Gardening in July

As winter sets in it’s a good idea to climb into the garden and spend some time pruning and planting. The experts at Starke Ayres have some professional advice to get you on your way.

Prune roses and seal larger cuts with Steriseal, spray the plants and the surrounding soil with Lime Sulphur to kill fungal spores. It is also the time to prune Hydrangeas and deciduous fruit trees. With Lime Sulphur you cannot use an old product as it is ineffective, purchase a fresh bottle each season and mix if applied in winter at 1:10 ratio to water.

Cymbidiums and other orchid varieties is starting to make their appearance and there is a wide variety to choose from. Use specically formulated food for orchids. Concentrated fertiliser blends that suit the mineral requirements for growing and flowering orchids include Starke Ayres Growing Orchids and Starke Ayres Flowering Orchids.

Do not forget to add some winter-flowering Aloes to your garden. The best time to shop for them is now when they are in flower and they attract birds to your garden. Feed your indigenous garden with Just Organics Kraalmanure pellets or Atlantic Fertiliser All purpose (Endorsed by Kirstenbosch).

Revitalise your garden beds by adding some compost and an organic fertiliser releasing nutrients slowly back into the soil enhancing the microbial activity essential for healthy plant growth. Plant, beetoot, cabbages, leeks, parsley and swiss chard with Starke Ayres Sterilized Bonemeal, Golddust and water retaining agents such as Palm peat or Stockosorb. Other veg seeds to be planted in July include broad beans, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas and radish.

Azaleas and Camellias are coming into bloom now and need to be fed with Starke Ayres Hydrangea Food. An application of Starke Ayres Acid Loving Plant Food is essential annually to maintain the desired ph for optimal growth. This treatment should be applied in Spring and before Winter, annually to all Azaleas, Camelias, Gardenias and Hydrangea flower beds. Both are water soluble powders and very easy to apply.

Solution for your lawn – Lawntyl is a revolutionary 2 in 1 herbicide. It contains both pre and post emergence qualities that will kill visible weeds and control all dormant seed now germinating for approximately 3 months. It is important to apply it now if you want to beat the germinating of weeds.

The snail season is around the corner – protect newly planted seedlings by sprinkling some Organic Ferramol, safe for your pets or Kombat Snail bait in close proximity to new as well as established plantings. Spray walls with liquid Snailo to protect your garden even further against the attack of snails.

Starke Ayres Garden Centre West Coast Village
13 July 2017 (09:00) INTERMEDIATE GARDENING COURSE
29 July 2017 (10:00) PRUNING DEMO