September 2010
"Spring has sprung the grass is ris, I wonder where the birdies is" (by that busy poet anonymous)
If your Paw Paws, Strawberries and fruit in general have brown spots on them it could be a fungal disease. Spray with Copper Oxychloride as the fruit first emerges.
Citrus Scab will cause scabby, wart-like growth to appear on the skin of the fruit. Although the fruit is usually ok to eat it looks rather unsightly. Again Copper Oxychloride is the one to use.
We're coming up to Azalea Lace Bug season. The very small insects will slowly cause the leaves to go a light silvery colour as they suck the nutrients out of the plant. Most insecticides will kill the little nasties such as Confidor or Carbaryl. Make sure to spray underneath the leaf especially as that is usually where they hide out. Dose the plant with a liquid fertiliser a week after spraying.
It's a great time to fertilise the lawn again with a good quality slow release lawn food. Water it in or try to do it just before some rain.
Keep plants staked for at least a year after planting. This will ensure they grow straight and will help minimise root shifting and disturbance due to the wind.
Seaweed fertiliser is great to help stimulate root development and increases a plant's resistance to heat, drought, frost, pests and diseases. While it contains some trace elements it is not a complete fertiliser and therefore should be used in conjunction with other fertilisers.
Happy Gardening!......Eliot Holzworth