COMING IN 2007

Since I started this biweekly column seven months ago, I have been writing about a diverse range of topics to help you increase your gardening skills and knowledge. In 2007, I will continue to do so , covering such topics as plant propagation Orchid and Bonsai growing, vegetable gardening, attracting birds to your garden and establishing and maintaining a beautiful lawn.

This year, you can look forward to learning about various plant families such as aroids, ferns, cacti and succulents, heliconias and gingers.

You will meet some happy gardeners, visit their gardens and learn some of their secrets of successful gardening. Of course, I will also continue to offer advice on your garden problems, pass on garden news as I get it and give you as many garden tips as I can.

So, let’s look forward to a year of happy and successful gardening.

DRY SEASON TIPS

As the sun shifts to the southern hemisphere and the rain clouds move south of the equator, the dry season in Trinidad and Tobago sets in. In the next few months you can expect a monthly rainfall as low as 100mm, or even lower if there is a severe drought. This puts a heavy strain on gardening activity, which must now be focused on providing and preserving water.

Here are some of the things you can do to help your garden weather the drought:

Water Preservation: Unless you have a thick ground cover, you have to mulch the beds to minimize water loss by evaporation. You can use materials such as manure, compost, bagasse, dried bark or even wood chips as a mulch.

Even though its growth rate slows down in the dry season, continue cutting your lawn but not as frequently, especially if it is Savannah grass, Bearing in mind that the greater the surface area of leaf blade exposed the greater the loss of water by transpiration. Zoisa grass is relatively drought resistant because of its thin blades and long roots.

Woody plants do not lose water as readily as do soft stemmed plants, but leaf pruning and removal of soft, young shoots in times of severe drought is recommended.

Watering: It is better to give your plants a good soaking every few days than a surface wetting every day. The water has to infiltrate downwards to get to all the roots. Also wet the foliage when wetting the plants, using a fine spray to wash away aphids and white flies, which are prevalent in the dry season.

In case WASA institutes water restrictions again this year, you can attach a hose to your washing machine and direct the soapy water onto the lawn.

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If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt

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