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David Maher is our David also produces If your interested in Snail Mail - 16 Prentice Ph/Fax - 02 6766 2132 |
November in the Garden by David Maher November is a critical time in the garden to lay the foundations for rewarding summer experiences, especially in regard to the production of vegetable crops and fruit harvests. Fertilizing, the pruning of perennials and spraying assume special importance, too. In most areas of New South Wales, it is a futile exercise to grow stone fruit trees and tomatoes unless there is a preparedness to spray for fruit fly at fortnightly intervals. Indeed, in my view, it is morally and environmentally responsible to comply with this requirement. STATISTICS RELATED TO MY GARDEN 400 to 500 metres above sea
level - (The Oxley Lookout at
Tamworth is 591 metres a.s.l.) FERTILIZING By applying the right fertilizer in the right amount at the right time, gardeners should reap the benefits of their labours, their products and their plants.
Azaleas, Camellias, Daphnes, Gordonias, Rhododendrons and Gardenias benefit from the application of a foliar spray of Aquasol or Searle’s Azalea and Camellia fertilizer under and on top of the leaves. Bougainvilleas/Hibiscuses are
sun lovers & heavy feeders that benefit from applications of
Searle’s Clematis, Stephanotis and
Lapageria will be at various stages of budding and need side Cucurbits such as pumpkins, zucchinis, cucumbers and melons produce best when grown in a fertile, loosely structured soil and are fertilized about every eight weeks with side dressings of potash. Cyclamens – some autumn flowering species usually start to re-emerge from their dormancy at this time of the year and will benefit from an application of Osmocote Plus and a foliar fertilizing every 2 to 3 weeks with Aquasol or any soluble fertilizer that has a high potassium content. Cymbidium Orchids are now showing evidence of new leaves and should be fertilized weekly or fortnightly with a product rich in Nitrogen such as Campbell’s Blue. Plants which have been divided and repotted recently should not be fertilized until they are settled in their pots and the roots have entered the new potting material.
Young Grevilleas can benefit from a tea tree or lucerne mulch. Hippeastra which have finished flowering should have blood and bone and potash applied to stimulate new growth. Indoor Plants or House Plants can have a foliar spray of Thrive or any similar product with a high nitrogenous content applied every 3 to 4 weeks. (Slow release fertilizer should have been applied in Sept/Oct.) Lawn – November and December are the months to apply a balanced fertilizer such as Croplift 200, which should be available from C.R.T. Stores, or Multigrow, or Shirley’s No. 17. Lilies, including callas and liliums, are gross feeders and respond well to fortnightly foliar sprays of Aquasol, or Vitall, or any product high in potassium, which should be applied to both sides of the leaves. Passionfruit are gross feeders
and respond readily to applications of blood and bone mixed with
potash at the rate of 5 to 1 or citrus food, or rose food. Ensure
that the moisture level is maintained. Roses should be fertilized after each flowering with a product high in potassium. Rose food is an obvious product but Croplift 200 and Nitrophoska and blood and bone and potash have all worked well in my garden. Spinach and other green-leafed plants benefit from a few grains of Urea which is highly nitrogenous and adds chlorophyll to the leaves. Dynamic Lifter pellets are an option, too. Stone Fruit Trees which crop in late December, January and February, benefit from a soil application of a soluble product. Yates Thrive Fruit and Flower fertilizer, which is specially formulated for fruit trees, is recommended. Streptocarpus or Cape Violettas or Cape Primrose that are in bud or in flower benefit from an application of potash every 6 to 8 weeks until their dormancy in late autumn. Vallota Bulbs may produce their spikes as early as January in the warmer areas of the North West. Hence apply about 10 grams per bulb of potash and feed fortnightly with a soluble foliar spray. Yates’ Fruit and Flower product is appropriate. (My bulbs flowered in mid-January in 2006 and one flowered in early October, again in 2006 – Nature has its way.)
Happy gardening!
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Agapanthuses which are shy
flowerers might benefit from the application of a mix of blood and
bone and potash every three months. ‘Tinker Belle’, in my
experience, is such a species. Perhaps, too, shy flowerers should
be relocated to a position which is sunnier and may be more
conducive to flowering.
bougainvillea and hibiscus food every 6 weeks until
May, or Yates’ Complete Fertilizer, or Croplift 800.
dressings of potash, or foliar sprays of Aquasol or Phostrogen, to
strengthen flower bud development. Do not fertilize while in
flower.
Day Lilies that attract thrips
can be sprayed with Confidor or Malathion or Folimat or Lebaycid..
