Summary: June for northern gardeners means plant growth is in high gear. Plants are pushing roots and soil for all they have. Now is the time give plants all they can handle with moisture, fertilizer materials and soil cultivation.
Plant growth is now in high gear, green leaves are taxing roots and soil for all they can give. This is the time to supply all possible aid to plants through added moisture, fertilizer materials and soil cultivation. The depth of cultivation must be adjusted to suit the soil and plants. Cultivation is not needed around shrubs or evergreens, particularly the broadleaved kinds. But fruits, vegetables and flowers benefit, especially those in young stages of growth.
Heavy soils require deeper cultivation than light soils. The latter need but an inch but heavy soils need up to 3 inches, depending on the crop. Cultivation is especially beneficial after a rain or watering to prevent compaction of the surface, for roots need air for proper development.
A cover (mulch) put on between widely spaced rows, or around individual plants not only conserves moisture and keeps down weeds but also adds to the humus supply. Grass, hay, weeds and old leaves are useful and rot down readily. Peat, sawdust, and similar materials rot down more slowly. Before these are spread, apply a dressing of fertilizer at the rate of two pounds per 100 square feet and work this into the surface. The mulch can vary from 1 inch deep for peat, to 6 inches for grass or weeds.
The Coldframe
Most of the outdoor plants from the coldframe should be set into the garden by the middle of the month so the frame can then be used for other things. It will be necessary to renew the soil before other plants or seeds are planted for there is danger of wilt or other diseases. Remove a few inches of soil and replace it with a mixture of topsoil, sand and some humus.
This mixture would be suitable for seeds of perennials, rock garden plants, annuals, or late vegetables like cabbage, kale and celery. The best perennials for flowering next year are obtained from June sowings.
If you grow house plants, this is a favorable time to sow seeds of coleus, fibrous-rooted begonias and geraniums. Coleus have attractive leaf markings and are handsome plants.
If you plan to take cuttings, cover the soil now in the frame with 3 inches of sand. Geranium cuttings for winter flowering are made now.
Cuttings of lilac and clematis are also rooted in June. They are made from the young soft shoots of spring growth. Considerable moisture is needed to prevent wilting of the cuttings.
Keep the glass shaded and tilt the sash to give a little air, but not too much or the cuttings will dry out. Maximum moisture is needed. Rooting should be complete in three weeks.
Soluble Fertilizer
Any fertilizer is useless without the necessary moisture to convey it to the roots. It can only be absorbed by roots in liquid form. The highly concentrated fertilizers applied as liquids are instantly used. The danger lies in giving too much. Small doses given at weekly intervals are more valuable to growth than strong doses applied less frequently. In the latter case much is wasted, top heavy growth may be forced at the expense of roots or fruits. Generally, for young plants one tablespoon to one gallon of water every ten days is enough. This will cover a 20- to 25-foot row of plants set about 1 foot apart. The fertilizer can be poured over the leaves. Some will stick and be absorbed by them, but most of it will he taken up by the roots. For larger plants like raspberry bushes, roses and similar shrubby plants, double the quantity and spread it over 15 feet. The more leaves a plant has the more fertilizer will be absorbed and the less danger there will be of injury.
Dry Fertilizer
Soluble fertilizers should not rule out the use of dry fertilizers. These are valuable just as the dried organic fertilizers are. Side dressings of a fertilizer like 5-10-5, applied in a narrow band on each side of a row of plants or around individual ones, is more slowly absorbed than a soluble fertilizer but the effect is more lasting and the cost is less. For side dressing, one pound will give a 6-inchwide band on each side of a 25- to 30-foot row of vegetables or flowers. Applied around individual plants like corn, tomatoes, cabbage or widely spaced flowers like zinnias, the same amount will cover 20 feet depending on the size of the plants. Large plants will take one-third more than very young plants.
Keep fertilizers 6 inches from plants. Full benefit of the fertilizer is obtained by mixing it with the surface soil which should be moist. Water it in well afterwards. The frequency of application of dry fertilizer depends upon the plants. Vegetables and flowers require fertilizer every two weeks, roses every three weeks and the more slow growing shrub material about twice in the season. With shrubs I find that if 5-10-5 is mixed three times its quantity with dried cattle manure and applied twice during the growing season, there is a better carryover and a more even growth.
Pests and Preventatives
Insecticides and fungicides each have a duty to perform. Perhaps timing is even more important than the material used. Most insects are easily killed during certain stages, usually the larval stage, or when they are hatched out and have just begun to feed. Borer insects, hatched on the outside of the plant are vulnerable before they enter the plant.
Fungicides are used to control plant diseases such as black spot and mildew. Most of these are troublesome in moist rather than dry weather. A period of rain or fog can ruin a rose garden in a short time unless preventive measures are used. Fungus spores start on the leaf surface and after penetration, which occurs within a few hours, reinfection is set up. A good fungicide applied before a rain is worth 20 put on several days later.
So many and varied are the materials available that the gardener must obey one rule. Read the label. Follow directions carefully as to quantity and time of application. Systematic, weekly applications give the best results.
Dahlias
Over most of our northern area, June is the accepted time for planting dahlias either from young plants raised from seeds or cuttings or from roots. The latter should be divided before planting. Setting out a whole chimp does not give the best flowers. One or two roots with about two buds or eyes give the best results. But dahlias like a well prepared soil enriched with manure or compost and not too much fertilizer until the plants have made a good start. Active chemical fertilizers in any quantity near roots may cause damage and most of it would he wasted anyway.
The heat of midsummer is not favor-aide to good dahlia development. These plants make their best growth in late sununer and early autumn. But moisture is essential during the hot weather. Use good firm roots with plump eyes and set them 6 incites deep. Cover with a few inches of soil and gradually fill in the rest as growth develops. If large types are used, set a stake at planting time. The roots will he injured if this is inserted later. Three-foot spacing is best for all except the small pompons and singles; give these 2 feet. When the shoots of the large types have made several leaves, pinch out the growing tip. This will induce branching.
