Gardening in Waitaki 1st November

Abutilon mixed shades.

November brings the start of a new busy growing season . Spring is moving on with new growth still too tender to need our attention. We can look, touch and smell nature's gifts while weeds beckon us. Roses: Buds are forming, thank goodness for the rain we have had to get them off to a good start. Aphids can be dealt to with finger and thumb on the new growth before they settle down around bushes. Deciduous azaleas Are taking center stage flaunting wonderful colour's, the display in our Botanical Gardens is breathtaking right now. Peony roses are budding well ready to delight us when they explode into flower, some early peonies are already bursting into flower so if you haven't already done so get some frames around them to keep them from flopping under the weight of flowers. Dahlias are pushing through now, if you discover some in shade with tree branches having spread wider they can be shifted while leaves are still low, take a good amount of soil around the roots and plant in a sunny position. Hydrangeas have leafed up and are starting to produce flower heads so it is important to keep the water and food up to them, old stable manure, blood and bone, liquid or slow release fertiliser will keep them happy and flowering well. It's lime for pink and Epsom salts or aluminum sulphate to keep them blue. Strong winds can be detrimental to new hydrangea leaves, if they do get damaged they will soon recover. Hydrangeas are the perfect shrub for a semi shaded area. Fuchsias all prefer semi shade and are making a lot of growth now as well, if you missed cutting any back, do it now, they will flower later but will soon catch up. Fuchsias are on sale right now. Fuchsia tip cuttings can be taken now, if you spot some you like in a friend's garden ask for some cuttings. I break a cutting off at a heel or a nodule section, remove some of the top growth and push into firm wet river sand. Abutilon (Chinese lantern: If you are looking for something non invasive to make a show of colour against a wall why not try Abutilon. They come in strong colours of yellow, orange, burgundy and white. I planted yellow, burgundy and white together in a large container under planted with a lime green sedum. Being a rather spindly plant I intertwined them and they now look like one bush. Lawns: Still getting heavy dews on lawns which helps to keep them lush, but hot days will soon put grass under stress, have lawn food on hand for the next good rain. If your lawns are inclined to crack when dry they have probably been planted on soil with high clay content. A soil test is the best way to determine what's best for a healthy growing lawn and garden. To test your soil pH level, a simple and effective way is to use a home testing kit. A good tip when taking soil samples from your soil is to get a sample from just below the surface for an accurate reading. Generally when soil calcium is low, the pH is also low. In this instance, lime calcium carbonate can be added to the soil to raise calcium level and raise the pH to a more desirable level. If the soil is also low in magnesium, you should use dolomitic lime. I have always suggested gypsum is used to break down clay soil but since giving time to study results I now know that gypsum works well on coastal soil with clay and sodium content but not on heavy clay soil inland. To rectify heavy, non draining soil add organic matter, composted, finely ground pine bark is ideal along with at least 6 inches of river sand to the top 6 inches of soil worked in. Vegetables: The rain, even though we have had good rain already this spring which has been a treat to veg gardens as hosing does not give the same results as a good rain, but of course with all lush growth weeds will take over if left unattended. Hoeing while small is still the best weeding method I know. Any veg planted or sown now will pop up and thrive when the sun shines. Tomatoes; will be getting taller and flowering now however the consistent cold snaps and overcast days will be holding them back ,making leaves curl and take on a blueish look, this will stop once we get a continuous warm spell. On dull cold days watering will chill them further so water and folia feed on the warm days early in the day to allow time for soil to warm again before the evening. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki October 20th 2021

Unpredictable Spring weather here in Waitaki but warmth and moisture in the ground supports new fresh growth. Roses are budding up, keep the deep root watering up to them, foliar feeding on fresh new leaves works well now along with slow release fertilisers to keep roses healthy. Aphid is looking for new rose growth, if time allows removal with finger and thumb while on top growth will reduce numbers moving down into the bush and laying eggs. Cut back Erica's and callunas that have finished flowering, this stops them from going woody, removing all the spent flowers will encourage them to produce fresh new green growth for summer. If you don't cut the old flowering growth off they will make their new growth out from the old growth which means they become woody at the bottom.Cut back aubretia rockery plant and you will get another flowering, also cut spent flowers from hellebore's to stop seeds ripening and spreading, if you want to build up hellebore numbers leave a few to drop seed. If you are concerned about a hot dry Summer having a disastrous effect on your garden? Plenty of Mulch breaking down on your soil will help retain moisture as well as improve soil structure and suppress weed growth. Mulch like straw, grass clippings and weed free compost and a dressing of gypsum is also excellent for breaking down clay or poor draining soil. Lawns: keep feeding lawns when rain is about, to wash fertilisers in, a spring sowing is a thick sowing to choke out annual weeds. Spray flat perennial weeds in established lawns, annual weeds that grow up with new grass will eventually be mowed out. Vegetables: PLANT, PLANT, PLANT plants and seeds, I have planted pumpkin and squash plants grown from seed with a lot of compost and old stable manure dug in, they need a large prepared area for them to ramble. Peas and radish are perfect for encouraging Children into the garden, they soon get to eat the results of planting. If you have a glass house or tunnel house you will have success with growing tomatoes, (strings attached from the roof to stakes for support as they grow up), cucumber, peppers and basil need the warmth of a glass house as well. Fruit: Berry kane's and strawberries both flower and fruit really quickly as long as they get all day sun. Gooseberries can cope with shade and actually do better without harsh afternoon sun. Blueberries are best planted in spring or autumn, if you have had trouble growing blueberries they need to be planted and grown in conditions suited to them, acid, clay free, good draining soil. If in doubt plant in a good size pot drainage stones on the bottom in an acid mix and water with rain water if possible because it is thought tap water has a negative effect. Keep manure enriched compost up to rhubarb, if the soil gets hard and dry around rhubarb it will grow stringy dry uneatable steams. Mound up earlier planted potatoes, critical that you either mulch or mound up well to obtain heavy crops and avoid potato worms. A foliar spray with raw milk is a great way to kill blight spores, add to a foliar spray of high quality compost tea, this is a great way to strengthen the microbe populations on the potato and tomato leaves to help avoid blight. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki October 12th 2021

As I write this it is the second week of School holidays and a wet start, not so good for Parents and Children but wonderful for the garden, gentle warm spring drizzle is what we had last week but this week it is a cold snap, hard on us as well as new growth. Spring bulbs are starting to finish, don't be tempted to cut leaves off just yet as the bulbs top up on food for next year from leaves as they die back. If you have really big clumps of bulbs choking your garden space there will always be someone willing to bring a spade to halve big clumps and adopt bulbs. Put a sign at the gate saying Bulbs to give away, bring a spade! Sifted soil is what is needed for reseeding lawn bare patches and to add body to tired gardens, pots, baskets and seed trays. With peat based planting mediums used today soil becomes light and fluffy and will not hold moisture, soil is nature given for growing and sifted it is the perfect medium for new roots, spread it on top and it will wash in beneath the mulch with each watering to bulk up depleted soil. Lavenders: lavenders eventually reaches the end of their growing. After a trim back at the end of Winter you will soon know if they are only making a little bit of new growth here and there with most of the plant staying woody. If you have the odd lavender doing this pull it out and replace it with a fresh plant. Cuttings can be taken now from stronger growing lavenders now that new growth is happening, Tip cuttings with stems that have firmed can be taken along with a little hard wood at the bottom, (too soft and it will not work) strip bottom leaves and dip into rooting hormone, then push into damp, sharp crusher dust and place in a warm place with good overhead light, (not full sun) The pot and cuttings can be wrapped in a plastic bag, tie off the top but no plastic can touch the cutting. When roots form remove the bag and nurse cuttings until they are ready to pot on into individual pots. Take tip cuttings from shrubs as well now once stems have firmed, dip them in hormone and push them into damp, sharp crusher dust, they will make roots over the Spring and summer ready to be potted and nursed for planting out at the end of next winter. Keep an eye on tall growing chrysanthemums they start making growth now, cut back the first new growth before they make hard wood. They do not flower until the Autumn so by removing the first new growth they should regrow shorter and be more manageable. Prune fuchsias back now if you have not already done so, they will make new fresh growth, because they flower on new seasons wood they can be taken well back. Ericas that flowered over winter can be trimmed now so new growth does not start above the spent flowers. Dahlias are just starting to make a move so if you want colour to continue in your garden when the spring show is over dahlias will do the job. they like a warm full sun free draining spot, tubas will rot if planted in ground that remains wet. Too early yet to trim box hedges, wait until the new growth firms up a little. The perfect time to trim box in spring is during overcast days, the hot sun burns new undergrowth, dull days give them time to recover. Lawns: mowers are humming again on lush lawns, use the clippings around your garden as mulch, not great piles but evenly scattered around will keep the weeds down and help to retain moisture. Vegetables: Tomatoes: For those with glass houses, prepare the soil well by digging in good organic compost. This will need to have been heated to the point of all fungus disease being eradicated. Summers here in North Otago can be cool so a glass or tunnel house is the a must if wanting to be a serious tomato grower. However a glass house is a perfect incubator for fungus disease during nights and dull days when moisture is not taken up quickly by plants, never let tomato plant leaves go into the night wet. There are a lot of tomato varieties to choose from. Beefsteak, the big tomato best for sandwiches & cooking, Early girl, stars producing early and keeps on until late in the season, Potentate, medium/small firm with moderate acidity and low in sugar, Money maker, medium size and good flavor , Doctor Walter is the very low acid tomato Cherry tomatoes, the plant you can grow in a pot inside or on a porch, great for Children's lunch boxes. Russian red a tomato to grow outside in a sunny spot protected from the wind. Heirloom tomatoes have become popular, they don't look great but they have the great taste of yesteryear. Most need staked and tied up in the glass house and ALL tomatoes like sun all day, 6 to 8 hours, it helps the fruit if there are fewer leaves on the plants. Tomato leaves create unneeded shade, compete for nutrients, and harbor disease. Keep planting vegetable seeds directly into the garden but don't sow too thickly mix seeds with fine soil when sowing to avoid a lot of thinning. Beans, pumpkins and corn can be planted as soon as the ground remains warm. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki October 5th 2021

October already and North Otago gardens are blooming beautifully after the nice soft drizzle this week. This month is where chasing weeds becomes a full time job - Hoeing and hand pulling weeds is still the best option while weeds are new and small in planted areas especially if you are clearing a garden to plant out for a summer show. Couch grass and convolvulus need to be taken right out if you can, remove each long runner under the ground and any little pieces that may have been chopped with the spade because they will grow and spread very fast if left. I spot spray Couch and convolvulus in badly effected areas, trying hard not to bring the spray in contact with plants. Once all obvious weeds are gone cover the area with compost, thick enough to keep the light from allowing any weed seeds left behind to germinate. Compost if cooked well will have been heated to the point of destroying weed seeds. NOW plant, plant, plant! as many annuals and perennials as you can into the prepared area, they will grow really fast from now on and beat the weeds. If you have not feed plants, roses or shrubs do it now, powered plant food should always be watered in, If you have home made compost ready to use add blood & bone; and some sulphate of pot ash this will to add food and a flowering / fruiting component. Watering and liquid feeding for new plantings is the key to success as they settle in and make new feeding roots, first thing in the morning is the best time to water giving plants and dirt time to dry off before night. Fungus thrives in damp ground on mild nights. I often mention using old stable manure along with compost around roses, spread around the drip line to keep them going over their long flowering period, watering / rain will take it to the roots as required. Once rose leaves have hardened off a little green fly can be dealt to. Organic green fly spray on roses: I picked a bunch of new seasons rhubarb this week, cooked the sicks and from the leaves made an insect deterrent spray as follows. 3 or 4 rhubarb leaves roughly chopped, into 4 cups of boiling water, simmer for 20 mins then allow to cool. Strain, pressing rhubarb leaves in the strainer to get full leaf infusion. Spray: mix 1 teaspoon detergent or (baby shampoo if you have) to 2 1/2 cups of cold water, then blend this soapy water to the leaf infusion in a spray bottle. Spray onto roses and any other ornamental plants that succumb to green fly. Store left over leaf infusion by freezing, each application works best when fresh. Unfortunately it is not to be used on eatable plants. A home made insect spray to use on eatables: 1/2 cup hot peppers, diced, 6 cloves garlic, peeled, 2 cups water, Blast in a food processor, strain, add 2 teaspoons liquid soap (without bleach) Fill a plastic spray bottle and mist spray affected plants. Most camellias are still flowering but once finished they can be trimmed and shaped, remove branches from the middle if a bush is dense and bushy. This lets the light in to help form next years buds, there should be enough gaps for a bird to fly through. Hostas are starting to leaf now, so watch when working around them in the garden, it will not take much to knock the point off the new leaves, keep well watered and give them a dressing of compost and blood & bone. Slugs come in their droves if they get a sniff of hostas, they slide down into the center of clumps to lay eggs and the young then feast. Slugs can’t cross copper, so copper tape acts as a barrier. I have been told talcum powder contains Diatomaceous earth is known as an organic insect repellent. To insects diatomaceous earth is a lethal dust with microscopic razor sharp edges. These sharp edges cut through the insect's protective covering when they are either dusted with DE or if it applied as a wettable powder spray. While researching this I found that Talcom powder contains diatomaceous earth, it could be dusted down into the center of hosta's. ( Breathing in of Diatomaceous earth is not good for us so wear a mask) Lillies are pushing up, put in stakes to support them to before they get higher and never let them dry out, same for peony roses they do so much better growing up through holding stakes. Lawns are really going for it now which means the ground has warmed enough to sow grass seed, sow thickly to beat weeds and birds, keep moist and you should have a strike in no time. Don't fertilise newly struck grass, all fertilisers will be too strong. Vegetables: Garden centers are full of veg, herb, tomatoes plants and seed potatoes, from this month on it is so easy to grow your own food. If you do not have an existing vegetable garden but you do have a patch of vacant ground, clear it, dig or rotary hoe it, edge it with what ever you have on hand, lime stone blocks, tree branches or sleepers. Spray weeds around the outside of your edging so they will not encroach on your planting space then go for it, get planting at this time of the year everything will grow fast and well as long as you keep water up and hoe the weeds away. Corn and pumpkins need to be planted as soon as threat of frost is over to assure the long ripening season they need. Carrot seed planted now should mature before the carrot fly is on the wing again. If carrot fly has been a real problem for you in the past I would cover rows with insect net once germinated from October until April as this period includes the three generational life cycle of the carrot fly. I have been told Resistafly F1 hybrid Egmont seeds are less likely to be infested. The fly is attracted to the carrot smell while flying low to lay her eggs so thinning out of carrots is almost like calling the flies. Plant seed with a little river sand. If it's a Herb garden you are keen to make and have chosen a sunny spot, dig in some old stable manure and lime before planting, all herbs like both. Why not plant up some mixed herb pots now and they will be ready to give as Christmas presents. Cheers, Linda