Vegetables to plant or sow include: kale, spinach, lettuce, rainbow chard, silverbeet, swede, parsnip, broccoli, broccolette, beetroot, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, snow peas, leeks and onions.
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Plant ornamental seedlings of: verbena, godetia, marigold, wallflower, nemesia, pansy, cornflower, cerastium, primulas, stock, alyssum, cinerarias, foxgloves, lupins, linaria, poppies, delphiniums, lobelia, statice, hollyhocks, dianthus, gazania, snapdragons, schizanthus, and columbines.
Perfect pruning
When doing any pruning work, it’s important to use clean, sharp tools as plant damage can result from blunt tools which can leave plants vulnerable to pests and diseases.
Know your plant – does it flower on new or last season’s growth?
Always prune just above a bud and don’t leave any stubs.
Generally, it’s preferable to direct the growth of the new branch towards an open space rather than towards another branch, as crossing branches give the plant a cluttered, twiggy look. Where possible, retain the natural shape of the plant.
Black currants fruit on new wood, so cut all the stems back to 10cms above ground level.
Feed with compost or one-third of a cup of citrus or rose food per square metre of crop.
Prune kiwi fruit laterals back to two or three buds past the previous season’s crop.
Prune to shape camellias after they have finished flowering.
Feed with a fertiliser suited to them.
Natives can have the same treatment.
Prune roses by making a clean cut, on a slant at a fairly acute angle, just above an eye, preferably an outward facing one.
For strong upright stems and large flower clusters on buddleias, cut the previous year’s growth back to within 5cms of the old wood.
Rain and rot
The recent rains and wet soils can bring about the problems of root and collar rot diseases which affect the plant’s ability to absorb water.
One of the first symptoms is wilting, which can be confused with drought stress.
Citrus plants are particularly susceptible as are daphnes, rhododendrons and Australian native plants.
Yates Anti Rot Phosacid Systemic Fungicide will control diseases like phytophthora root rot, collar rot and crown rot.
Although it seems counter-intuitive, spray Yates Anti Rot over the foliage of susceptible plants. The active constituent moves down through the plant into the stems and roots.
Always try to retain the natural shape of the plant when pruning.