#35 - Jan 2019 - Garden Stuff - © Sandy Lang - slang@xtra.co.nz
WATER December/January: Early/midsummer. Hot, windy, dry. You go off on holiday. Your pot plants die and your garden withers…
Pot-plant watering: In summer, the water in a plant pot is enough for only one or two days. More, if the plant is out of the sun and the potting mix is fresh. Less in sunlight and if the potting mix is old. Indoor watering systems are tricky. Neighbours are unreliable. What to do? Aim to greatly reduce plant water use, so the pot water lasts much longer... Three things increase water use: •Low humidity •High light •Draughts...
So, crowd your pot plants in a small, south-facing room and close the door and windows. Crowding raises the humidity. A south window gives some light (needed) but not direct sunlight. Closed door/windows minimise draughts.
Place open bowls of water round about to raise humidity. If you’re using the bathroom, don’t part-fill the bath. Plugs leak and taps drip. If the plug leaks, the bath will empty in a day. A drippy tap and a non-leaky plug will flood the floor in a few days.
Four tips: (1) Roots die if left under water.
(2) High humidity encourages aphids, so zap any lurking aphids by spraying with 2% dishwashing liquid in water.
(3) To water pot plants very well, sit them in the bath with the water to the soil surface for an hour. Then pull the plug and let them drain.
(4) If you have only a few pot plants, put a plastic bag over each and seal the bag round the pot with a rubber band. Hey presto. High humidity, no draught, diffuse light. Your pot plant will last for weeks…!
Garden irrigation: Install automatic irrigation. Pretty cheap and easy these days.
How often? On our sandy soils, water little and often. Try one hour every two days. A heavy watering goes below the roots where plants can’t get it (wasteful).
Time of day? Best to water about dawn. Evening watering means wet leaves overnight (encourages disease). Daytime watering wastes water (evaporation).
Tree chip mulch: There’s a lot of free tree chip mulch just now - just south of the bus barns www.mulchpile.org Spread it under trees to depress weed growth, to hold in the soil water and to keep the soil surface cool in day, warm at night.___________________________________
Pot-plant watering: In summer, the water in a plant pot is enough for only one or two days. More, if the plant is out of the sun and the potting mix is fresh. Less in sunlight and if the potting mix is old. Indoor watering systems are tricky. Neighbours are unreliable. What to do? Aim to greatly reduce plant water use, so the pot water lasts much longer... Three things increase water use: •Low humidity •High light •Draughts...
So, crowd your pot plants in a small, south-facing room and close the door and windows. Crowding raises the humidity. A south window gives some light (needed) but not direct sunlight. Closed door/windows minimise draughts.
Place open bowls of water round about to raise humidity. If you’re using the bathroom, don’t part-fill the bath. Plugs leak and taps drip. If the plug leaks, the bath will empty in a day. A drippy tap and a non-leaky plug will flood the floor in a few days.
Four tips: (1) Roots die if left under water.
(2) High humidity encourages aphids, so zap any lurking aphids by spraying with 2% dishwashing liquid in water.
(3) To water pot plants very well, sit them in the bath with the water to the soil surface for an hour. Then pull the plug and let them drain.
(4) If you have only a few pot plants, put a plastic bag over each and seal the bag round the pot with a rubber band. Hey presto. High humidity, no draught, diffuse light. Your pot plant will last for weeks…!
Garden irrigation: Install automatic irrigation. Pretty cheap and easy these days.
How often? On our sandy soils, water little and often. Try one hour every two days. A heavy watering goes below the roots where plants can’t get it (wasteful).
Time of day? Best to water about dawn. Evening watering means wet leaves overnight (encourages disease). Daytime watering wastes water (evaporation).
Tree chip mulch: There’s a lot of free tree chip mulch just now - just south of the bus barns www.mulchpile.org Spread it under trees to depress weed growth, to hold in the soil water and to keep the soil surface cool in day, warm at night.___________________________________