The Star: August 30, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday August 30 2018 37
Gardening
GARDENING
ADVICE with
QUESTION
My daphne smells glorious but
looks really scruffy. Can I safely
prune it and if so how and when?
Today’s winning question came from
Claire Dodd. Congratulations!
Daphne, like a number of
ANSWER evergreen shrubs, often look a little
scruffy and display light green or
yellow leaves towards the end of
winter. Basically, this is indicative of the plant ‘running
out of nutrients’. Wait until air and soil temperatures
rise in spring before applying either Daltons Garden
Time Acid Fertiliser or Daltons Garden Time
Complete Garden Fertiliser around the base of
the plant.
Daphne can be safely pruned. Once again, wait until
cold wet weather has finished before commencing any
major pruning. To prune, remove any dead or diseased
wood and finished flowers before thinning out any
dense growth and shortening back by at least a 1/3 all
over the bush. This does also depend on the variety
you are growing, check with your local garden centre if
you need guidance.
For more gardening advice and tips, check out our
How To Grow Acid Loving Plants guide at
www.daltons.co.nz/how-to-guides
Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow. They need
maximum sun and maximum heat to produce sweet juicy fruit. Start
planting now through to early spring for a bumper summer crop.
With a Daltons Premium Strawberry pack, your strawberries will be
tasty, juicy delights!
Win a Daltons Premium Strawberry Pack!
• 2 x Daltons Garden Time Strawberry Mix,
• Daltons Garden Time Strawberry Fertiliser,
• Garden Time Fruit & Citrus Fertiliser
• Daltons Organic Bio-Fungicide Powder,
• PLUS a pair of comfortable, versatile
Red Back gardening gloves from
Omni Products
(www.omniproducts.co.nz)
BE IN
TO WIN!
Send us your
gardening question
to be in to win!
$70
PRIZE
PACK!
Email your question
and glove size to:
chchstar@daltons.co.nz
Entries must be received by 5th Sep 2018
Expect kiwifruit three years after planting
LADEN:
Well-pruned
kiwifruit vines
produce
the heaviest
crops.
oN sAle Now!
Now only
$35.80
Plus $5 P&H per copy
AvAilAble from stAr mediA:
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Addington, Christchurch
Phone 379 7100
• By Diana Noonan
REGARDED AS
subtropical, kiwifruit (the
fuzzy-skinned varieties) are
reasonably frost tolerant
although late frosts will
damage and sometimes
destroy young buds.
The vines, which grow
rapidly, should be planted
in sheltered positions 4–6m
apart. Lower nitrogen
compost or fertiliser
encourages fruiting. Vines
produce kiwifruit around
three years after planting,
and require serious winter
pruning to keep them
under control and to
encourage fruiting.
Fruit ripens from March
to August, depending on
which variety of vine you
are growing. Fruit can
be picked when mature
(slightly soft but not too
firm) or when unripe
(hard) and left to soften.
Hard fruit will keep for up
to three months stored in
the fridge.
Leaving fruit to ripen
on the vine, and picking it
before the first frosts, is the
best policy for the home
gardener, as this ensures
the fruit is at its sweetest.
To check for maturity,
gently press the fruit
between fingers and thumb.
If it gives just a little, it is
ready to pick. Another way
to check for maturity is to
smell the fruit which, when
ripe, gives off a delicate
citrus perfume. If over-ripe,
the skin on the fruit will
have begun to shrivel and
the kiwifruit will be very
soft (and possibly rotting in
the middle).
Harvest mature fruit
using secateurs to cut the
stalk just above the berry.
Take care when filling a
container that the short
stalks don’t damage other
ripe fruit.
Fruit that is hard can be
cut in the same way and
will continue to ripen once
off the vine (the best policy
to employ if early frosts
threaten the harvest).
Hard fruit can be ripened
indoors by placing them
DELICIOUS:
Kiwifruit is the
quintessential
pavlova
topping.
in a paper bag along with
an apple or banana. Check
periodically for ripeness as
some fruits will be ready
for eating ahead of others.
Kiwifruit can be eaten
raw (peel first), or used in
both sweet and savoury
dishes. It can also be used
as a marinade for fish
and meats where it acts
as a tenderiser. While it is
possible to freeze kiwifruit,
it will have a mushy texture
when thawed. This is fine
if you wish to use it in
smoothies or baking.
To freeze, choose wellripened
fruit, peel it and
slice before loading into
bags. To free-flow, lay the
slices on a tray lined with
baking paper and place in
the freezer. Once frozen,
loosen and store in bags.
•www.gardener.kiwi