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- The ground at the moment is begging out for bedding plants for a summer
display. The soil moisture and temperatures are just right. Even the weeds
recognize that. Soak seedlings in a seaweed extract first, then the day
after planting foliar spray with a water-soluble fertilizer. The slow
release prills and organic pellets come next week.
- As a rule of thumb plant your bedding flowers at an interval apart of half
the height you expect them to grow, except if their spread is wider than
their height. For example if the petunia label tells you it grows to 35cm
and spreads 40cm, center your seedlings at about 20cm, since the labels are
usually pretty conservative anyhow. That will provide a blanket effect. For
cut flowers a bit wider to allow access for harvest.
- I’d sprinkle seed of Californian Poppies and spot sow three Sunflower
seeds right now, where you want them to grow, because they germinate so
easily. Thin the sunflower to the best stem in three weeks time. They’ll
flower by Christmas.
- I’m picking ‘Spring Chorus’ Iceland Poppies for indoors and Annie’s
office at the rate of about 20 a day from 20 plants at present, but if you
want them to last longer than three days, pick them as buds, when the stem
straightens. If picked when still bent, they seldom open. They don’t need
to be left as late as buds actually splitting on the plant. One hour on a
sunny windowsill opens most Poppies.
- Last week I mentioned my worm farm and extracting the wormilizer or the
worm’s water that is generated, well it seems that the word Wormilizer™
is a registered trade mark. So even worm water can be registered.
- Incidentally I didn’t mention that worm water applied broken down by 50%
with plain old every-day-garden-water, can be applied as a foliar spray to
peaches that have a history of Curl Leaf and I’m told it is a reliable
control, so certainly worth a try.
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