'Garden Column - September 2009'

 

Treat timber ready for the winter.

 

It is worthwhile whilst the weather is still decent to get some of those maintenance jobs out of the way before the threat of winter sets.

One job in particular to consider is to treat fence panels, decking and other wooden structures like sheds with a good quality wood preserve.

By doing this now - the treatment will soak into wood quickly and will prolong the life of your wooden structure.

Before you splash the treatment on first insure that it is structurally stable. If not - repair or replace.

Another tip is to make sure that you choose the right wood preserve for the job in hand.

There are various wood treatments available on the market and in array of many colours so you are no longer limited to brown in its various tints.

Check the tin for the uses. Most manufacturers will state what each type can and cannot be used for and follow the guidelines correctly.

Some are for use on smooth and planed timber as others will be for use for only rough timber.

If it is for a decking area then you’ll need to apply your selected covering then apply a special treatment to preserve and prolong the life of the deck.

Before treating - remove all algae, lichen & moss by spraying the timber with an algaecide like Vitax Finalsan Moss & Algae Killer then once the growth has died off scrub off using a hard brush or cheat and use a power washer. Once the timber is dry apply a rather liberal coat of preserve by starting at the top and making your way down as you do with all painting jobs.

Most preserves are water based and are usually non-harmful to plant life but it is still worth placing a polythene sheet over your plants to protect them from splashing.

 

Vine Weevils.

 

Vine Weevils can be annoying any time of the year but in the autumn this pest can really become a nuisance inside and outside the house.

The adults enter the house and slowly and surely they lay their eggs in all your prize plants without you even noticing and it isn’t until your plants suddenly start to look sick and start to collapse that it is all too late.

One way of combating this problem is to water all of your houseplants and non-edible plants with Bayer Provado - this will give you 6 months protection against these blighters.

They can also be great actors – if they are disturbed they play dead and thinking that you have done the deadly deed they fool some gardener’s into believing it leaving them to get up after you have moved on – if you notice one of these slow moving pests and they do that very thing then do the honest and respectable thing for all gardener’s up and down the country and use the good old fashioned organic method of placing the Vine Weevil onto block A and hit it with block B or do what I do – drop them into my terrapin tank and wait for that satisfying crunch!

 

Time to start the autumnal clean up.

 

The garden - if you haven’t already started should have its big tidy before the winter months.

Of course with having the trusty green bin system in place in our area is great but after one border and a fill of grass cuttings it soon can be overflowing and full.

So what do you do?

Well, all plant and rotatable debris should be placed onto the compost heap and all coarse wood and diseased material put into the incinerator.

Though if you possess a shredder - the coarser wood and clippings can be shredded down and then also placed onto the compost heap.

Incinerators come in various forms and are widely available – most common is the galvanised dustbin with flue lid & some people forget that they have one already in the form of a chiminea.

When lighting an incinerator make sure that the wind is in the right direction to carry the smoke away from you. If you live in a built up area fire up on a still day.

Add little and often so that your fire doesn’t get out of control.

Once finished – wait until the fire burns down and leave until the following morning and make sure that the fire is completely out – once cold pick out the charcoal and unburnt pieces and then spread the ashes onto the garden for a good source of potash for the coming year.     

 

Plant autumn onion sets.

 

Most gardeners will wait to plant their onion sets after Christmas but there are some which can be planted this time of the year so that the vegetable plot isn’t left like a barren wasteland over the winter months.

These, what some people would call Japanese Onions. These will produce an early crop of onions in mid spring.

Red onions also can be grown from sets at this time of year as well as crops of Garlic.

Planting now usually deters the onions from bolting.

Dig the soil over and incorporate some YHS Advance Soil Conditioner and before planting apply some Vitax Growmore granular plant food by raking it into the earth.

Push the sets gently into the earth - 15cm apart, with the tip just showing. Firm soil around each bulb and rows should be 25cm apart.