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Daltons answers your gardening questions. Plus, your chance to win!
Send us your gardening question and be in the draw to win! Each month Daltons will answer one of your questions, which we’ll feature here. Email your question to the address below (make sure you mention which area of the country you live in – it might be important to the answer – and if necessary include a photo) and be in the draw to win a prize pack.
Last month’s winners were: Kerry Quested and Jenny Rafferty. See Kerry’s question and answer, below.
DECEMBER 2015
This month’s prize: 1 x Daltons Premium Tomato Pack
Tomatoes are delicious straight out of the garden, and there are numerous varieties available to suit your tastes and garden, from miniature cherry tomatoes to large eating varieties. For plump juicy tomatoes, water plants well and feed them regularly with Daltons incredible edible® Tomato fertiliser.
We have 1 x Daltons Premium Tomato Prize Pack to give away. This pack has everything you need to grow tasty tomatoes and is valued at over $80. It contains 2 x Daltons incredible edibles® Tomato Mix, 1 x incredible edibles® grow bag, and 1 x Daltons incredible edibles® Tomato Fertiliser PLUS a pair of comfortable, versatile Red Back garden gloves from Omni Products.
To be in to win, EMAIL YOUR GARDENING QUESTION and glove size to: sweetliving@daltons.co.nz and put Daltons Premium Tomato Pack in the subject heading. Entries must be received by end of day Friday 13 December 2015.
Q. After tulips and daffodils have flowered, are you supposed to leave them in the ground or remove them? I have heard various theories on this. Kerry Quested, Christchurch
A. The preferred option for maintaining tulips and daffodils in your Christchurch garden is to leave them in the soil rather than lifting and storing the bulbs.
However, it is important that you let the leaves of the bulbs die down completely. They should be brown and desiccated before you remove them. The reason for this is that the leaves absorb the nutrients which will give the bulb the ability to flower the following season and it applies to all bulbs. The leaves will change colour; from green to a yellowing brown colour and finally brown which means they have died off completely. At this stage the dead leaves can be removed.
To ensure you do not damage the bulbs in the ground, clearly mark where they are located, so that you can safely plant summer annuals or summer flowering perennials in close proximity to your bulbs.
After a number of years, it would be worthwhile to lift the bulbs. Divide them and then replant and that will ensure the continuation of strong growing and flowering bulbs.
It is also worth side dressing the bulbs during the summer months with Daltons Premium Bulb Fertiliser along with some compost. Adding compost is especially important if your soil is on the heavy side.
For more help, read our How to Grow Bulbs Guide at www.daltons.co.nz/home-gardening/how-to-guides.
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