This Year's Trends - Stuff

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8 Manawatu Standard Tuesday, February 9, 2010 www.manawatustandard.co.nz GARDEN Plant more as you harvest Add value to your property As a homeowner, you need to be aware of how to value up your property. Every dollar you spend on doing up your house should have an added value in that the property will be worth more than what you’ve spent on it. There are two ways to achieve this. The first way is to make up a master plan for the whole house including landscaping and fencing and work towards this goal. Far too many people look at their house piece by piece without an overall picture. For example, they change the kitchen, add a lean-to, put in French doors and a deck but there has been no thought about how all the pieces join together. All these pieces will always be noticed as separate items that have been added on. This does not give added value. A good master plan should result in a house with an easy flow and one where no one can tell where any of the alterations have been done. The second way to add value to your house is to future proof your home. For the future resale value of your house, a percentage of potential buyers can be lost because old homes are cold, damp and draughty – people are much more aware of this than they used to be. By adding insulation, double-glazing, or a heating/ventilation system as part of your alterations, the attractiveness of your home is dramatically increased. So, before you do a quick alteration to your house, or change a wall or put in a new deck, take a step back and think about what you are trying to achieve. What is the end result and the end benefits that you want, and use these goals to create your master plan. Need an alteration? Need building advice? Not sure what your house needs? 2420112AA Then come and talk to Alteration Specialists. If you are thinking about alterations to your house, Alteration Specialists can help you through the potentially tricky process of renovating your home. We provide a consultancy service that provides information on design, costings, and the building consent process, to help make your dreams a reality. We can help you work out what alteration would work best for your home and what is within your budget, before you go through the costly process of employing an architect. Once we have a design that is within your budget, we can recommend an architect that suits both you and your type of home. Our award winning Master Builders can then build your alteration for you, which will ensure that the building process is as smooth and troublefree as possible. Give us a call today and see what we can do for you! EXPAND YOUR HOME TO FIT YOUR DREAMS Phone 027 442 4684 • Website www.alterationspecialists.co.nz • Fax 06 356 4723 178gd334-08 Ongoing: Plant now to enjoy dwarf bean in April, as well as more cabbages, cauliflower and lettuces. If you want to keep those veges coming, keep planting, says garden expert Albert Bodell. To maintain a succession of fresh vegetables, plant cabbages, cauliflower, lettuce, celery and broccoli every few weeks. As this month draws to a close, early sowings of carrots should be ready to be harvested. Continue to sow carrots, after taking steps to protect them from the maggot of the carrot rust fly. Pick cucumbers as they mature, to encourage more fruit, and use baby cucumbers as pickling gherkins. Plant dwarf beans, if you haven’t already done so, for picking in April. This is also the time of year to scatter green crops of lupin or oats in unoccupied plots for digging in later. Harvest shallots, onions and garlic after they have died off. Their tops and roots can be trimmed before they are placed in trays or boxes. Alternatively, the tops can be used to hang them up in bunches. This is a very effective storage method. Watch out for powdery mildew on cucumbers and pumpkins at this time of year, especially during periods of high humidity. Liquid-feed early celery crops, and spray them to control rust. The orchard The main harvesting period for berry fruit is over, and it’s time to cut out damaged and diseased wood/canes. Tie up the new season’s canes, after selecting only the strongest. Spray for fungi and especially mildew, and also take action to control cane spot, spur blight and bud moth. Remember to keep the tamarillos well watered. You should also mulch them, to prevent drying and early fruit drop. Spray apples and pears to control the spread of mites and to prevent codling moth and leaf-roller Remember: Keep the tamarillos well watered. caterpillars. Repeat this procedure after two weeks. This time of year sees the beginning of the main harvest of stone and pip fruit. Remember to keep your trees well watered, to swell fruit size. As soon as the harvest is completed, summerprune stone fruit trees to prevent silver leaf. Grapes vines may need trimming before the grapes are harvested, to allow air and light to reach the fruit. Continue to spray for mealy bug and leaf roller. Meanwhile, citrus trees should be sprayed for verrucosis – a fungal disease that causes corky brown scabs and blisters. The greenhouse Pot up freesias and lachenalias. Attend to your tomato crop, which will climax this month, and pinch out the tops of plants that have reached six trusses. This will help the upper fruit to reach full size before the season ends. Repot cyclamen held from last year. Continued page 9
www.manawatustandard.co.nz Manawatu Standard Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9 GARDEN Trimmed up: Grapes vines may need pruning before the grapes are harvested, to allow air and light to reach the fruit. Perfect complement: A good lawn will provide a wonderful contrast with borders. Plant more as you harvest Continued from page 8 The flower garden You will need to water the garden this onth, and to pay particular attention to he watering of asters, dahlias and hrysanthemums. Spray to control thrips. These attack ladioli, bottlebrush, rhododendrons, zaleas and camellias, and cause the olling and silvering of leaves. Belladonna lilies and lycoris, if deeply atered now, will flower. Spray roses to control insect pests and owdery mildew, rust and black spot. ncourage them to produce another lush of blooms by giving them a side application of fertiliser and generous helping of manure. Don’t forget to remove the old and spent flower heads and to water deeply. Mulching, too, is always a good idea. Meanwhile, disbud chrysanthemums to improve the quality of the remaining flowers. Now is also the time to plant spring bulbs, except tulips. As leaf-roller caterpillar can be a problem on some shrubs, such as manuka and camellia, at this time of year, spray them with Maverick. Generally Remove the runners from strawberry plants that are going to be retained for a second season. Lawns A good, even lawn will provide a wonderful contrast with borders and shrubs, provided you have prepared the ground carefully before sowing. Remember that short cuts lead to poor results and even more work later. Turf grasses need moisture, good drainage, and a nutrient-rich soil to produce a thick sward. A minimum of 10cm of topsoil is also required. Start by removing all weeds from the site. Then give the soil a thorough cultivation, by either digging it or using a rotary hoe. Finally, go over it again several times, raking it to remove any remaining clods and weeds and treading it to consolidate the surface. If you start your lawn preparation early, you will have many months for raking and treading. To improve drainage in heavy soils, add some coarse sand and mix it in thoroughly. If the soil is light, sandy or peaty, or simply insufficient, consider bringing in additional topsoil. Make sure it is of good quality and free from couch grass (twitch) and oxalis – two weeds that are very difficult to eradicate. To level the prepared ground, use a levelling board on small areas and a roller on large areas. But be careful not to over-do your use of the latter. The centre of the lawn should be slightly raised, to allow rainwater to run off. Dips and hollows allow puddles to form and also make mowing difficult. You can add superphosphate (7g/m3) to promote good root and leaf growth, and sulphate of ammonia (14g/m3) as a ready source of nitrogen. Mix them evenly into the soil with a rake several days before sowing the grass seed. Compost can also be mixed into the soil, but only if it is well rotted. Bulky organic compost can pack down later, creating soft areas in the lawn and resulting in hollows. Sow the lawn in April/May, after the rains arrive. Spread the seed lightly and evenly, and gently water it in. A top-dressing of NPK fertiliser can be beneficial after three to four weeks. ■ Albert Bodell can be contacted for gardening work on 353 7540 or 021 0251 3290. Need a SURVEYOR orPLANNER? We provide clear, high quality service and advice on plan changes, land use and subdivision consents in this sometimes complex and confusing area. SUBDIVISION • BOUNDARY LOCATION • RESOURCE CONSENTS • TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS • ENGINEERING DESIGN • DATA COLLECTION Free quotes, appraisals, an estimate of time frames and initial advice are available for any work. Licensed Cadastral Surveyors and Resource Management Consultants 2471739AB Palmerston North • Ph: 06 357 9765 Levin • Ph: 06 368 6249 Feilding • Ph: 06 323 7576 2471739AB
Page 1 and 2: www.manawatustandard.co.nz Manawatu
Page 7: www.manawatustandard.co.nz Manawatu

This Year's Trends - Stuff

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?