A chilly start to the new growing season, but North Otago is looking so pretty, with masses of blossoms and daffodils everywhere. There is plenty to do now, so here are some jobs worth putting at the top of the list.
Ponds: Clean out leaves and old growth from pond plants and, if possible, allow the pond to overflow to freshen the water. Water lilies, oxygen weed and water iris will soon be making new growth. Be careful what you plant in a domestic pond. I once had to remove yellow bog iris from my large pond because its mat-forming roots had spread so aggressively they eventually covered half the pond. Yellow bog iris is much better suited to the edges of streams, where its fibrous roots help hold banks together. Bullrushes are another plant best avoided in a small pond as they spread rapidly. While water lilies are still coming into leaf, sections can be divided and repotted. Use a mesh aquatic pot, or make holes in the sides of an ordinary plastic pot. Line it with sacking or woven fabric, fill it about three-quarters with garden soil and add a little slow-release fertiliser in the centre. Plant the lily section, cover the surface with stones or gravel and lower it carefully to the bottom of the pond.
Roses: Roses are a priority now. Look for winter dieback and cut affected branches back to healthy new growth. Also check for shoots coming from below the graft. These usually have different leaves and are much more vigorous than the grafted rose. Remove them completely. Once new foliage has hardened, begin your regular rose protection programme if required. Good feeding, adequate moisture and good air circulation are the best starting points for healthy roses. Avoid leaving rose foliage wet overnight, as this encourages fungal problems.
Perennials and spring plants: New growth is appearing everywhere. Keep feeding actively growing plants with a liquid fertiliser, although bulbs do not need feeding as they have stored food in the bulbs. Plant the many beautiful spring seedlings now on offer, but remember to harden them off first. Put them outside in a sheltered, lightly shaded position for two or three days before planting. Avoid planting during the heat of the day.
Perennials such as phlox, hostas and peonies are pushing through their winter mulch. Divide overcrowded hostas now and stake tall-growing plants like delphiniums before they become too tall.
Bearded irises also appreciate attention now; keep their rhizomes partly exposed and avoid high-nitrogen fertiliser.
Cyclamen that flowered indoors over winter can now be planted outside in a cool, shady position. With some summer care, they can be brought back inside before winter and will continue flowering for many years.
Lawns: Grass is well on the move again and may look uneven and tufty until the first few mowings. Keep mower blades reasonably high while the lawn recovers from winter. Have lawn fertiliser ready for the next good rain, as moisture helps wash it into the soil. If you are repairing bare patches, rough up compacted soil, add a little fine soil and sow grass seed generously. Cover small areas with shade cloth or frost cloth to keep birds away while the seed germinates. For eradicating moss, sulphate of iron is effective. Apply according to the instructions, allow the moss to turn black and then rake it out. If your soil sits over a heavy clay pan, gypsum can help improve the structure and drainage without altering soil pH.
Vegetables: Days are lengthening, and soil is beginning to warm, so prepare fine soil for direct sowing and get peas and hardy herbs planted. Start pumpkin, butternut, squash and corn under protection now. Plant early crop potatoes; when shoots emerge, gradually mound soil or compost around them to encourage more productive growth. Keep potatoes well watered during dry spells. Young veg seedlings may still need frost protection at night, particularly in colder parts of North Otago. Salad seedlings can be planted in a warm spot. As it warms, white butterflies and other pests will be looking for new seedlings to deposit their young on, so an early spray of diluted fish emulsion on vegetables, flowering plants and roses can discourage pests with its smell of protein while providing a useful feed. Reapply after rain.
Fruit: September is an excellent time to plant deciduous fruit trees while they are just coming out of dormancy. Choose a sunny, sheltered position wherever possible and stake newly planted trees until their roots are well established. Apricots and peaches will soon be in blossom, eagerly waiting for bees and some warm weather. If leaf curl has affected young stone fruit leaves, remove and destroy badly affected leaves so that fresh new growth can replace them. It is too late to spray with copper once blossom buds have burst.
Raspberry canes need attention. With summer-fruiting raspberries, older brown canes that have already fruited should have been removed, leaving around six strong green canes per plant. Remove weak and sideways-growing canes and tie the remaining canes neatly into their supports. Mulch well to retain moisture through summer. Autumn fruiting varieties are much easier to prune as they always fruit on the current season's growth. They should have been cut back hard in winter, and all dead and diseased wood removed.
Strawberries need plenty of sunshine, regular moisture and good feeding. A fertiliser with extra potassium will encourage flowering and fruiting. Mulching with straw or pine needles helps keep weeds down and fruit clean.
Rhubarb is waking up now and will appreciate a generous dressing of well-rotted, manure-enriched compost. This is also a good time to plant other berry bushes while they have the whole growing season ahead to settle in.
Raspberry cane pruning.
Spring puning raspberry canes.
Cheers, Linda
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