Clinton's Jobs

March

It was great to see that rain does still fall from the sky. February brought some decent rainfall and relief to plants and their owners. I hope those of you who have water tanks now see them at capacity and are more comfortable with your watering options. The rain coupled with the high humidity in February certainly made for a great environment for Figs. Those of you who defoliated your Figs late would’ve seen a quicker response than otherwise. Current conditions will keep Figs in good vigour for awhile. Maintain your tip pruning and certainly if you dislike aerial roots which can quickly form in these conditions then don’t hesitate to remove them. Predictions are that we will see more regular rainfall this year. I hope they are on the money as I think plant lovers have endured enough pain and heartache.

Well we are officially in the first month of Autumn. However we really shouldn’t be seeing any colour yet on our trees. The main reason you may see some plants develop Autumn colour early, is that the plant has run out of vigour for the season. Trees that are pot bound or even trees that missed re potting the previous season will have a shorter growing season. Going into early Autumn colour won’t do the tree any harm but you have definitely had a reduced development period on that particular tree for the season.

Trees with Autumn colour can make some truly stunning images. If you don’t have a lot of trees that produce Autumn colour then you might want to consider adding some of the following to your collection. Maples, Liquidambars, Miniature Virginia Creeper, American Hornbeam, Pin Oak, Manchurian Pear, Sapium, Chinese Pistachio, Nyssa, Chinese Quince, Zelkova, Gingko and many more!

The milder months of March and April provides us with an opportunity to do some re potting. Plants under consideration are Australian Natives, Conifers and other general evergreen plants. Tropical evergreen plants such as Figs, Murrayas, Gardenias etc. should be re-potted during the warmer months. Re potting of Pyracanthas and Cotoneasters is best left until after their berries have past their peak in late April. Another option is just to wait till late August/early September.

It is very important to really maintain your fertilising of your plants throughout Autumn. Plants are looking to store plenty of energy at this point of time and you can assist them with this by giving them regular nutrient uptake. Elms which commonly have some die back coming out of the Winter can have that reduced if they don’t go into Winter under nourished. Winter flowering plants should have fertilisers with higher levels of Phosphorus and Potassium applied to them to aid the abundance and quality of flowers on these particular plants.

Pomegranates have been in flower and will be producing the very attractive fruit soon. Keep an eye on fruit that develops on small or weak branches as the fruit could weigh the branches down to a point where it will snap off. If any of your fruit bearing trees produce excessive amounts of fruit it may be an idea to thin out some of it so it doesn’t take too much energy out of the tree. And it’s a good idea to remove all the fruit on the plant after it has reached its peak.

Finally, If you are looking at putting some deciduous trees into a forest, during Autumn is an ideal time to select your specimens. A lot of deciduous trees we use for forest plantings such as Maples, Liquidambars etc. are seed grown, thus you will get seedling variations. One variation you will always get in deciduous trees is the type amount of colour of foliage each tree produces in Autumn. So hunt around for the look you want and have them ready for planting in Winter.

Clinton Nesci         (Ray Nesci Bonsai Nursary)