HOME GROWN
Most of your garden is now well on its way now, so it is time to pay attention to the maintenance of your plants. Check over your garden regularly for bugs and diseases remove and destroy leaves that show signs of diseases – early detection will stop a major infestation.
Remove any vegetable crops that are failing to thrive there is still time to plant most again. Continue to plant salad crops such as lettuce in fortnightly intervals for a continuous supply. Kamara’s are now in store, potatoes can still be planted but the choices are now not so wide as it gets later in the season. Feed and mound up existing plants.
Check your tomatoes laterals weekly – they grow quickly and weaken the plant. Remove them when they are small, to reduce damage. Remember to support your tomatoes as they grow, a plant that becomes laden with fruit can split the main stem.
Pinch out the tips of runner from cucumbers, melons and pumpkins to encourage more laterals to grow.
Thin out carrot, radish and beetroot seedlings, don’t waste the ones you pull out they are great in salads.
Get hoeing, warm spring weather will bring on those weeds get them when they are small; the action of the hoe lifts them out by the roots where you can just leave them to rot back in to the soil. The other advantage of the hoe is that it aerates the top layer of the soil which with the drier weather can become hard.
Apply or check your bug bans and pheromone traps for Codlin and Guava moth.
Protect any developing strawberries with bird netting, continue you’re feeding every month and water well for juicy fruit.
Get your passionfruit vines in, remember they like perfect drainage.
Tree tomatoes are now available and safe to plant now the frosts are gone.
Remember to water deeply and les often rather than a little each day, the water needs to reach at least 5cm to the sub soil.
GARDEN COLOUR
Roses will now be coming in to the flower budding stage depending on your region; roses certainly attract their fair share of bugs and diseases. Follow some basic steps to keep them under control.
Keep well water in summer so the plant does not become stressed.
Remove any infected branches and leaves, don’t leave them lying on the ground around the bush – remove and dispose of.
Keep weeds out of the rose bed as these can harbour insect you don’t want and they compete for food.
Side dress with Blood and Bone then apply mulch to help conserve water – keep the mulch away from the truck to avoid any bark disease.
LAWN
Take care of the moss in your lawn with Sulphate of Iron, wait for a calm day and spray carefully to avoid touching and plants that border your lawn. This product will stain cobblestones and concrete so avoid walking through the area you have sprayed.
Cut your lawn a little longer as the weather warms up this will make the grass wear better and help it survive the drier weather.