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Spraying Don'ts: Rhododendrons

RHODODENDRONS. Rhododendrons, other broad-leaved evergreens, and conifers should be thoroughly watered during the late fall and never be allowed to freeze for the winter in a dry condition. This is more often the cause of winter-killing than is severe cold. The reason why these plants are more susceptible to injury on this account is because they hold their leaves during the winter months and thus transpiration continues to some degree, and if the plant is not well filled with moisture, a drying-out process occurs and the plant is devitalized. Because of the mass of fine, hairlike roots which find their way through the earth near the surface of the ground, rhododendrons can- MAINTENANCE not endure any considerable dry period or any cultivation of the surface of the ground, in the same manner as that adopted in caring for deciduous shrubs and the deeper-rooted evergreens.

RHODODENDRONS, FERTILIZER FOR. Rhododendrons and other ericaceous plants should not be fertilized with manure until well established. In the late fall after the rhododendrons have been established one year they may be fertilized by the application of a twoinch layer of well-rotted stable manure over the top of the mulch. This should be repeated each year. Chemical fertilizers are seldom or never used on ericaceous plants. Bone meal should never be used as its bone phosphate of lime is sure to react upon the soil acidity so essential to the successful culture of rhododendrons and allied plants. The use of bone meal has been known to be fatal to these plants. Epsom salt has been recommended as a fertilizer for rhododendrons, but this is probably a mistake and in any event a doubtful procedure because of the chemical nature of this material. As epsom salt is magnesium sulphate and has been used in England to top-dress clover as a substitute for lime, it probably would react in the soil similar to lime and would be injurious to all ericaceous plants. EVERGREENS. The greatest problem in the maintenance of evergreens is that of keeping them in a healthy and vigorous condition of growth. There are certain locations where it is essential to use evergreens in order to produce a desired effect. Oftentimes these locations are surrounded by a city environment with a dust-laden and smoky atmosphere which is one of the more injurious factors in the growing of evergreens. If such plants are to be maintained in a healthy condition they should never be watered on the leaves during the heat of the day when the sun is shining. They should, however, be sprayed with a strong force of water at intervals not less often than once each week in order to wash from the surface of the leaves the accumulated dust which if left causes a devitalized condition of the entire plant.

VINES. Vines require but little attention. Wood should be cut back severely in the spring on vines with ornamental fruit. Remove old canes and check any growth that becomes too rank. Shoots that are too long or spoil the general effect should be cut. All climbers must be furnished with some kind of support and care should be taken to fasten loose ends.

Usually vines are planted close to foundations. It must be remembered that most foundations are carefully provided with a line of drainage on the outside of the wall in order to readily care for any surface water that seeps into the soil and then later seeps through the wall if not promptly carried away. For this reason, probably, vines require more attention than most other plants in order to keep them supplied with a quantity of water necessary to their normal development. They should also be very frequently fertilized, preferably with bone meal or well-rotted manure. Well-rotted cow manure is an ideal fertilizer for most vines.

LAWNS-FERTILIZING. The maintenance of lawns consists of fertilizing, rolling, watering, and mowing in order to keep the turf in such condition that few if any weeds will have an opportunity to flourish. Fertilizing of a lawn is perhaps one of the most important items of its maintenance, for the reason that few lawns are so well prepared when first made that they do not begin to need additional food material during the second or third year after making. It is difficult to convince those who are developing lawns for the first time that money expended in the proper preparation and fertilization of a good depth of topsoil will do away with the subsequent annual expense necessary to keep a lawn, not correctly prepared when originally made, in the best condition. A good turf requires food in the form of fertilizer, and this food supply must either be provided at the time the lawn is made or it must be constantly applied from year to year afterward (See Page 53). Much thought, labour, and money are wasted in putting a mulch on lawns, only to come back later and cast it away again. It may be wise to mulch a lawn in the fall, but there is more than an even chance that if the area is covered with fresh manure, weeds will be introduced and this will more than offset any real value derived from the mulch. The use of manure as a top-dressing for lawns should be discouraged unless used in the form of a completely decomposed compost. A thick coat of manure is apt to stifle the grass. Lawns should never be mulched with manure during the spring unless with thoroughly rotted manure applied not later than early March. All mulching or top-dressing should be done preferably in the fall so that the weed seeds are killed to a great extent during the winter. It is practically MAINTENANCE useless to apply the manure on frozen ground, for an ensuing rain or melting of the snow may dissolve and carry away either in solution or suspension most of the fertilizing ingredients.

If a lawn is not mowed too late in the season and is not cleaned too completely of the mowed grass, it will generally provide its own mulch for the winter very satisfactorily.