Gardeners' Question Time
Gardeners' Question Time was today broadcast from Essex in North east London. The panellists were Bob Flowerdew, John Cushnie and Peter Seabrook.Yew (Taxus baccata) makes one of the most attractive hedges. The best way to propagate yew is by taking soft wood and/or semi-ripe cuttings. Take really big semi-ripe cuttings in August / September and dip them into rooting hormone before planting them in a pot of compost. Semi-ripe cuttings are the best way to propagate yew. The seeds of yew will germinate but semi-ripe cuttings guarantee a quicker and more robust plant. (John Cushnie & Peter Searbrook)
The best way to guarantee the quick germination of seeds is to place some well rotted farm yard manure (FYM) in the bottom of a large container, mix in a spoon or two of sulphur to get the FYM to heat up more. Cover the FYM with some compost or soil. Then place the smaller container with the seeds on top and in no time you will see the seeds germinating. (J.C)
Tomato & potato plants affected with blight can be put onto the compost heap. It is important to turn the heap to keep the heat going. When the compost is ready it is important to dig it into the soil - this will prevent any surviving spores from causing harm. Alternatively dig deep a trench (1 ft or more) in the soil and put the blighted plants into it, cover them with soil. This plant material will add moisture and compost to the soil. It is safe to compost all your plant material provided that you turn the heap and follow the rules for good composting. (J.C./ B.F./P.S)
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Labels: Yew; FYM; Rooting hormone; Blighted tomato/potato plants
posted by Thomas @ 11:31 pm
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