Jobs to do in January from the November 2000 Newsletter
- Check that watering systems are functioning efficiently. Replace washers in leaking taps; remove dead ants from sprinkler heads; reposition risers that may have blown over or been dislodged by animals; adjust drippers to increase flow rate if necessary. lf you have got a timer on your tap a recent survey conducted by Don Burke revealed that up to 80 per cent of flow rate is lost by using some brands of timer. You can test your timer’s performance by timing the length it takes to fill a bucket with the timer and without.
- Avoid the temptation to cut lawns shorter so you don’t have to do them so often. It’s better to raise the blades and mow more frequently to prevent scalping and scorching.
- Look for red spider on azaleas and spray with Confidor if necessary.
- Weeding is good for whittling away the Christmas kilos.
- Pick vegetables when they are young and tender to enjoy maximum vitamin and nutritional benefits. As crops finish toss them onto the compost heap and add any type of manure you can get your hands on. Keep the heap well watered to promote rapid decomposition. Your efforts now will pay off in the autumn when you have an abundance of, super-rich compost in which to plant your spring seedlings.