Evening star., 1941-07-26
heGarden
Notebook

Notebook |
This may be vacation time for
some folks, but the strong winds
and heavy rains have made it seem
anything but a vacation TO the
gardener. Plants have had 70 be
restaked Sprays seldom last more
than a day or two. The crabgraSs
grows by the foot And. in many
gardens retaining walls have had
to be rebuilt or strengthened and
waShed-away soil replaced.
After the recent heavy rains,
flower borders may need an apph-
cation of fertilizer, especially one
rich in soluble phosphorus and
nitrogen. The rains have been so
heavy that much of the available
food materials have leached away,
If plants in your borders are not
growing. but seem TO be standing
still and starting to turn yellow,
an application of fertilizer now
should help.
/ however, to 6 pounds TO 1000
square feet is about right. Faster
results may be obtained if you use
this in solution Most seed stores
and dealers in garden supplies have
what is called soluble plant food
for transplanting. Apply this in
water according to the directions
given. These transplanting mix
| lures are not expensive and will
restore plants quickly TO health and
vigor.
/ This is ideal weather for many
plant diseases so do not slacken
up on spraying or dusting Both
sides of the foliage must be kept
covered with a coating of spray
material if they are TO be protected
from disease and insect pests. When
showers are frequent it is often
necessary to spray or dust every
day or two. Even a good ''sticker"
used with the spray material can
hardly be expected to last for long
when the rain comes down In
/ torrents.
/ Dividing perennials is most easily
! accomplished if the soil is washed
/ from the roots and crown so that
/ one may see what is being done.
Do not pull the roots apart so
| forcibly as to destroy them. The
future rate of growth depends upon
| the care and freedom from injury
/ with which the job is done. A few
/ large divisions are more satisfactory
than larger number of small ones.
AS the hardy phlox blooms fade
it is well to cut off the flower
heads to avoid seed formation. This
stimulates a second crop of flowers
and avoids the misfortune of hav-
ing some ugly seeding crowding
out beautiful hybrid If you wish
TO play with seedlings plant them
in the vegetable garden. Phlox DO
not revert" but seedlings often
crowd out and take the place of
the named varieties.
Several fall bloomers are now In
full flower. The azaleamum type
chrysanthemums and one of the
hardy asters. This is due to the
cloudy days and the cool moist
weather.
This is a good time to look over
dahlias to see that they are Staked
properly and to prune them back
to encourage growth around the
base and flowers in the fall A little
extra fertilizer now would be a
help-about an ounce or two per
plant-well distributed over the sur
face and worked into the soil Here
again, liquid fertilizer has an ad-
vantage. In general, the same ap-
plies to chrysanthemumS, but 1t is
little too late to pinch these back
now.
Watch for the dahlia borer Tell
tale holes in the lower sections of
the canes followed by whiting are
the signs. A few crystals of para
dichlorobenZine placed in the hole
before plugging it with dirt will
usually kill the borer A soft cop
per wire may be used to puncture
him.
If you have not already lifted
daffodils that are to be moved or
thinned, do not delay much longer.
They start into growth very early in
the fall and moving after mid-sum-
mer (early August may result in
injury to the new roots.