By Harmony Garden Centre

We all need lots of water over the summer and our plants are no different. Regular deep soaking of garden beds every few days is much better than light and shallow daily watering. Outdoor potted plants, hanging baskets and the veggie garden will need a watering each day during the cooler morning or evening. Check that watering systems are operating correctly and using a water retention granule or gel will help to minimise water use and keep your plants happy

Applying Saturaid to your soil or lawn can reduce water use by up to 50%. This can be a great way to save on the water bill, or make efficient use of the natural resource of summer rains.

• Water Smart! It’s best to water first thing in the morning, to give your soil a chance to absorb the moisture before it gets too hot.
• Top up your gardens with mulch, it looks great and helps with water retention.
• Crops such as sweetcorn and tomatoes are likely to be looking top heavy, so make sure you have adequate support for your plants. Add a layer of mulch such as sugar cane to maintain ideal growth conditions.
• Raise mower blades and avoid scalping your lawn. Scalping your lawn will encourage weeds to take hold and reduce the foliage protection to the nearby soil. Short grass effectively results in shallow lawn roots and grass with poor disease resistance.
• Spray roses to control black spot and pick up fallen leaves around your roses.
• Watch out for unwanted pests such as aphids. Ask about the best methods of control.
• Prune spent flowers on your roses, rhododendron and camellia.
• Roses will benefit from an application of 'Sudden Impact' rose fertiliser for a wonderful autumn rose display which will not only ensure more flowers but reward you with healthy plants.
• Spray apples, pears and hawthorns with Yates Success to control pear and cherry slug. If you don't want to spray, dust with dolomite lime or wood ash, or remove by hand.
• Control passionfruit leaf hopper with Yates Mavrik insecticide
• Harvest beans and other summer veggies regularly so they’ll produce more crops.
• Cut back and feed annual flowers.

.

The Edible Garden

Now is the time to plant french and climbing beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, chinese cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower, celery, cress, cucumber, eggplant (advanced), leek, lettuce, spring onion, parsley, parsnip, pumpkin, radish, swede, silverbeet, turnip & sweet corn. 

If your earlier plantings of dearly loved tomatoes are starting to show the fruits of your labour, now is the time to get cracking with a fertiliser enriched with potassium sulphate to ensure plentiful crops.

Pear and cherry slug is now attacking cherry, cotoneaster, plum, apricot, pear, hawthorn and mountain ash. Control is effective with a low toxic solution "Yates Success". Pear slugs feed on leaves and become full-grown in approximately three weeks. Pear slug larvae feed on the upper leaf surface, they avoid the larger leaf veins and rarely penetrate the lower leaf surface. The result is leaves that have a "skeletonized" characteristic appearance. Chewed areas of the leaf turn brown and when heavily damaged, the entire leaf falls prematurely. Be aware that "Yates Success" will control the slugs, however they often return in Autumn so be ready! Pear slugs can also be controlled by throwing lime or saw dust over the effective trees, this soaks up their mucus and works by drying the slugs out.

Did you know?

Pear slugs are not true slugs. They are a type of insect known as sawfliy larvae which may reach 2-3cm and tend to lighten in color as they grow older,. The lavae then develop into small, dark, nonstinging wasps (sawflies) that are rarely noticed