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Greenfingers
has been accused of bragging about his fruit yield on the miniature nectarines
and peaches in pots, by some who thought it a bit cute that I should be wanting
to ‘thin’ the crop. It seems that not everyone achieves my results.
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Let
me share my secret with you: In late February I feed the plants with Richgrow™
soluble Fruit & Citrus fertilizer, then in winter being too difficult
to remove the miniature stone fruit trees and repot them as you’d expect, I
get my trusty bulb planter and screw a column of soil out of each corner of the
large square pots and into these cores I backfill a rich loam laced liberally
with Neutrog Rapid Raiser™ and additional potassium sulphate. That’s all I
do…honestly and I get 25-35 fruits on each tree, before I need to thin them.
I’m still picking the peaches, but nectarines finished this morning. Possums,
mice and rats didn’t get a single one thanks to Annie’s tinsel trick.
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Those
blessed sticky yellow Trappits™ are the talk of the town it seems, since they
are so effective at controlling aphids and white fly, but I’m surprised so few
hardware stores and nurseries carry them. For the benefit of filling Christmas
stockings for gardeners, I get mine from Heynes Nursery at Beulah Park. I’d
mention others if they sold them!
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If
you have invested in a live Christmas tree growing in a pot (not one of those
once-was-alive, cut Pines) remember they need some sunlight so give it the odd
morning on the verandah in indirect light as well as water it every other day at
least. Indoors is murder on the average Norwegian Spruce. Harden it off slowly
after Christmas too, or it will join the ranks of the once-was-alive trees!
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If
you gave your gardening partner or friend a fine pair of secateurs last year,
remember to follow up this year with the replaceable blade. Much cheaper than
getting them sharpened! If you only bought a cheap pair (with non-replaceable
blade) you can afford to buy another pair.
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Don’t
forget to slip on the sun hat, slop on the sun-screen and slap on the insect
repellent when outside gardening over the summer break. See you in the New Year
and have a Merry Christmas green thumbs.
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