|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Thursday, January 03, 2008 |
 |
DECEMBER - TIPS
By Geraldine @ 2:51 PM :: 8988 Views ::
0 Comments
|
 |
|
Meredith Nursery Newsletter
|
 |
|
 
Vol1 No9
Welcome to the December newsletter from Meredith Nursery we hope you enjoy it...please let us know if you would like to see any particular areas covered or any comments you have.
December has arrived and as our thoughts turn toward Christmas and summer holidays we need to attend to some important tasks in the garden before we can relax and enjoy the holiday season.
The Vegie Patch
In the vegetable garden there is still time to plant tomatoes, eggplant and capsicum seedlings, plant in the cool of the evening and keep well watered and they will thrive in the warmth.
Plant some basil seedlings as companions to your tomatoes both in the garden and on your plate.
Climbing and bush beans planted now will reward you with massive crops.
Continue to plant or sow lettuce, beetroot and radish in order to maintain a steady supply for the salad bowl.
A fortnightly application of liquid fertiliser will keep them growing strongly and prevent them bolting to seed in the higher temperatures.
Cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini and sweetcorn can still be planted and will astound you with their rate of growth now that soil temperatures are so high.
The ornamental garden
In the ornamental garden plant cosmos, dahlia, petunia, celosia, cleome, impatiens,  nasturtium, phlox, portulaca, salvia, ageratum and aster.
If you haven’t already done so it’s time to divide rhizomatous  iris such as bearded iris.
Dividing now reduces the risk of rot or infection from wet soil for these sun loving plants. Take care not to cover the rhizome with soil, just tuck the roots into the soil.
Roses have now finished their spring flush, deadhead to ensure continuous flowering, prune back old canes on once flowering roses, to ensure fresh growth for next years flowers.
Remember to prune or clip lightly this month to avoid exposing soft growth to the harsh summer sun, your plants can suffer sunburn too!
Remove spent spring annuals which are past their best, leave some like poppies, larkspur and foxgloves to self seed for next year.
Daffodils have died back sufficiently for untidy growth to be removed, they can be left in the ground or dug and stored in a dry airy place until February.
Trim back lavenders which have finished flowering to keep them bushy and promote more flowers.
 Oriental and Asiatic lilies are delighting us with their superb flower heads at the moment and Christmas lilies are about to burst into bloom in time for Christmas floral displays. 
While spring is the optimum time for planting trees and shrubs it is still possible to plant provided a few precautions are taken.
Plant in the late afternoon or on an overcast day, water well and do not allow the plant to dry out at any stage.
Use a seaweed fertiliser to minimize transplant shock and encourage root growth.
If the weather becomes hot and windy cover with shade cloth during the day.
The Orchard
In the fruit garden liquid feed strawberries, raspberry plants and red and blackcurrant bushes.
 Gooseberry bushes can be thinned and the unripe fruit used for cooking, the fruit will not all ripen at once, so you may need to pick the berries several times.
Black and redcurrants will also ripen over several weeks. The simplest method of preserving bush fruits is to freeze them.
Harvest raspberries and other cane fruits carefully as they become squashed and bruise very easily.
Keep strawberry beds free of weeds and check ripening strawberries every day, pick when fruits are red all over.
 Cherry and pear slugs will appear this month on pear, cherry, plum and almonds.
Use a pyrethrum spray when the first damage appears. 
Cherries will have been harvested in most places by the middle of December and cherry plums are ripening, be ready to net trees as fruits ripen to lessen fruit loss from birds and possums.
Cherries and plums need little pruning apart from the removal of dead or congested growth.
Sour cherries are produced on one year old wood and should be pruned immediately after the fruit is harvested. 
Plum and sweet cherry trees produce most of their fruit at the base of one year old and older shoots.
Watch apples for telltale signs of penetration frass indicating the presence of codling moth. Pull off all damaged fruit and destroy.
Pick fruit as soon as it is ripe. Plums can be picked slightly under ripe and stored in the salad compartment of your refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Nectarines, sweet cherries and peaches do not mature after picking so do not harvest until they have ripened on the tree.
Enjoy!
Waterwise Gardening.
Early summer is the time to set up the garden for the hotter days which are ahead of us.
Lawns should not be cut too short. Cut only the top third of leaf area and save lawn clippings for use as mulch on your garden.
Choose your lawn carefully and go for slow growing, water saving, drought tolerant varieties.
Gardening with the Australian climate in mind is a quite recent phenomenon in this country, the introduction of a user pays system of water usage and the effect of the recent drought on our water storage systems has given us cause to reflect on the way we garden and our use of a scarce resource.
Remember that one dripping tap can waste up to 2000 litres of water a month so check outdoor taps and pipes for leaks.
While we have all been heartened by recent rains and the easing of water restrictions valuable lessons have been learned along the way.
Many Australian plants are excellent and require no artificial watering once established, however as there are many climatic zones within our country ranging from tropical rainforests to snowfields, it follows that we cannot plant any native plant, anywhere, and expect it to survive.
We need to choose plants from our own or a similar climatic zone.
Many of the exotics in our gardens surprised us by toughing out the drought and surviving well, not so surprising perhaps, when we realise that many of them come from climates around the world similar to our own.
With careful planning, a little research, and some preparation, we can create colourful and imaginative gardens which have low water needs.
It is always useful to talk to other gardeners and to observe what grows well in your area.
A water efficient garden does not mean that we cannot enjoy a water feature  such as a fountain or pond, a recirculating pump will use very little water and we can enjoy the sight and sound of water on the hottest day.
Grow a waterlily in a large pot if you have limited space and pop in a goldfish or two for added pleasure and to deal with mosquito larvae.
We have a range of attractive and beautiful water plants for a lovely cooling effect on a hot day.
If water restrictions in your area permit, consider installing a drip irrigation system, there is very little wastage and water goes exactly where needed.
Remove weeds as they appear as they will rob your plants of nutrients and moisture.
Use mulch and add compost to your soil, this will add valuable nutrients and humus which will feed your plants and help to retain moisture.
A good layer of mulch will make an enormous difference to the amount of water you use in your garden; it is possible to reduce evaporation from soil by 70 per cent with a thick layer of mulch.
Mulch protects the roots of plants and lower temperatures under the mulch allow tender roots to continue to grow in the topsoil.
Organic mulches allow rain or irrigation to filter through into the soil below trapping the moisture and reducing the rate of evaporation.
Placing drippers under mulch is the most efficient way to irrigate to reduce evaporation.
Plants feed off the nutrients in the mulch as it decomposes, however if the materials in the mulch are of a woody nature it is wise to add a small amount of nitrogenous fertiliser like blood and bone to offset nitrogen loss from the decomposition of these particles.
Organic mulches are very beneficial for the health of your plants however non-organic mulches such as crushed rock and pebbles, are useful in areas where a decorative effect is required, unfortunately they can trap leaves and twigs and become untidy.
Keep mulch away from the stems of plants to avoid fungal diseases and rotting. The exceptions here are sweetcorn and tomatoes which enjoy mulch close around the stems.
Water roots and soil around the plants, watering leaves and flowers wastes water and increases the risk of fungal diseases.
Relax in your garden and water by hand with a trigger nozzle, you can ensure your plants get just the right amount of water and check what is happening in your garden at the same time.
Watering your garden in the cool of early morning, or in the evening cuts down evaporation and water loss.
Water less often, one of the lessons learned from the drought is that many of our plants can get by on much less water than we have been accustomed to giving them.
Create micro climates within your garden; group plants with similar water needs together, different plants need different amounts of water, if you mix them up you are likely to use more water than you need to.
Group your pots together, this creates a moister atmosphere and pots do not dry out so quickly.
Try to avoid windy spots in the garden, this dries your pots out very quickly.
Use a good quality potting mix and a layer of mulch to conserve moisture.
Use water storing crystals and soil wetter, these are different and are used in different ways.
 Water crystals absorb and hold moisture and in doing so they change from dry granules to a jelly like substance which needs to be placed in the root area of the plant when planting, or in vertical holes in the region of the roots.
Do not sprinkle them on  the soil surface as they will draw moisture out of the ground and that is something you don’t want!
Soil wetting agents are applied to the top of the soil, this ensures that water travels efficiently through the soil to plant roots and minimizes wasteful run off.
For Gardeners At Christmas
With the festive season just around the corner remember the gardener(s) in your life.
We have a selection of beautiful pots, potted roses and oriental and Asiatic lilies and of course it is not Christmas without a poinsettia!
For the native enthusiast we have many beautiful plants to choose from and for that special person a very special plant, A standard grevillea…… beautiful and unusual.
A citrus tree is always welcome and will give fruit and pleasure for many years.
For the really keen gardener, gloves, hanging baskets, water crystals, soil wetter and fertiliser, will always be welcome and a change from socks, ties and soaps.
We are at the end of another year and how quickly it has flown by; we would like to thank everyone for giving the nursery such tremendous support throughout the year.
We look forward to another year in the garden as summer wanes and autumn approaches.
In the meantime, a very Happy Christmas and New Year to everybody,
Enjoy the holidays,
Happy Gardening,
Marg and the team at Meredith Nursery.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Comments |
Currently, there are no comments. Be the first to post one!
Click here to post a comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
