with Brownie
IT’S the end of another year, but there’s no rest for the wicked.
Here are some things to do around the garden in January – it’s a long list, so get cracking!
• Prune your flowering
shrubs, such as azalea,
gardenia, camellia, ixora,
bottlebrush, tibouchina,
brunsfelsia and grevillea.
• Tip prune poinsettia to
make them bush out and
produce more flowers this
winter.
• Make a note of frangipani
plants that you like the
flower’s colour of, so that
you can go back in winter
to take cuttings.
• Do not feed your garden
in very hot weather, as it
will place too much stress
on the root systems.
• Do not use chemical
sprays once temperature
reaches 28 degrees, or
you will burn your plants.
Best time is early evening,
once the sun has set.
• Spray hibiscus with
Confidor to prevent
hibiscus beetle from
damaging the flowers.
• Feed gardenias, azaleas
and vireyas each month
through summer with
pelletised manure and
water with organic liquid
feed such as seaweed or
liquid blood and bone.
• Trim runaway shoots on
wisteria, only up until late
February / March,
otherwise you’ll prune off
flower budwood.
• Roses will be looking
for nutrients about now
if they are going to have
a prolific flowering later
in the season. A good
fertiliser regime is to
apply an organically-
based fertiliser every six
to eight weeks from August
right through to March.
To keep roses in good
condition in subtropical
areas, prune in January
and February, not winter.
• Citrus trees need to be
fed this month with
a Citrus and Fruit Tree
Fertiliser at the rate of 125
grams per year of the
tree’s age. Citrus has
shallow roots, so never
dig the fertiliser in –
simply sprinkle it on top
and water it in.
• Scale are likely to be a
problem on citrus trees
at this time of year so
keep an eye out and, at
the first sign, spray with a
white or pest oil, applied
in the late afternoon or
early evening to prevent
leaf burn.
• Now is the time when
lawns will respond to
aeration and for those
gardeners who wish to work
off some of the excesses of
Christmas, going over it
with a fork will do the trick.
• Tomatoes are more
at risk now to problems
with diseases and pests,
especially the fruit
fly. Fruit fly and tomato
grub can be controlled
by chemical means, by
paper bagging the fruits
or by using a fine net over
the entire bush.
• Sweet corn is one
vegetable that can be
planted right through
until the end of February.
Remember always to
plant sweet corn in a
block rather than rows for
better pollination.
• Parsley plants may
just suddenly die. This
is normal, as they do fall
victim to summer heat
and humidity. Replant
with fresh seedlings.
• Pawpaw can be planted
now into a well drained
spot in full sun.
Established Pawpaws
need plenty of water
now. Fertilise with 20
grams of pelletised
manure per square metre.
Trees that are too tall can
be cut back now. Cut trees
1m from ground and
cover cut top with tin can.
• For low chill stone fruit,
apply dolomite and
gypsum now, at 200 grams
dolomite/gypsum per
square metre of drip line.
• Protect your mangoes
from marauding bats and
possums by covering each
with a cloth or paper
bag, or cover the tree with
netting.
• Feed your leafy green
vegetables a weekly
dose of a soluble nitrogen
fertiliser. Use a seaweed
tonic as a foliar spray to
keep them healthy.
• Control caterpillars with
Dipel; avoid planting
highly susceptible
vegetables at this time
of year, such as Chinese
cabbage or broccoli.
• Top up organic garden
mulches. Keep the layer
about 15cm thick.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all the GC&M News readers … good gardening to you all over the holiday season.
