernon Charles Swinburne  

Feeding plants:  Folia feeding is beneficial now as as the ground warms and plants are looking for nutrients. Worm tea, watered down horse or cow manure is a useful and inexpensive folia / root food especially around the roots of roses while they are pushing out new buds. Rose buds are swelling so if you still have them to prune get it done now.

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 slow release fertilizer the mix,  with all the slow release fertilisers on offer now it's makes it easy to choose the right one for all plants. rain will add more nutrients. 

Keep planting roses, peony roses and gladioli from now until September if dividing or planting lilies get them planted straight away, they never stop making roots and should never dry out.  

Cut back leggy,bush lavatera and they will bush up again in no time.

 Ornamental grass's  If you have not trimmed back ornamental grass's yet do it now, cut the old seeded ends well back 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 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 or calf pen  

Weeds: I imagine the weeds have started at your place as they have at ours and with the ground being so soft hand, and hoe weeding is really easy, get them out before they take off and seed everywhere, or dig them in before they seed. With temperatures  warming spraying weeds can soon begin.  

Lawns: Moss can be delt to 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, it does not address the basic problem. 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.

Things that would be causing moss in your lawn could be:

Water logging 

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.

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.

Treating small areas of moss in lawns can be carried out with sulphate of iron watered on at the strength displayed on the pack per sq meter, moss will turn black and after a couple of weeks you can rake out the dead moss and re-seed. Generally, lawns that are well maintained which includes being well fed, cut properly, aerated and de-thatched  moss will have a problem competing with strong growing grass in lawns.  The first spring feeding can be done when the next rain is about to happen.

Vegetables: Pick winter crops while still at their best - Fold cauliflower leaves over and tie to protect from frost and keep florets tight.  Here on the coast get spring sowings off to an early start now. 

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. 

Sprouted Potatoes can go into the ground now for  an early crop, people have been telling me of the benefits gained from planting potatoes on a bed of pine needles, I lay them on comfrey leaves, they decompose fast in the soil making plant food quickly available.

Further inland soil will take a bit of thawing out before any planting but the garden can be prepare by digging in compost / humus.  

Fruit: My peach tree is just at bud burst right now so will spray with a copper spray for leaf curl, 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, recovery will be quicker now the sap has risen.

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.

Cheers, Linda  

Potatoes on comfrey leaves 

Gardening in North Otago August 7th 2019

Lavender dentata hedge.

Brrrr the cold arrived this

week but very tame compared to other places,  which seems to be North Otago's way.

Much is beginning to awake in the garden, I feel spring in the air with swelling of buds and  birds are beginning to nest also I see blossom starting , jonquils and daffodils gracing fence lines about the town. We are coming to the end of pruning with cold, rose prickled fingers, wheel barrows of rose and hydrangea pruning. I have also been dealing to couch grass while the soil is damp, right now couch is dormant and easy to pull but getting right down and scratching out roots is the answer, it is so satisfying to pull a root runner right to it's and know that that will be the end of it.

 It is now time for me to create and dress the garden by planting out, shifting and feeding. I have been liquid feeding with worm and comfrey tea, adding at the strength of black tea to a full watering can, then applied generously to all new leaf, budding and flowering plants.  Any new plantings can be Helped along along by feeding now to get 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 they awaken. Spread old stable manure around the drip line of hydrangeas 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 easy 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 really want to grow blue hydrangeas in large pots use a acid tree and shrub mix. The use of coffee grinds, grass clippings or pine needles spread around the drip line can help to lower the PH of pink hydrangeas in the garden to encourage shades of purple. I have found pulling rooted branches from the base of big old gnarly hydrangea bush can become a new bush of a special variety.  

Geranium ccuttings from the hardened steams can be taken now, fresh grown geraniums give amazing colour to a warm sunny garden for all of the growing season and even into the winter. Take short cuttings, semi hard wood, (not a new green steam) and let them dry out a little before planting, this means you don't have to deal with them straight away. Plant them firmly into a soil and river sand mix, (Potting mix is too light to get a tight seal around the cutting). 

Lavender: Trim dentata lavender now if you haven't already, and it is looking untidy. Dentata is the tall growing one with the pale lavender bumblebee flower and serrated leaf.They will recover quickly from a cut back because they are budding up now, but Leave trimming other lavenders right back until it is warmer. Lavenders, clematis and all herbs like sweetening up with a dressing of lime now. 

Lavatera, English abutilon and buddleia bushes can be cut back now  to encourage fresh new growth ready for butterflies. 

Roses:  with roses making a move to bud up they will be needing food to draw on, powdered rose food needs watered in around the drip line, slow release fertiliser will work each time it rains. 

New seasons trees and Roses are still available in Garden Centers and  masses of bedding plants on offer now ground temperature warming up. 

Vegetables: The vegetable garden enjoyed the last rain, 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. 

Fruit: Lets hope the dull overcast days are over by the time the fruit trees blossom so the bee's will come out and set to work pollinating . Keep an eye on peach and nectarine trees, if they are just at bud burst it will be time to spray a copper fungicide to prevent leaf curl. When they are in flower it is too late to spray. 

Cheers, Linda  

Peach trees: spray with copper at bud burst to help with leaf curl

Peach and nectarine leaf curl