 Tips
for Melbourne the month of December
Tips...
Check your watering systems.
*Remember that as plants grow they may obstruct the water flow
and need trimming.
REMEMBER that a few good soakings are much better for
the plants roots as it makes them less susceptible to water fluctuations
and a more efficient use of water than more frequent light waterings.
To tell how much water you are actually applying, place a shallow
container near a sprinkler and look at it after a typical watering.
*If the water you apply runs off, now that the weather is warming
up, then an application of water retention product such as SoakNFeed
can help.
*If you haven’t mulched, then apply mulch (see
our link to mulch), preferably when the ground is wet. Be
careful around the base of trees, especially citrus, as if the
mulch is thicker than 7 cms then collar rot can form.
What to sow or plant...
Flowers:
Ageratum, alyssum, aster, Californian poppy, chrysanthemum, cleome,
cockscomb, cosmos, gerbera, gloxinia, godetia, gomphrena, kochia,
nasturtium, nemesia, nicotania, petunia, phlox, portulaca, rubdeckia,
salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, tithonia, torenia, verbena, zinnia.
Vegetables:
Asian veggies, beans, beetroot, cucumber, herbs, lettuce, leek,
melons, parsnip, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, spring onion, silverbeet,
squash, sweetcorn, tomato, zucchini.
Pests & Diseases
- Watch for pear and cherry slug. This is a black sluglike lavae
of a wasp on the leaves of pears, cherries, hawthorn, plums, quinces
etc. It eats the leaf surface, leaving the leaf skeletonised.
Treat with the relevant pesticide or try talcum powder or flour.
Protect your self while applying.
- Watch for aphids and spider mites on all your plants
Jobs to do...
Prune
- Prune any shrubs that have finished flowering, eg. Callistemons.
- Dead head annuals to prolong flowering, eg. Petunias.
- Herbs get bushier and benefit from tip pruning, add some to
your salads and cooking.
- Remember to pick your veggies like zucchini and beans often.
- Trim your hedges and creepers after their spring flush of growth
to keep them looking tidy and to make them
bushier.
Fertilise
- Annual veggies and flowers will appreciate a liquid feed now.
- Perennials (including lilliums) which are actively growing.
- Fruit trees. This is a good time check your netting cover on
the crop to protect it from hungry feeders (birds
and animals).
Other
Lift or mark dying foliage of spring bulbs. Either mark them,
so you don’t overwater them (and cause them to rot),or so
you don’t dig into them by accident; or lift them to store
(with a label).
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