TODAY is the first day of spring and with spring we associate the stronger winds of the spring equinox.
It is important to protect newly planted trees from damaging winds, at least until they have time to get their roots out and have some hold on the ground.
Staking them in windy areas provides this protection.
Use solid stakes and tie with some soft tie, such as jute or a nylon-based one that is firm but will not cut into the tree.
Do a figure eight around the tree and put stakes on either side of the tree.
In particularly windy areas you may need to create a tree guard with something like hessian that will buffer the wind slightly, giving the plant precious time and protection to settle in to grow and develop its own roots and support in exposed areas.
It's feed time
Now is the time to feed most plants in the garden and in pots.
As they start to put on new growth with the warmer weather approaching, it is vital that they have the nutrients readily available to support development.
Use a complete fertiliser or specialist fertiliser and always apply at the recommended rate for the plants you are feeding and apply around the drip line of the plants. Water in well.
Never apply fertilisers at higher than the recommended rate, as more is not better and can lead to fertiliser burn and toxicity.
There are many specialist fertilisers available, such as rose food, fruit and citrus fertilisers, vegetable fertilisers. And if you grow a lot of a particular type of plant then having a specialist fertiliser should give you the exact nutrients that those plants require and give you the best results.
Liquid fertilisers are excellent for rapidly growing plants, such as vegetable greens, and are instantly available to allow uptake from the soil solution.
Trace elements, such as iron chelates, provide special nutrients that may be required in higher amounts by some plants, or for plants where trace elements are locked up in the soil and unavailable for them to extract, such as iron in a soil with a high pH.
Not all fertilisers are suitable for plants in the ground as well as potted plants, so read the instructions before you buy.
Re-pot and trim orchids
Re-pot cymbidium orchids (pictured above right) that have finished flowering.
Trim off the old flower stems and divide if necessary into portions with several healthy green bulbs and cut out any dead ones.
Pot into orchid potting mix in a container just large enough to hold the divisions and water in well.
Cut back the older leaves and feed with a liquid orchid food to encourage growth.
