| August Culture Notes..... For the Wairarapa region (New Zealand) |
| In General..... |
| CULTURE CORNER |
| At this time of year you will probably had some of your early flowering plants nearing the end of their flowering while others are yet to start. Unless you are displaying your plants, it’s a good idea to cut the flower stem off once the last of the buds has opened, & pop it in a vase to enjoy, this allows the plant to get on with the necessary growth required to produce next years flowers. Lack of sunshine combined with cold damp conditions makes it ideal for White Scale & Brown Rot. The White Scale it will be hiding on the under side of leaves & they will spread quite rapidly from there. If you do find them, a spray with All seasons Oil at winter strength is best solution, unless the plants have flower spikes, in which case the best thing to do is to wipe the affected areas with the mixture, so as not to burn the buds & flowers. Keep the snail pellets out as slugs or snails can ruin a spike over night. Also keep an eye out for Aphids, as they will head for any new buds, a weekly sprinkle of Rose Dust will help to keep them at bay. CYMBIDIUMS, repot any of these as they as they finish flowering & any that aren’t going to flower this season can also be done from now on. Be sure to remove any decaying roots & leaf husks before potting on into pots that will allow for about two years growth. Your bark should be soaked for a few days before use, as unsoaked bark will only allow the water to run right through the pot & be of little value to your plant at all. The damp mix also holds enough moisture to get the plant through a period of about four weeks that is required for the roots to heal, before you start your regular watering & feeding programme again. If any of your cymbidium have suffered a bit of frost burn don’t panic, as the leaves will eventually bleach whitish on the burnt areas, leave them until you see how far back the damage will be, then cut the leaves back to where they are green. If they are frosted all the way down, just split the leaf down the main rib & pull outwards, this takes them off at the base. CATTLEYAS new growths will start to move soon on the autumn & early winter flowering ones, so these can be repotted as they start to move. Remove any old withered growths & dead roots, then pot back into a pot just large enough to accommodate the roots & the new growths, keeping the new growth back from the edge so that the roots go down into the mix, not out over the edge of the pot. When removing old spikes apply Sulphur or Cinnamon to the cut to help dry it out, & thus help to prevent rot setting in. AUSTRALIAN type Dendrobiums will be beginning to put out few flower spikes now, so a potash feed withr every third or fourth watering will keep them growing strongly. Keep them in plenty of light. Don’t use any oil type sprays now, as it will only damage your flowers. Water early in the day so the plants dry to avoid frosts to damage to your plants. Watch that these plants don’t dry out completely or the developing flowers are likely to wither. Early NOBILE type Dendrobiums should be starting to show swelling buds now, but still don’t water or feed. Only a sparing mist spraying is required, to avoid nodes from turning into keikis. PHALAENOPSIS use slightly tepid water when watering & feeding, so as not to shock your plant, which is in a warm position. Making sure that no water rests in the crown of the leaves, as this will set up rot over night. still need to be keep above 12 oC to avoid bud drop. PAPHIOPEDILUMS & ONCIDIUMS will don’t need any fertiliser during the cold weather. Watering will also need to be watched to ensure plants don’t remain sodden. RAFTS still need a regular misting, but due to the air humidity at present they probably only need it once a week. Watering should be done early in the day so the moisture has time to dry off roots & leaves so they won’t get frozen in the frosty night air. Air movement is important, not only to keep the air fresh around your plants but also to help prevent frost from settling. |