10-10-2024 OUT IN THE GARDEN
Use peat when planting rhodos and azaleas to keep the soil acidified (I throw a bit around blue hydrangeas to maintain the acidity which is what keeps them blue). Rhodos can be fed any time from now on as new growth will appear soon after flowering – use Acid Plant Food to maintain the soil acidity they need.
Be Aware of Thrips
An occasional spray on Viburnums, Portuguese Laurels, and Rhododendrons with Mavrik or the systemic Groventive while you’re spraying roses from now on will save heartache later on when the damage becomes apparent.
Got shrubs like Rhododendrons that are now too big to spray? Tree Health Bands are the easy way to go – they wrap around the trunk ready for soaking with Groventive, Mavrik or BioNeem.
Be Aware of Codling Moth
Apples are flowering so soon the Codling Moths will be out looking for a food/home combo so either use the Codling Moth Traps (refills available) or spray with Yates Success which is safe for edibles.
Mulching – bit of rain lately but keep mulch in mind to maintain soil moisture levels. We have good stocks of 40 litre bags of Daltons Mulch & Grow which contains fine bark and essential nutrients to stimulate an increase in natural soil microbes. We also have the standard brown bark and the decorative black bark which is coloured with a natural black dye.
The Cabbage White Butterflies will be on the rampage any day now so watch out for damage to plantings of brassicas (cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli etc) and apply Yates Success which is a natural and safe insecticide.
Note: Yates Success is also the perfect treatment for those annoying little caterpillars that get into raspberries.
The excellent alternative to spraying is to use the anti-bug netting which allows the sunlight in but stops all insects including whitefly and cabbage white butterflies. We have flexible fibreglass rods etc. to keep the netting in place.
Growing new potatoes – if you haven’t already planted yours but have them set out for sprouting then remember to plant them with the sprouts just 15cm below the surface, and then as the green foliage grows up, keep hoeing/mounding the row up to maximise the yield of potatoes.
This year The Constant Gardener has been using egg trays for sprouting with one seed potato per section - works really well.
Feeding with iCan Potato Food will also boost production and strangely enough potato food is great for peonies and dahlias (phosphate is what tubers need).
Lawns are really growing now and it’s not too late to give them a bit of TLC and here are the four most important factors to be aware of:
- Spray for weeds with Kiwicare Turfclean Ultra which eliminates the weeds but leaves the lawn grass untouched – for clover you’ll probably need to spray two or three times. Be aware of spray drift if the lawn is next to a flower bed or vege garden because any plant that’s not lawn grass will be dealt to.
- Fertilise two weeks after the weed spraying with a controlled-release lawn food (Ezyfert 4 in 1)– this will give constant feeding without burning.
- Treat for moss if necessary – we have several treatments available for moss control, including a lawn fertiliser that has a moss control component.
- Treat the lawn for grass grub from late October on which is when the grubs will be near the surface, getting ready to hatch and fly; the recommended treatment is Kiwicare LawnPro Prills.
Tracey is our instore lawn expert so come in and see her if you’re needing any lawn advice.
Seed of the Week
Seed of the Week: Carrot Europa.
Highly recommended with its vigorous germination, disease resistance, resistance to bolting, and sweet flavour.
Several of our staff (and The Constant Gardener) grow this carrot in preference to other brands because it’s such a good performer.
Looking for a good fruitful hedge? Black currant hedges make a great low screen; black currants are very hardy, easy to grow, the fruit freezes well and is particularly good for you.
NZ Cranberries (Myrtus ugnii) also makes a great fruiting hedge, especially if you want something that doesn’t get too tall.