The Star: July 30, 2020

Thursday July 30 2020 The Star
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
GARDENING 35
Time to attack the thatch on your lawn
EARLY AUGUST is the time to
attack the thatch on your lawns.
Thatch is caused by several factors,
including grass type, excessive
watering, soil compaction,
high or low soil pH, or overuse of
fertiliser and pesticides.
Remove a core of soil from the
lawn with a trowel or shovel and
measure the depth of the thatch,
which is the layer of dead grass
above the soil line.
A layer that is 1cm to 2.5cm
thick can be removed with a stiff
lawn rake. Deeper layers may
require a power rake.
The best time to de-thatch is
just before the grass begins a
period of active growth, which is
usually early spring.
For lawns with more than 3cm
of thatch, power rakes or vertical
mowers will need to be used and
can be hired.
Mow the lawn a little lower
than usual. If needed, water it to
moisten the soil.
If you use a thatching rake, pull
the blade-like tines across the
lawn, cutting through the thatch.
Work in sections, then remove
the debris.
If you are using a power rake or
vertical mower, adjust the cutters
to slice just through the thatch
layer. Check cutter depth after
the first metre.
Run the machine in parallel
rows over the lawn and then
again at 90 deg to the first pass.
Remove debris with a lawn rake.
Control pests and diseases with winter spraying
THE BEST antidote to a pest and
disease-ridden spring garden is
thorough winter spraying.
Nothing toxic is required —
simply give plants a good dowsing
of copper spray, followed a week
later by an application of spraying
oil. Both of these are regarded as
organic.
Repeat three times over the
winter months to kill both overwintering
insect eggs and disease
spores. It’s especially important to
spray fruit trees (including citrus),
roses and other deciduous plants,
as well as any plants badly infested
with insect pests or disease
LAYERS: Thatch is dead grass which sits above the soil
line. It should be removed during the winter before active
spring growth. It is also time to dig over vacant areas.
Over-seed with a good-quality
grass seed to improve the lawn’s
health, vigour, and appearance.
Other tips for early August
EDIBLES
• Dig over vacant areas and leave
last summer.
In fact, you should spray the
entire garden, but wait for any
winter-flowering plants to finish
blooming before you begin.
Garden pests lurk in the most
unexpected places.
Check the undersides of
leaves for scale insects, and leaf
sheaths and stems for mealybug
and scale.
Look for silvering of leaves on
evergreen shrubs and trees including
rhododendrons, camellias
and pieris. This silvering indicates
the presence of thrips. Spray oil
to clean these up and reduce
for frosts to pulverise the lumps.
• Apply lime to vegetable garden
plots where green crops were dug
to increase worm activity.
• Spread a general fertiliser on
areas to be planted next month.
• Check peach, apricot and nectarine
buds frequently. Spray with
their numbers for spring. Collect
diseased fallen leaves and place in
the rubbish bin (not the organics
bin).
Spray the ground around infected
plants with copper spray to
help kill disease spores.
Winter-hardy weeds can
overrun the garden, making
control in spring a nightmare.
Spray with fast-acting glyphosate
or dig out hard-to-kill weeds such
as dock.
Once weeding is done, fork
compost through soil and mulch
with a 10cm layer of fine bark or
pea straw.
copper before bud burst to protect
against curly leaf. Same spray
for bladder plum.
• In warm areas begin
sowing in a protected position
lettuces, peas, silver beet and
spinach.
• Sow outdoors hardy herbs, tender
herbs under glass.
• In warm areas or towards the
end of the month sow under glass
courgettes, eggplants, peppers
and tomatoes.
• Plant out asparagus, globe
artichokes, cabbage, cauliflower,
lettuce, onions and silver beet.
• Divide and replant rhubarb.
• Fertilise citrus generously
towards the end of the month.
ORNAMENTAL
• Plant deciduous trees, shrubs.
• Complete pruning of roses and
cutting back of all perennials.
• Complete mulching garden
beds.
GENERAL
• Slugs and snails abound, spread
slug bait
• Ensure all-seasons oil
and copper sprays have been
applied to all fruit trees and
roses.
Use your outdoor living areas
all year round
• Warm & dry in winter
• UV protection for summer
• Stylish & permanent
• 5 year warranty
Firewood &
landscape supplies
we supply & deliver
“AS SEEN ON TV”
Chris Thorndycroft
Phone 0274 211 079 | www.archgola.co.nz
15 months
INTEREST FREE
Normal lending criteria apply
Open 7 days Mon-Sat 7.30-5pm Sun-Public Holidays 8am-4pm
4 Parkhouse Rd, Sockburn, Phone: 03 341 5688
www.gardenmakers.co.nz