 Tips
for Melbourne the month of February
What to sow or plant...
Flowers:
ageratum, alyssum, antirrhinum, aquilegia, bellis, calendula,
carnations, cineria, cleome, cornflower, dianthus,dimorphotheca,
forget-me-not,foxgloves,gaillardia,godetia,hollyhock,lobelia,lupins,
marigolds,matholia,pansies,petunias,phlox, polyanthus, verbena,
viola, wallflowers, zinnias.
Vegetables:
Beets,cabbage,carrots,cauliflower,celery,kohlrabi,lettuce,onions(early),
parsley,parsnip,potatoes,radish,shallots
Pests & Diseases
Jobs to do...
Watering.
- check your watering systems. Some nozzles have insects
or dirt in them and need cleaning. Check your watering does
what you need.
- watch surface rooted plants like citrus, azaleas, rhododendrons
and camellias and large leafed plants like hydranges for
signs of stress.
- remember plants do better with less frequent watering
but longer duration of watering.
- an application of soak and feed will help what water you
have soak in and not be wasted by running off
- YOUR CHOICE MULCH, mulch, mulch. It is better to mulch
after watering.
Prune
- all spent flowers, eg agapanthus (before they seed),roses(a
light prune and feed now ) lavender, and hydrangeas . With
hydrangeas, prune the dried or burnt flowers, but leave
the other flowers to age for a pretty autumnal look. Do
not prune back the non-flowering shoots as they are next
years flowers.
- wisteria can be tamed by cutting back to 5 – 7 nodes.
Other
- while you are deadheading the roses, give them a light
feed and check for pests and diseases. They should give
a nice flush of flowers in 6-7 weeks. Tie back climbing
roses.
- feed plants forming flowers now, like citrus, camellias,
and cymbidium orchids.
- add some taller old fashioned flowers like foxgloves,
hollyhocks and lupins.
- This and next month is the time to be taking semi hardwood
cuttings.
These are taken from evergreen trees and shrubs such as
camellias and azaleas and fuschias. You take 10 –
15 cm cuttings from wood that has started to turn into the
firmer browner wood. If possible take a heel or part of
the more mature plant with the newer wood. Have at least
2 nodes, preferably 3 or more. Trim just below the bottom
node, remove the lower leaves and treat with a rooting hormone,
used according to package directions
Have a pot of YOUR CHOICE POTTING MIX ready and use a dibbler
to make holes in the potting mix. Place the cuttings in
the pot. If the leaves are large then decrease the surface
area by removing some or by cutting off the tip end of the
leaf. Gently water. Place in a sheltered place for the first
few days and check the moisture level.
If you have a lot of cuttings a styrofoam brocolli box
is ideal, half filled with potting mix and cover it with
plastic or a sheet of glass.
Rooting hormone makes the cutting grow roots from the callus
tissue that forms on the end of the cutting. There are 2
main types – powder or liquid. The active ingredients
are either IAA (indole acetic acid ), IBA (indole butyric
acid ) and /or NAA (naphthalene acetic acid). Some formulations
are also marked for softwood, mediumwood or hardwood cuttings.
Read and follow directions. Do not return any unused portions
back to the original container.
Please note that some varieties are harder than others
to root, so try a variety of plants and species. Some do
need specialist conditions, such as bottom heat. So have
fun trying and good luck. If they all grow then enjoy giving
the spare ones away.
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