Wednesday 13th August, 2014
Any weird happenings at your place ?
Hi
OMG wasn't the full moon that has just passed, just stunning, I learnt on the breakfast show that it was a super moon but I haven't heard of any reports of any weird, moon induced behaviours but there does seem to be some link with extra cold days and nights and all those squally showers. Lol... all sure signs of typical spring weather I think. Earlicheers are in full flower, buds are plumping up and I spied the first peach blossoms in the nursery the other day.
A sure sign that all your pruning should be done and if you haven't, then get onto it pronto. We haven't had time to get into our garden but that is my plan for the team next week. Roses, apple trees all need to be pruned, gardens all to be mulched and then all of it needs to be fed.
There are two main times of the year to feed plants and usually its timed just prior to each growth flush, and now early spring is the beginning of the first one and early Autumn is the other main time. Now plants are just like us in that they like a balanced diet to perform to their best. Plants love organic and inorganic ferts so throwing around fertilser alone isn't enough in itself. Organic matter as in, mulches, compost, sheep pellets and all manner of other materials all go towards a more balanced diet and create what I would call an environment of healthy soil activity that goes towards the benefit of the plant.
There are two main types of inorganic fert and slow release versions tend to feed over a sustained period of usually three to six months. These types are the ones that I usually recommend for planting with new plants as they don't burn the roots. Instant ferts are best used on established plants and I liken them to a sugar fix as they go straight into solution and available to the plant and these are usually used to promote the spring and Autumn flushes
Now if you have sandy soil then you may fed to feed more often as nutrients will wash through with the rain but the use of organic matter will help retain nutrients and of course help with water retention. Heavier soils may need feeding less often but organic matter will help the soil structure improve by increasing earthworm and organism activity.
Often plants that are doing poorly respond more to the addition of organic matter around them because of overall effect of what I would call a litter layer. I must add here that you can't mound mulches up around the plant trunk or stem. I have heard of really good results with fruit trees that have been growing in lawns responding well to a circle of mulch around them. The explanation being that its not natural for a tree to grow in a lawn situation but rather one of that all important litter layer.
Full Moon Frosts and Squally showers are perfect for Downy Mildew!!
Downy mildew is usually symptom less and perhaps its called downy as it causes the leaves to fall off at this time of years and man is it ever a sneaky disease. The the weather that we are having at the moment is just perfect for it to infect new
roses. You have to watch really carefully as sometimes the new buds just don't seem to open or if you have new leaves then you may just see a purple hint that is downy. Downy will even cause purple marking on the rose stems and this mildew can cause a
rose to die. So why is this weather just perfect? It's because generally in the Waikato, its warm and growth happens early, then we get those wicked frosts that damage the leaf surface, next we have those cold showers and its the rain that spreads the disease.
Once a rose is infected, the leaves fall off and then we get more rain, the spores reinfect the next set of leaves by the splashing effect from the soil and the cycle continues.
Why new roses.... established roses know the seasons better and don't leaf so early usually and because they are established they have access to more nutrients and are just in a state that handles infections better.
How to help prevent..... Spray new roses and Bravo is a great help as a protectant on the leaves. Watch the weather patterns and spray accordingly. For example spray after any frost to help the leave protect itself and spray prior to any low or rain coming and again after the rain. If you have Downy then do two close sprays or even 3 of Bravo, 2 days apart to break the downy cycle and then follow the weather patterns as above. Once we get past this time of year it won't be such a problem.
More tips... spray the ground under your
roses to get the spores on the ground and pick up and put any fallen leaves in the rubbish to remove the reinfected material.
We have been busy putting away plants and these include
Cytisus, the colourful brooms,
Thrytomenes with their
heather like flowers,
Deutzia Nikko looks awesome when in spring bloom and even some pretty cool flowering gums.
Viburnum Burkwoodii If you are into fragrance in the garden then this is a must have. Attractive, white, pompom shaped flowers that have this delicious scent. Makes for quite a decent shrub in the garden at around 1.5 metres high in time. Asparagus. Crowns are now in and need to go into the ground. Plant into a dedicated bed at approx 50cm centres and feed with lots of compost. Harvest your own home grown delicious spears every spring. Purple asparagus crowns are due to arrive in the next couple of weeks. Spuds, everyone loves new homegrown spuds and I'm no different. Freshly dug, lightly boiled and lashings of butter, seasoned with salt and pepper. Now Ian down the road tells me that the secret with growing your own spuds is too get them in early and that is what I'm going to do this year. Another friend that has recently re zoned to town is keen to have a plot and get their own Jersey bennes in. Another fav of mine are Heathers with their red skins or click here to see the full selection.. Leuco's are pretty awesome at this time of year with their brightly colour bracts and just last forever when cut and brought inside, in a vase and I have always loved proteas with their quite different flowers. Perhaps its the fluffy bits at the outside of the flower LOl but we won't go there. Proteas and leucadendrons suit those really hot and sunny position with excellent drainage. Cut them back to keep the plant looking bushy otherwise they can get quite tall.
Gosh I couldn't resist getting a few more fruit trees and these are new ones to us. Apple Gingergold, Early Strawberry and Sunrise.. Even grabbed a couple of new nectarines that we haven't had before being Nectaross and Venus and apparently this pear Beaurre Brown is a bit of a classic but we haven't had this one before.
Check all the fruit trees out here..
Its the weekend again, they come around so fast, watch out for that sneaky downy mildew, make sure all your pruning is done and start getting out there and feed the garden. If you cover all the garden with a good mulch then hopefully it will help keep it weed free for most of the spring.. well thats my plan anyways.
If you are shopping online take the time to log yourself on the front page and get a password, saves having to fill all the details in again.
All that remains is for me to say Have a great weekend !!
Have a great weekend!
Lloyd, Harry and the Wairere Team
Make it a Wairere weekend where even GNOMES know that gardening's not a drag.
