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| Fertiliser frenzy |
3-Sep-2009 |
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GARDENING: Following the winter months, plants are ready for colour restoration. By Peter Cundall.
AFTER months of cold soil, the most common plant problems appear as nutritional deficiencies, usually seen in the foliage of trees, shrubs, vegetables and even lawn grass.
During winter, many lawns take on an unhealthy, yellow-green appearance. For some reason this causes considerable anguish to those blokes who, when not sitting in front of the box watching their favourite sport, dedicate a significant part of their weekends to removing every tiny weed that dares invade their own sacred turf.
The best way of restoring colour to a late-winter lawn is by sprinkling finely pulverised chook manure, or pellets, over the surface — a good handful for every square metre. If rain is forecast, do this before it arrives or even while it is pouring to prevent leaf burn and put the fertiliser into action more rapidly.
The same fertilisers applied at a slightly heavier rate also overcome similar yellow foliage problems in the outer canopies of citrus trees — the typical ‘golden halo’ effect caused by cold soil over many weeks.
All citruses are greedy for nitrogen as the soil warms. Foliar feeding — spraying quick-acting liquid fertilisers over and under the leaves in a heavily diluted form — also does the trick. Despite low temperatures, the nutrients are absorbed directly into the trees through the leaves.
To make a liquid fertiliser concentrate that can be stored away for regular use, half-fill a bucket with water. Mix in half a cup each of seaweed concentrate and fish emulsion, and add one tablespoon each of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) and zinc sulphate. In sandy soil districts add two teaspoons of boron. (All ingredients are available from garden centres.) Stir well, pour the concentrate into marked containers and store out of children’s reach.
This concentrate is far too strong to be used directly. Dilute one part with 20 parts of water, stir and spray over and under the leaves of citrus trees or other garden plants showing the typical yellowing of cold-induced mineral deficiency. Apply every 10 days, preferably during a dull period. Any surplus dripping on the ground is taken up by the roots.
This diluted mixture can also be used directly over seed drills or containers immediately after the seed of most brassicas, especially cauliflowers, have been sown.
In acid soil gardens where a deficiency of molybdenum can occur, add a teaspoon of sodium molybdate to the mix when watering cauliflower and swede seeds. This helps prevent ‘whiptail’, where leaves become badly stretched and twisted — a common deficiency in Australian gardens.
The newly sown seeds immediately begin to swell as they take in soil moisture and the added nutriment is also absorbed by young plants at a vitally important time.
ACTION PLAN
• Control aphids with pyrethrum sprays
• Sow beans in the tropics and peas in cool districts
• Prune blossom trees as flowers wither
• Feed camellias with sheep or cow manure
Mr Cundall is a writer,
radio broadcaster and television presenter.
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