Autumn’s in the air

Autumn is a great time for planting; there is still warmth in the ground, the weather is less extreme, there is a good chance of continued much-needed autumn rainfall and we are still getting plenty of sunshine for growth.

What’s more, the days are just lovely to be out and enjoying the garden.

There are several things we can be doing in the garden that will pay dividends in the coming months that really should not be put off for much longer.

There are also things that we need to be keep an eye on, so they don’t give us grief in the future.

In the coming months during the camellia flowering season, we will have a few customers coming in, all with the same problem of their camellia’s flower buds not opening and just dropping off.

This is called bud balling, and one of the main causes of this in our region is that the plants have been allowed to dry out too much while the buds were being set.

This is typically in March, and it is easy to see how it happens.

As the days cool down, so does our attention to watering, and the tip of the bud dries out, locking the petals in behind it.

In most cases, bud balling on camellias can be prevented by monitoring their water requirements now, but the problem can also occasionally be caused by high humidity or hot north winds late in March, which is beyond our control.

If you have been having trouble with black African beetle larvae in your lawns or garden over the summer months, now is an ideal time to apply a late-season control treatment.

There can still be both adult beetles and larvae active in the ground, and a late treatment now should put you in a good position for next summer.

Do not forget though to do an early September preventative treatment to stop re-infestation next summer.

During summer, we tend to put a lot more wear and tear on our lawns; this combined with the heat of the sun can cause the soil in the root zone to become quite compacted.

These conditions are not ideal for turf growth; however, if you aerate the lawn, it will improve the soil structure.

This can be done with an aerator or just by pushing a garden fork into the lawn and giving it a wiggle to create fractures in the soil.

Doing this to the soil will allow better root growth, water penetration and oxygen into the soil.

Warm-season grasses such as couch, buffalo and kikuyu will be going dormant soon, so an autumn feed will extend your lawn’s green colouring into the colder weather.

It will also help with the recovery of both cool and warm-season grasses from the stress they endured over the summer by supplying the essential nutrients required to encourage strong, healthy growth.

Feeding your gardens beds as well will help make the most of this good season for growth.

A general feed over the whole garden with a good organic base fertiliser like Blood and Bone, Rapid Raiser or Bounce Back, rather than a liquid fertiliser, will not only supply the nutrients required, but also help improve the soil structure and health.

Liquid fertilisers certainly have their place as a supplementary feed, but I would use it as just that, an additional pick-me-up for the plants.

When feeding at this time of year, be mindful of any frost-tender plants you might have in your garden. We do not want to be encouraging too much soft new growth just now.

Even though frosts are probably still a few weeks away, we should be starting to prepare for them now.

Don’t wait until after the first frost to start thinking about spraying Envy on your frost-sensitive plants or to have the frost clothes ready to throw over them.

As I said the other week, now is the time to be planting up your winter/spring colour flowers and veggies.

Most varieties of these are now available in the Garden Centre, so don’t leave it to late, they like to get a move on while there is warmth in the ground, so they get a chance to establish before winter kicks in.

Finally, March is when you should be sorting out your bare-rooted plant orders.

Secure your plants now before the stock arrives in June.

Because once they are here, things can run out quickly at times.

Then it is another 12 months before they are available again as bare-rooted stock.