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- You’ve probably noticed some of your plants are looking a bit yellow at present,
Hibiscus in particular and it’s not an iron deficiency. The all over yellow leaf is
indicative of a shortage of nitrogen.
- Not necessarily a shortage in the soil but the cold soil slows the break down of organic
nitrogen and let’s face it in this weather, we probably don’t think about
feeding our flower plants with water-soluble fertilizer, but if you want flowers in
spring, you’d better.
- You’d better also control your snails and slugs too, because they are definitely on
the prowl. I’m still finding the safest to use is the Multicrop® Multiguard Snail
& Slug pellet, if you have pets. If that is not your concern, then the blue pellets of
Bayer Baysol® are really potent, but any more than six pellets at one location is a waste
of money.
- Spray your roses and fruit trees at present even though they are dormant, with a cupric
hydroxide spray, such as Kocide® or the Yate™ Fungus Fighter, to give your effective
fungal protection, at leaf burst.
- Keep pulling soursobs, they are at the ‘big swollen base stage’ right now and
as vulnerable as they get! If they ever get vulnerable at all. Iris are starting to move
and a top-dressing of organic pellets will go down a treat as a conditioner, but remember
last week’s tips, add the potassium for flowering at the same time.
- The brown hairy or "Woollybear Caterpillars" are currently on the move and
chomping on all before them. While a spray of Carbaryl is effective, they can also be
controlled in a more environmentally responsible way, by spraying the Bacillus
thuringiensis bacteria, that effectively rots their stomach and does not effect what
predators they have. Which seems all too few. Marketed as Dipel™, it certainly
numbers their days.
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