Essential spring gardening jobs to prepare for the next season | Gardening 101 | Gardening Australia

Costa gets ready for the season ahead by doing some essential spring garden jobs. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe

Great time to get into a few classic spring jobs:

CITRUS – check for pests and fertilise now:

PESTS:
– Leaf miners create squiggly lines
– Aphids are bright green and form clusters near new growing tips
– To treat: If not many squash or snip off occasional areas, or if more, spray with horticultural oil.
– Gall wasp – treat by either cutting a disposing of in the green bin, or try a vege peeler to expose the gall to air which may be enough to kill the gall.

FERTILISE:
– Trace elements should be fed to citrus, according to the directions (not too much) and water in well.
– Seaweed can be useful to apply in diluted form according to label.
– Mulch trees before summer to conserve soil moisture and reduce plant water stress.

LAWNS:
– Bindi weeds: Try a specialist weed hoop hoe or ‘pricking’ tool for a non-chemical method.
– Aerate: with a pitchfork to improve water infiltration and aeration.
– Compost spread over lawns in ill health or areas with depressions.

VEGE PATCH:
-Plant veges every few weeks to keep your supply going.
– Plant into well composted soil
– Leafy greens are a good spring addition, like lettuce, silverbeet and tatsoi are good for this time of year.

PLANTING POLLINATORS:
– Sunflower seeds – plant now into fertile well drained soil where you can water well. A large variety of seeds to choose from including short 40cm types that don’t shade and need less water than taller types.
– Marigolds, stocks and violets are all good pollinator plants.

HEAT PROTECTION
– Try shade cloth until seedlings get established or use pots so you can move plants into shade if needed.

Featured Plants:
CITRUS – Citrus cv.
TATSOI – Brassica rapa cv.
SUNFLOWER – Helianthus annuus ‘Dwarf Sunsation’
MARIGOLD – Tagetes erecta cv.
STOCK – Matthiola incana cv.
PANSY – Viola cv.

Featured Weed:
BINDII WEED – Soliva sessilis

Featured Pest:
APHID – Family Aphididae

Filmed on Dharug Country | Kenthurst, NSW
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