Newspaper dishes out gardening tips

Newspaper dishes out gardening tips

» 21st June 2010 «

Gardening enthusiasts have been given a number of tips on how to get the best out of their green space.

The Sunday Mail recently answered a number of growers' questions on a variety of topics, including tomato plants, catmint and Iris.

It suggested that tomato plants be grafted onto a rootstock, which helps resist some fungal root diseases and eelworm.

Meanwhile, those wishing to prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes should ensure that the compost never gets too dry, as this can strip away the calcium and make the specimen more susceptible to disease.

Those looking to grow catmint or Nepeta x faassenii can propagate them by inserting the soft tips of shoots around the edge of a pot of seed compost.

They should be well hydrated, covered with a polythene bag and kept out of direct sunlight.

If your bearded Iris is looking healthy but has no flowers, it may be that it has been planted too deeply so that the fleshy rhizome cannot get the sunlight it needs to produce a bloom.

Meanwhile, the Royal Horticultural Society recently warned gardeners to beware of a large Asian beetle which could be a threat to trees and shrubs in the UK.

Posted by Martin Corby