Gardening in North Otago March 3rd 2021

Signs of Autumn this week with our silver birch tree's tingeing gold and leaves dropping but gardens should still be holding green and should continue to do so a little longer if moisture is kept up.  Summer potted annuals will be looking tired now but deadheading and folia feeding will keep them flowering through autumn. Here on the coast we can still enjoy colour during winter if bedding plants are prepared now. The idea is to utilize the warmth from now on to encourage individually potted plants to bush, bud and harden for planting before frosts get heavy. Bedding plants that respond well to this method are pansy, viola, pollyanthus wallflower, stock, calendula and primula malacoides. It is so worth taking the time to pot individual young seedlings into single pots for root development and become acclimated to early winter conditions rather than buying plants that have been forced into flower at the time. I place these pots on trays and store them in a cool shady place until frosts begin, then the trays are put in a sunny spot to bud up. Keep rose and dahlia deadheading up to encourage a last vibrant show. Rust is always a problem on roses in autumn, strip the affected leaves from the bushes as well as those on the ground and burn them to reduce this problem for next year.  Carnations can be layered now, pin the center of a stem  down under the soil while still attached to the mother plant with the flower end still exposed, roots should form along the buried stem. Once rooted cut from the mother plant and pot up to grow on before planting out in lime sweetened soil. This layering method can be applied to many herbs, plants and shrubs. Lawns.There should be a lot of new lawns being sown in the next couple of months, don't worry about annual weeds appearing as the grass germinates most will disappear after the first mow. All lawn weed sprays are too strong for new grass.Birds are after grass grub in lawns now while the grubs are feeding on grass roots, you have until the end of May to deal to grass grub should they be a problem. Fruit: This is proving a good season for apples, quince, pears and walnuts. The more I read about the health benefits from eating walnuts I feel we should all have access to a tree. The east coast is said to be the preferred place for growing walnuts, they need a dry climate, with a high summer temperature and winter chilling (down to -10ºC). Walnuts are self-pollinating but the more trees you have, the better the pollination rate, if planting trees from scratch, they won’t be producing at economic levels until about Year 8.  Vegetable Gardens will be ready to plant out new crops for the cooler seasons, root veg seeds will germinate well while the ground is still warm. Keep water up to corn and the pumpkin family. We have been experiencing higher humidity than normal for North Otago, this encourages fungus in glass and tunnel houses, water early in the day to ensure produce is dry going into the night.

Cheers Linda