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Monthly Meetings
Due to a little hiccup with publishing our winter/spring newsletter last year we omitted the monthly meetings section. We thought it might be better to compile a resume now, so the information given would be more relevant, appropriate to the impending growing season, so some of the helpful hints are fresh in our minds and can be implemented!
In January last year Peter Crowther, then manager of Womacks Garden Centre in Scarborough was our speaker. He concentrated on pests and diseases and the key points were:
Provado does work to help combat the vine weevil problem
Don't ignore first signs of problems
Use systemic sprays (these are absorbed into the plant and keep working for longer, unlike contact sprays which only kill the bugs they actually hit)
February was our own David Edmonds turn. As David also gallantly stood in when our September speaker cancelled a lot of his growing tips were contained in our last edition. Well worth looking through again, what better than following the advice of our champion grower! Topically for late winter early spring his main tips were:
Have window spic and span - good light triggers good sturdy growth
Ventilate freely and keep damp at bay to combat botrytis
Spray dormant plants in early morning with hot water to re-awaken
Keep greenhouse as dry as possible, water plants early morning only
Take the chill of the main water before using - you don't like your feet in cold water, so not surprisingly neither do fuchsias
When buying cuttings check stems carefully - should be green and sound, not brown
Ensure sufficient space around plants to have good air circulation
Insert labels in each pot to help to keep track of position when turning
Keep greenhouse neat, plants spaced out tidily in rows so it is easy to inspect them regularly. Avoid a jungle where diseases spread easily
Taking cuttings, ensure some roughage in compost to let air in
Wean cuttings, taken in closed propagator with bottom heat (6 in 3½" pot, 12 in ¼ tray), gradually off the heat.
Discard old plants that have lost their vigour
Dedicated show people are forever picking up their plants, hence they are inspected so often, that pests never get a chance to take a hold
Our guest speaker for March was Roy Walton from Walton Nurseries, Lymm, Warrington. He grows fuchsias on commercial scale and it was most interesting to hear how they built up their business. Some 'tricks of the trade' which we can apply to our more modest scale of growing were:
Select cutting material carefully, go for tips with same sized leaves, preferably in sets of three.
Use egg trays as cutting trays - "you get free eggs with them!"
Rooting powder is not needed for soft tip cuttings
Nursery plants can be moved straight from jiffy plugs into 4litre pots (the general public likes huge plants with loads of flowers)
Add 25% grit to rooting peat/potting compost for aeration
Chemicals don't keep, so buy in small quantities only
Use systemic sprays - "knock-down sprays are a waste of money!"
When spraying protect yourself, start at the back and walk towards the door and leave swiftly. Ditto for smoke cones, get out quickly.
Do bear in mind that you shouldn't believe everything you hear and follow it slavishly. Remember that if it isn't broken it doesn't need mending, if your way of growing works for you then stick with It!
However if all is not well it will undoubtedly pay off handsomely if you implemented some changes along the lines of the above advice. continued on next page
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