Selwyn Times: November 01, 2016

SELWYN TIMES Tuesday November 1 2016 29
Gardening
The start of a blooming garden
THE JOY of spring is that
there are plenty of jobs to do
in the garden, especially now
the soil is warming up.
Towards the end of October,
early season varieties of
strawberries will begin to
ripen. Check plants regularly
for signs of grey mould
(botrytis), and remove any
affected leaves and fruit.
Add pea straw, hay or clean
bark mulch around the plants
to provide a clean ‘nest’ for
developing strawberries.
Raspberries, boysenberries,
loganberries and blackberries
should be growing at a very
fast rate as we move through
the month. Train canes on a
wall or a wire framework. It
may be necessary to remove
some surplus canes where
growth is exceptional. Mulch
with compost to suppress
weeds and conserve soil
moisture, and fruit and berry
fertiliser.
Lawns are now in very
active growth and require
regular mowing. Fertilise
with lawn fertiliser and repeat
every four to six weeks. This is
the last month for ‘easy’ laying
of a new lawn or for patching
and existing lawn.
It’s a great time to plant
up your container gardens
with ornamental annuals,
perennials or herbs, and even
small green salad
veges.
Always start with fresh
container mix and ensure the
containers are well drained.
Summer annuals that thrive
in containers include dwarf
cosmos, marigolds, petunia,
portulacas, salvias and
zinnias.
If you are establishing a new
herb garden or restoring an
existing one, try and position
the herb garden close to the
kitchen so it’s easy to access.
Ideally, herbs prefer a sunny,
well-drained position. You
may need to plant more of the
herbs you frequently use for
example basil, chives, parsley.
Roses will now start coming
into their own.
The first blooms are the
best display of the year
before the dreaded blackspot
and rust appear. Fertilise
them every four to six weeks
with rose fertiliser as this
enhances regular and ‘strong’
flowering.
Mulch with compost to
help retain soil moisture and
‘dead head’ (the removal
of old flowers) regularly to
help promote continuous
flowering.
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Weed, Water
& Mulch
LET’S GET
GardEninG
Weeds will be popping up more frequently now, so make sure that you remove them as soon as you can.
Weeds compete with your plants for space, water and nutrients, therefore your plants won’t do as well
if they have weeds all around them. Spend some time removing all the weeds, then add some Organic
Compost in to the soil. This will help to provide some much needed organic matter, as well as aid in water
retention and weed suppression. Keep on top of watering now before the weather heats up too much and
the rainfall decreases significantly.
Applying bark to your garden not only makes the area look great, but it has a lot of benefits as well. It will
help to protect your plant’s roots from weather extremes, it will help retain moisture in the soil – giving your
plants a better supply to draw from during the summer, and will help to reduce weeds popping up. Intelligro
have a great range of barks and mulches, come down and have a look at what we have, and check out our
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For more information,
check out our website:
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Black Beauty Mulch
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Bark Nuggets 30mm
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1394 Main South Road, RD7 Weedons
www.igro.co.nz | Phone 03 347 9415