Durban - The past few months have been exceptionally dry ones. Last year we had good winter rains. However, this year the countryside is parched.
This is also reflected in our gardens which are very, very dry although flowering bougainvilleas and aloes are loving the conditions.
Plants do not have to be indigenous to be “waterwise”.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is one of the wettest provinces in South Africa and its indigenous plants actually require more water than, say, plants from certain areas of Australia, America, other parts of Africa and Madagascar.
Plants from the Western Cape need a wet winter and so need extra watering in our area.
Now is pruning time.
Many plants benefit from being pruned – it improves their shape and size, encourages new growth and promotes better flowering and fruiting.
Some plants, for example roses, bougainvillea and hydrangeas, flower off their old wood (last year’s growth) and pruning is beneficial and necessary.
Prune roses by about a third of their size. The idea is to shape the plant to allow maximum exposure to light and air to encourage flowering – an open vase shape is best. Cut out all weak branches – anything thinner than a pen will not make decent flowers.
Plant shoots have “apical dominance” which means they will shoot from just below the highest cut on the branch, so prune to an outward facing eye to encourage an open shape.
This rule applies to all plants, so remember it when cutting back hedges and even bonsai plants – you can easily “prune to shape”.
After pruning, it is a good idea to feed and spray your plants. Pruning encourages vigorous growth – the same root system is now feeding less branches so growth will be strong, and food will be required.
Apply a complete fertiliser such as 5:1:5 or 3:1:6 around the plants and water well. Roses should be sprayed now too, against fungus and insects such as scale and aphids.
I recommend using a mineral oil and broad spectrum insecticide – ask your nurseryman for advice. Pruning is easy and important, and well worth the effort. So get out and cut that hedge this weekend!
Lawns
When the rains come, your lawn will start to grow again.
Most lawns are looking rather dry at the moment so an application of water, lawn dressing and fertiliser will work wonders.
Lawn dressing is weed free and is used to “top dress” the lawn, so do not apply too heavily. A 30dm3 bag should do about 6m2.
Lawn dressing is a soil conditioner and will help to improve the soil’s structure, aeration and water holding capacity.
If your lawn area is bumpy and uneven, use a weed-free top soil or a potting mix to level it out.
Rather apply two or three light dressings a few weeks apart, so as not to stifle the lawn growing through. Fertiliser will add the food which your lawn needs as it starts to grow.
Trouble is, the weeds begin to grow quicker than the grass, so be ready with a weedkiller to apply as soon as the grass is growing well.
Do not be in a hurry to mow – rather let your grass grow a bit and spread. If your lawn is looking rather tired and patchy use a “wake-up” fertiliser like 2:3:2 or 2:3:4.
If your lawn is OK, you can go straight on to using a fertiliser with a higher first number (nitrogen) in the formula, such as 5:1:5 which is a balanced fertiliser, or 4:1:1, which is biased towards promoting green growth especially.
Remember water is the lifeblood of your lawn in early spring, so don’t rely solely on rain. Remember to mow long.
Citrus
Supermarkets are full of juicy South African-grown citrus fruit right now.
I bought a packet of a new variety of Navel orange called Cara Cara, which had red flesh and red juice with a slightly different sweet flavour and no pips. I am sure this will prove very popular.
You can easily grow your own citrus in KZN. Grapefruit need warm conditions and should only be grown on the coast, while kumquats, lemons and satsumas will grow well inland too.
I have seen lemons growing in the ’Berg. Citrus trees grow well in large tubs, and are ornamental as the flowers are very fragrant, and the fruit hangs on the tree for months. Often the flowers for next season’s crop appear before the current fruit is ripe, so there is constant fruiting.
The Mercury