Garden Advice › Garden Tips of the Month
Garden Tips July 2015
The vegetable and fruit gardens:
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Soil Care- Avoid treading on your soil, when it is wet, as this compacts it and reduces the ability for plant roots to spread out. Take a bucket of compost around with you and lightly fork it into the surface of heavily compacted soil to help to break it up.
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Living Earth Organic Liquid Compost- Apply this fish tea to soil around cold, hardy leafy crops such as lettuce, kale, silver beet and spinach. In a few weeks you'll see them boost!
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Accessibility - In larger garden areas place old pavers as stepping stones, or lay a small path of organic material such as mulch (Living Earth BLACKGOLD Mulch!)
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Gently weed - Lift out any weeds in the garden, leaving room for growth of desirable vegetables when spring begins. They do compete for nutrients!
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Green Crops - Dig all green crops through your soil now to add vital organic matter - taller Lupins should be chopped to 15cm lengths before mixing with the soil.
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Herb care - Cut back thyme and rosemary to shape - great to flavour winter dishes. Start checking for regrowth on the deciduous herbs such as French tarragon and chives - give them space to grow. Lift mint and cut back the roots, as the plant is a thug, then replant
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Glasshouse work - Mid winter is a great time to clean out, scrubbing pots, cleaning glass panes and lifting old tired soil in which last year's crops have grown. Add back plenty of compost or Garden Mix ready for the new season
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Clean-up spray - Natural sprays such as oil and liquid copper are excellent to apply over deciduous fruit trees now. These kill overwintering spores and toughen emerging foliage to withstand disease - good for roses, post pruning too (see below)
Cooking kale or Cavalo Nero
These members of the brassica family are currently the darlings of the modern food movement as they're packed with Vitamins K, A, C and manganese that can, apparently, help lower cholesterol and risk-lowering benefits to cancer. Trim the green leaves from the hard stem and, in the case of Cavalo Nero, blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, then squeeze out moisture. Both are delightful if quickly stir-fried in a wok of sizzling garlic, then seasoned with salt and pepper. Or add to your morning omelette. Bon Appetit!
Time to Share
Share an oversupply of lemons, orange and mandarins at your workplace or local school. Bunches of herbs and greens are particularly welcome and the 'foodies' are bound to grab any spare kaffir lime leaves or bay leaves!
The Pruning Season
It's time to begin pruning. The key plants in the ornamental garden are roses, hydrangeas and deciduous shrubs such as cotinus and cercis. We do this to encourage strong new growth and to promote plenty of blooms. Digger favours a good 'haircut', but with shape to it, considering how the bush will look in summer. Clean out any inward-facing or weak growth. For assistance with first time pruning, go online or visit local rose gardens and botanic gardens to see what the experts achieve
In the Garden:
Moss Control - time to scrape back or spray moss on paths and lawns (avoid spray drift coming into contact with plants). Moss patches in garden beds should be lifted, to remove spores that can spread
Onion weed - these pesky spring flowering bulbs are coming through in the garden now, just like their more desirable cousins, onions and garlic. The best spent hour in the garden this month is digging them out by the bulb. (Very good for the psyche)!
Lawn Care: With the wet and cold of winter well and truly
upon us you will notice the growth of your lawn slowing down. Although you have
less growth it is still important that you care for your lawn. Fertilise with
Prolawn Garden Supreme to ensure good plant health and root development. If
your lawn is wet and soggy try to keep off it as much as possible so as to
reduce wear and tear.
Prolawn Garden Supreme is available in all Central Landscape stores along with
the Prolawn range of grass seed and fertilisers!
BRAND NEW PRODUCT IN STORE: Prolawn Broadsword selective
broadleaf weed killer is now available!
Check it out on our website: http://www.centrallandscapes.co.nz/products/show/prolawn-broadsword-selective-bro.html
REMINDER OF A GREAT PRODUCT IN STORE: When the lawns are as
wet as they are now, we don't dare drive on them, sometimes not even walk on
them. What's the solution? Have you checked out JAKMAT?
Check it out on our website:
http://www.centrallandscapes.co.nz/products/show/jak-mat.html
Garden Thought of the Month:
"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." Audrey Hepburn
