Saturday 2nd February, 2019
Hi
Heat wave or have we just forgotten that it is summer ???
Heatwave? hmm, well it has been a tad hot of late but then it is summer isn't it? Without knowing that the temps are apparently a few degrees higher than other years it pretty much seems normal to me... I have only slept one night so far with just a sheet over me and I seem to remember many more nights like that in previous summers. I think that we were pretty lucky with all that rain that we enjoyed coming up to Christmas and the Waikato has been pretty green for much longer than normal.
But when that sun came out ....well the ground dried out pretty quick... as I watch our lawns suddenly change to a brown green as the grass struggles for moisture. Just on that note some deep watering every now and then, just to keep the grass alive, will help tremendously in its recovery come the autumn rains.
That's what I really want to write about... watering! A landscape customer came in last year with a client and asked me how often to water a particular plant that they were buying as they wanted to keep it in its container for some weeks. I started to say every day and then qualified that might be weather dependant and then, LOL,it all started to get complicated. I could get lost in writing about watering, but hey, I'll give it a go.
It really comes down to those skills of looking, observing and making a judgement. Often I will just pick up a plant in the nursery, feel its overall weight and decide that its OK or too dry and therefore needs a watering.
Lets start with plants in containers (like my whole nursery) though I guess this will be the same for plants in the ground, however there is no buffer in a pot, once it runs out of water that is it, whereas there are not the same extremes happening in the ground.
In my experience plants like to be wet, to moist, through to not quite dry and then again moist, to wet but don't really like a constant state of any of the extremes wet or dry. Either extreme will damage the fine feeder roots and allow entry of soil borne infection like
Phytophthera.
How much and how often depends on the type of plant, its stage of growth, how long it has been in the pot for, the current weather (a lot of water is lost by the sun evaporating it in this heatwave) and the time of year.
Standard roses for instance at this time of year, at their stage of growth and the amount of root development for the container size we almost cannot over water our plants and sometimes need to water them twice a day, but on an overcast week just once a day is enough but when they are dormant in the winter, not at all.
A new plant going into a large pot may only need watering once a week as the plant isn't yet using the moisture in the surround potting mix, but again, if its roots have developed around the pot then it will require a whole lot more water.
Obviously succulent like plants need way less water than others.
The principles are all the same with plants in the ground but there is more give and take than with containers.
When planting at this time of year, you do have to be mindful of providing water. I always suggest immersing your new plant in a bucket of water and waiting for the bubbles to cease, remove and drain, then you know that the rootball is wet. Plant to the correct depth being the same as in the pot and water the ground around so that water will flow between soil and rootball.
Plants that have a developed root ball may use all the available water in their own mass and then start to stress, even though you have watered the surrounding ground.. as there roots haven't made it into the surrounding ground yet. An upturned bottle used as a funnel can help this.
I hear some people will water every day on the basis that its summer. This is an extreme and can effectively drown their new plants because they just don't need that much water. Rule of thumb is one decent deep watering once a week should suffice but use those skills of observation.
Some Rose Stuff
Heatwaves or high summer temps are harsh on plants and roses are no exception. They can become manky looking, faded blooms, reduced flower size. Leaves defoliated due to lack of water or disease...or those summer pests called mites sucking all the chlorophyll out of the leaves is a sure sign that its really hot and dry.
The good news to freshen your roses up is to cut them back , a bit like a winter prune, feed and keep the water on them (know that they like lots of water in summer) then they will flush with new leaves in about two weeks and be in flower in a total of 7 weeks, assuming of course that they are repeat flowering roses. You may need to give them a couple of sprays with super shield to keep black spot at bay... add 1ml per litre of water of cattle drench which will sort those mites out but again you may need to do two sprays two days apart or thereabouts to gain control.
Its also handy to know that hosing the undersides of the leaves will also deter mites as they don't like it wet at all.
Dahlias are very popular at the moment and we have a couple of formal rosette shaped ones at the moment
check out the colourful
Sloan Ranger and white
Prime Time. Dahlias are fab for picking and bringing inside at this time when you may be short of colour for the house.
Shadowdancer Fuchsias. I see that Ang has picked up a range of these pretty flowers that do like a dappled light position and respite from the strong sun that we are having. These will suit that position on the south to eastern sides of the house, choose from Peggy, Rosella, Sundance, Violetta and Viona.
Roses Roses Roses 20% off and this includes every rose still in stock ... bushes, climbers, and all standards including weepers and pillars. We have been spraying, watering and deadheading so they all look pretty good considering the heat. There is an amazing range of standard roses still left so if you have a hankering to get some of these in then now is definitely the time to get them at a reduced price.
Cherries 30% off all remaining stock, both
ornamental and
fruiting. I'm wanting the space for re blocking of the other trees and to make way for the new seasons cherries, both ornamental and fruiting varieties, so if you are planning a cherry blossom avenue or an orchard then come with a trailer and check these out.
Peach trees 30% of all remaining stock... there is nothing like the taste of picking and eating a peach fresh from the tree. I have a great crop of peaches ripening right now that I am going to bottle. I am going to pick them a tad early as I'm scared that a pesky possum is suddenly going to find them and pinch my crop.
Plums 30% off all remaining stock time for them to go. Plums are so easy to grow and remember they look gorgeous in bloom and fruit in abundance.
OMG can you believe how fast the time has gone? It doesn't seem that long ago that I was writing to wish everyone a fabulous festive season and now we are all faced with the fact that its time to get back on with the year. Kids are back to school, eased in gently by a couple of extra stat days that we have at this time of the year.
Its all about embracing the new year 2019 and putting into place those new projects, dreams and aspiration and getting on with it.
Its the weekend again and I guess that some will team it with a couple of leave days and slide it into a really long weekend with Waitangi Day happening next week. Enjoy this gorgeous summer remember the old saying to slip, slop and slap and have a fab weekend, I know I will be.
Have an awesome weekend
cheers
Lloyd, Harry and the Wairere Team
