HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-04-16, Page 47t. • . +P.:4
DECEMBER
Get indoor lighting units in use.
Loosely wrap pyramidal evergreens
with burlap or plastic netting. '
Carefully remove snow from shrubs
and spreading evergreens.
Reduce the watering and fertilizing of
indoor plants.
your been thumb to :$0160 e
lihrarY or a magazine stand, lectures and 40UrseS 'On Study Office,
iYa dsbnuweilalpflinogd information on. many hOrtieMtUral stibiectSp On-campus horticultural Subjects ranging'from, -For the busy of- distant courses available this year
to growing, enthusiast home study include: Herne Landscaping, houseplants or producing r courses may be :the answer, Turf Managers' Short your own mushrooms, ManY New innovations in Course, Or eenhoO 'daily and weekly educational technology now Management and Gardening newspaPers ,feature gar, allow the home student the with Conan ercial Fertilizer.,
dening columns that offer same educational 0P- The Horne 'Gardening series,
tips-.on insect, and disease portunitY as class students, featuring topics such as:
control, and *14; Water,,and---Many---uf--- -the"-independentH-T'Oses;--- taliM74770-runihg •
•
Constructing a leanto grc enhowe from a kit goes qrackly and
easily. Lord & Burnham photo.
Korticulture is such a
diverse field that there Is
something of interest .for
everyone.: There is alwaya
somethingnew to learn -neW
ways to do things, new plants
to produce, or, new en-
vironments to create. The
magnitude. of horticultural
subie cis, is as. endless as the
ation—seurcei-_ab out.
Ask a friend or neighbour,
Eiren an apartment dweller.
could be an expert, baffling
associates, by manipulating
the enYironniene, and.;
defying,' the elements to
• produce flowers, fruits and
vegetables..
1,,isten to the radio. There
are a number of gardening
specialists to keep you up7te-
date with weekly gardening.
tipS, Phone-in shows allow
immediate response to your:
gardening queStions.
Visit your community
fertilizer requirements. study packages include. an vegetables, arknOals and
One visit to the neigh- Illustrated text, film strips, perennials gardening under
bcrurhood garden . center, hand film strip, viewer arid . gardens, will
florist shbp, or nursery will instructor's commentary in be offered in evening and
ttulle i .ivari9tpy of t od uhcatrs-: audiomult cassettei.medi4 form, ,creativ eTbseelsfe, SaTtithrecisaey
programs
sessions. are of,
"tashyteoaNvuilai ;Sales staff are learning courses may also be fered through the Office of
trained to assist you with used for group leCtures., Continuing Education, plant selection and plant use. The University of Guelph University of Guelph, in co- Many gardening buffs. offers lectures and in- operation with the Ontario
benefit by attending, lec- dependent .study- packages Ministry of AgricultUre and
tures, or lecture series., designed for novice, and Food, For more information
Ontario horticultural professional horticulturists, regarding ongoing
societies, and continuing In addition to the creative programs, write.toithe Office
education programs offered self-learning kits, about 40 of Continuing Education,
by schools, colleges,'and courses are: available University of Guelph,
universities,' also feature through the Independent Chielpb, Ontario NIG 2W1.
Gi*enh014ses
popular hobby.
jANUARY,
• Inspect house plants for insects..
. Check g•lads,•and dahlias ...in storage .
forinsects.& diseases-,
Aveict -saltuse near plants.•
'Keep yourself intormed, — read
garden articles .& take advantage of
courses.
Plan garden renovations..
Order flower &.Vegetable Seeds.
FEBRUARY
Commence feeding house plants.
Bring ihdcrorS pots, bulbs for
.forct rig
Propagate indoor plants by stem
cuttings.
Place mail orders for nursery stoak
--Prepare seed flats and-eanterhers-tor---2-
sowing seed
Fly Bruce McBride,
F. Eng.
.Agricultural
Erigineer
Extension'
Brarich
Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture
and Food
The public is becoming
increasingly interested in
small , greenhouses as a
hobby and as a -means of
gardening year round. Many
gardeners are constructing
hobby greenhouses from
their Mr' plans, while others
purchase kits available from
suppliers.
Before one begins, local
climate conditions, warrant
careful investigation to
ensure structural adequacy
of the prOposed unit.
A good foundation is
essential to anchor the, small
greenhouse and prevent a
poilible tip-over during
windy weather. Either a
concrete or a' preSsure-
--L---trated post foundation must
be constructed to go below
the frost level. Some
greenhouse supPliers have
prefab cedar foundations
which extend 18 inches below I
ground level. •
Quonset-style greenhouses
are usually formed of
galvanized steep pipe hOops
covered with one or, two
layers of polyethylene. Self-
builders often 'erect the
greenhouse structural frame
from wood which, if painted
or treated, should give long
life to the greenhouse. Red
cedar and redwood are the
best woods to use for the
framework due to' their
natural weathering
resistance and their
resistance to shrinking and
warping-
When selecting .a
greenhouse cove ring, factors
such as percentage of light
transmission, thermal;
radiation transmittance, life
of the material and 'initial,
investment must be con-
sidered' and evaluated
collectively.
Polyethylene can be put on
the frame as a double layer
and air blown between ,the
layers to cut heat costs 30 to
40 percent as compared to a
single-layer poly-house. The
poly-house is easy to con-
struct, and is about 50 per-
cent of the cost of a glass
greenlrouse. Double
polyethylene transmits 81
percent of available light but
has the drawback of usually
lasting only one growing
season,
Glass greenhouses have a
high initial cost but have the -
highest life Hof any covering
material. Glass has a very
high light transmittance of
90 percent. Reinforeed —:
fiberglass panels have good
light transmittance, with
many panels having a
guaranteed life of 15 to 20
years. Other rigid . panels
available are acrylic glass
and PVC panels.
The disadvantage of a
small greenhouse is that it
heats up quickly when the
sun is out and also cools
quickly when the sun goes
behind a cloud. This
characteristic necessitates
the use of heaters and proper
ventilation.
Tile hobby greenhouse can
be C:brrsieucted free standing
or as a leari-to to an existing
structure.
APRIL
FertifiZelawns.
Remove mulch a little at 'a lair ;
Plant shrubs, trees, and Midges..
Prune roses
Apply preemerrjen•
control crabgrass.
Transplant biennials. violas pansiel,:.
foxglove, etc.
Repair lawn damage with topsoil and
seed.
Plant early vegetables such as peas,
radish and onions.
Sow seed of hardy annuals outdoors.
-Yourti .A00uat
GARDEN.
CALENDAR .
MAY
Construct lattice or wine supports
for wines . •
Transfer be-t1,1.ii4 lualr, i outdoor
.gold frame ti-r harden
r3hu-tr,4 traes tel I • di-pawls and
other , •
Control pest:, i..ith•safe 01011,-ir
Plant tender .1 fuvvers petunias.• etc.
Wafer early flowering plants •
Remove faded flowerheadS of tulips
and daffodils,
Prune shrubs and trees after flowering
Kill lawn weed,, with herbicides,.
MARCH'
Plant floWer and vegetable seeds
indoors.
Prune-fruit trees (and grap-e-Y-frres).
Start tuberous begonias in pots, ,
Check garden perennials and press
bar,k into place, if they heaved,
'Apply- frurt-tre'e-dunriant spray. • ,
Prune back shade trees, over grown
hedges and shrubs.
Check for rodent damage.
Prune summer flowering shrubs.
• •
JUNE •
Prune evergreen's and hedges.
Add grass clippings and garden
wastes to compost pile
,Jse rnuidies of • grass -clippings and •
,,ii.pcist on gardens to Conserve
moisture and control weed's_
Imgate lawns and gardens •
Thin out crowded annuals and
vegetables.
Stake talkgrowing perennials.
Pinch back chrysanthemums.
Remove faded rose blooms.
Mower maintenance JULY
Raise cutting height of mowerbfade.
Thin out and.cut back Old raspberry
canes.
Fertilize annuals and vegetables .
Shallow hoe gardens regularly
Pinch back annuals
Water gardens during dry spells
AUGUST
Prune climbing roses.
Apply mildew cont-ro-1 sprays
-1?tune birch and maple
.Order flowering bulbs •
Set out strawberry, runners if •
planting was nut started in early
spring
A well-maintained lawn
mower will help reduce the
frustrations and backaches
that can make mowing the
lawn a chore.
Ross Irwin, of the School of
Engineering, Ontario
Agricultural College, says
pre-season maintenance of
the lawn mower will help the
cutting season go smoothly.
To begin, clean the un-
derside of the mower to
remove stray bits of grass
and dirt. Use a putty knife,
screwdriver or wire brush.
If you didn't remember to
do it last fall, drain the
gasoline and oil from the
lawn mower and wash any
rust or sediment from the
tank.
When sharpening the
blades, don't try to file away
all the nicks. That un-
balances theb,lade. Using an
angle of 45 degrees, file or
grind the same amount of
metal from each side of the
blade. Don't grind the bot-
tom of the blades.
If the blades are bent or
damaged: replace them.
Don't try to straighten them.
Be sure the.bolt holding the
blade in place is tight, and
the lockplate is in place.
For maximum engine
effeciency, Mr. Irwin
suggests cleaning the air
filter by rinsing it in
detergent and water,
Replace when dry and re-oil.
The spark plug ,shoUld
replaced each year.
• Adjust the cutting height to
leave the grass a bit longer
in the spring. The cutting
height can be adjusted to
give the lawn a closer cut as
the season progresses,
SEPTEMBER ,
Prepare and seed new lawns.
Divide perennials.
Plant evergreens
Purchase flowering bulbs.
Last fertilizing of lawnS for the year.
Take cuttings of geraniums and
coleus
Air dry onions for storage.
Renovate perennial borders.
Harvest grapes after the first frost.
•
OCTOBER
Plant bulbs •
Transplant shrubs and trees
Dig and store dahlias. gladiolus.
tuberous begonias..
Plant arnaryllts'for ChristMas bloorns
Improve garden soils for next season
Gather leaves and add to compost
pile.
NOVEMBER
Plow vegetable gardens.
Soak soil around evergreens if ground
is dry. • ' •
• Plant fruit trees
Hill'up roses
Check supports for new planted
mtreuesh. ic
tender plants
Plant hyacinth, amaryllis. and other
bulbs for winter fOrcing
Protect trees and shrubs .from, mice
arid rabbits.
Clean garden storage areas and aft
tools,
Note. Timing may vary across Ontario.,