Growing With You NZ - Winter Edition

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vegie care W HAT V E G I ES TO SOW & G R OW NOW

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Winter Lawn Care COOL SEASON LAWN TLC

CULTIVATING

inner peace with plants

Get Inspired » Confessions of an orchid addict » Growing capitvating cinerarias » Top stone fruit tips

MARVELLOUS MANDARINS

ROSES G R O W I N G W I T H Y O U - YA T E S

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HOW TO FEED YOUR

Our Indoor Plant babies are completely reliant on us for their nutrition. The nutrients in potting mix will only last a limited time, and after that the plants need regular feeding. Well-fed plants will have more lush and healthy leaves, and flowering plants will produce more blooms. Well-fed plants will also be more resistant to attack from pests and diseases.

The Yates® Thrive® Plant Food range has three different feeding solutions for Indoor Plants.

Pick the right solution depending on which plants and how many you have – and importantly how much time you have to take care of them!

OUT OF SIGHT, NO MESS. JUST PUSH, FEED & FORGET

EASY TO USE DRIPPER – NO MEASURING OR MIXING

A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY

Perfect for those who want up to 8 weeks feeding, and tailored by plant type.

Ideal for those who often forget to feed your plants, or if you’re going to be away from home.

Concentrated formulas that make up to 150L – ideal for those with many plants.

• Just insert spikes into the potting mix & water well

• Just snip the tip, insert into potting mix & water well

• Cost effective

• ‘Hidden’ slow release feeding for up to 8 weeks

• 4 week liquid plant food (tip = write the start date on the back of the dripper, so you know when to feed again)

Available in 3 types: Plants & Ferns, Cacti & Succulents, Orchids.

• No measuring, mixing or mess Available in 2 types: Indoor Plants & Ferns, Indoor Orchids.

• Feeds through leaves & roots for fast results • Feed fortnightly whilst plants are actively growing Available for 2 indoor plant types: Indoor Plants, Orchid.

Go to yates.co.nz for FREE Indoor Plant advice on LIVE CHAT. G R O W I N G W I T H Y O U - YA T E S

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letter

F R OM THE ED I TOR I love winter gardening. Things move at a delightfully slower pace and I can catch up on weeding, mulching and general garden tidying. It’s also a great opportunity to take time to plan for the coming seasons. Rugged up in woolly socks and a steaming cuppa in hand, I often find myself making lists of all the new plants I would like to include in our garden (there’s always room for one more fruit tree and flower bed right?) and sketching vegie bed rotation plans.

In our own winter vegie patch, there’s broccoli and cauliflower maturing, broad beans growing taller by the day, the daily pilgrimage to harvest delicious snow and sugarsnap peas, watching the garlic develop and picking handfuls of Asian greens like nutty flavoured tatsoi and tender baby spinach. We’re also treated to buckets of home grown oranges, mandarins and lemons during winter. We’re still enjoying tangy orange marmalade from last winter’s harvest so that’s definitely on the cooking list again this year.

As always, late winter will creep up on me! Before I know it, it will be time to start sowing punnets of tomato and basil seeds to pop on a sunny windowsill, ready to plant out once the weather warms up. And preparing our vegie bed soil for the delicious influx of spring vegies is another very satisfying late winter job. I don’t think I’m the only gardener who enjoys mixing shovelfuls of rich blood & bone into the soil, knowing that I’m doing the soil a world of good and feeding my earthworms and soil microorganisms. It’s the least I can do to thank them for all their hard work!

Although I wish the circumstances had been different, the massive increase in people interested in growing some of their own food during the coronavirus pandemic will hopefully be maintained, as people find they enjoy growing and eating their own fresh fruit and vegies. Even in the smallest spaces, we can begin to take some control over what we eat by growing it ourselves. It can all start with just one pot or patch of home grown salad greens or herbs. Just warning you though, it won’t stop there, as gardening can be wonderfully addictive.

Have a fabulous winter in your gardens,

Angie Thomas Editor, Horticultural Consultant to Yates

WHAT'S INSIDE

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Hear an avid orchid collector’s story & learn some insider orchid care tips.

Don’t hibernate during winter! Pop on your gardening gloves & tick some important winter jobs off your to-do list.

Be tempted by stunning roses and learn what rose care jobs are a must during winter.

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INTERVIEW WITH A SELF-CONFESSED ORCHID ADDICT

WINTER GARDENING ESSENTIALS

CARING FOR WINTER VEGIES How to promote a fabulous home grown winter harvest.

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MARVELLOUS MANDARINS AND WINTER CITRUS CARE Winter tips for growing your own vitamin packed citrus.

WINTER ROSE FEATURE

WHAT VEGIES TO SOW AND GROW IN WINTER IN YOUR AREA Keep the vegies coming!

There are lots of delicious vegies to sow & grow during winter.

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TOP STONE FRUIT TIPS How to prevent dreaded leaf curl in stone fruit and choosing a stone fruit tree for your backyard.

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It's time to give your lawn some cool season TLC.

How to grow one of the toughest indoor plants around.

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Bring fabulous floral colour into the depths of winter.

Look ahead to spring!

What flowers to sow and grow now for beautiful spring blooms.

Bring vibrant colour into your winter garden with cinerarias.

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Coordinating your interior colour scheme with indoor plants.

Handy winter gardening tips for around New Zealand.

KEEPING YOUR PANTRY PROTECTED FROM PESTS Watch out, cockroaches and rodents are about!

Tips for defending your pantry.

HEAVENLY HELLEBORES

CULTIVATING INNER PEACE

WINTER LAWN CARE

GROWING A CAST IRON PLANT

FLOWERS TO SOW & GROW IN YOUR AREA

GROWING CAPTIVATING CINERARIAS

GARDENING IN DIFFERENT CLIMATES

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INTERVIEW WITH A

SELF-CONFESSED

Orchid Addict One of the many fabulous things about gardeners is their willingness to share their knowledge. Yates’s Angie Thomas interviewed passionate and inspiring orchid collector ‘Dan the orchid nerd’, who explained his love for orchids and divulged some pearls of wisdom to help us all achieve orchid success!

When and how did your interest in orchids start?

How many orchids do you have?

I cannot remember a time in my life when I was not surrounded by orchids. My grandparents were avid orchid collectors as well as president and secretary of our local orchid club. I would spend weekends with them, learning about different orchids and their specific care. I was about 8 when I officially became a member of the orchid club with my sister. Over the following years, we attended shows, met other growers and our love for orchids grew with our ever increasing collection.

Not enough! There are around 28,000 accepted species across 763 unique genera in the Orchid family.

Photos cour In my collection I have around @the_orchi tesy of d_nerd 500 unique varieties, spanning 75 genera. A total collection of more than 4000 plants. Phalaenopsis species and hybrids make up the greatest portion of the collection. Every time I tick off a plant on my wish list, 2 more seem to take its place!

What is it about orchids that you love?

Orchids are one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants on the planet, so mastering their cultivation is a constant challenge, but it’s what got me hooked! When I was still in primary school, I was helping my grandparents set up for our Spring Orchid show. My job was to put out the class signs, identifying the different genera on exhibition. My grandmother followed behind me removing a handful of classes, one of which was the Phalaenopsis class. When I asked her why she removed them, her response was, "Nobody in our club grows these, they are quite fiddly and difficult to grow".

That was all the challenge I needed. By the next day, I had a little Phalaenopsis plant in my possession and so began the decade long journey of figuring out just of how to get them to grow!

Photos courtesyd

Where do you keep all your orchids?

The greatest majority of the collection is kept in three greenhouses. Each greenhouse is set up with a different climate and conditions suitable to the orchids housed within. The biggest greenhouse holds the most exotic and rare varieties. The climate in this house resembles a tropical rainforest, with artificial heat, high humidity and a plethora of ferns, aroids, monstera, philodendrons and hoyas engulfing the ground, walls and rafters, completing the rainforest vibe. It's filled to the brim with exotic Asian orchids like Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilums, a wide variety of Vandaceous orchids and Madagascan Angraecums. These orchids take the most care and expertise. When they flower, it’s something truly beautiful to behold.

@the_orchid_ner

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What is your favourite type of orchid?

Hands down, Phalaenopsis. It is the genus that really got me hooked on the care and cultivation of orchids, provided me with the biggest challenge and keeps me striving to grow ever more spectacular specimens. Phalaenopsis amabilis variegata from Malaysia is a particular favourite, with beautiful, simple pure white blooms and green and cream variegated leaves. When it’s not in flower, it still looks spectacular!

What are your best tips for growing Phalaenopsis?

In most places, Phalaenopsis make ideal indoor plants. They require high humidity and warmth to flourish, enjoying temperatures between 12° and 30°C, bright, indirect light and regular drinks of water, though greatly dislike being left wet. The second Phalaenopsis tip is to take it in the shower with you! As crazy as it seems, the bathroom is the one room in most homes that comes close to Photos courte resembling a Phalaenopsis natural @the_orchid_ sy of nerd environment. It’s often bright with diffused light and high levels of humidity when you have your daily shower. Grow it on the vanity, the edge of the bath or even on the shampoo holder in the shower itself. While you are belting out your favourite tunes in the shower, you can inspect your precious plant and enjoy its beauty!

As for watering, the key is to soak the plant, then let the mix drain. Do this regularly. It simulates the brief, daily rain these plants experience in the wild. Don't let the water sit in the crown of the plant as this can lead to rot.

When it comes to feeding, orchids love fertiliser!

Being epiphytes they have adapted to absorb as much nutrients from their surroundings as possible.

So, regular feeding with a liquid fertiliser will give you great results.

Many people think that when the flowers finish the plant will die, however Phalaenopsis flower more than once in their long life time. After the flowers finish, cut the flower spike off 2cm from the base, even if more buds are forming. Although it’s difficult to bring yourself to do this, it allows the plant to grow and build itself up again before it produces a new set of flowers the following year.

And Dan suggests that if you have ever admired an orchid in bloom, now is the best time to add one to your collection.

Indoor Orchid care made easy!

Orchids are an ever-popular indoor plant. Yates has made it easy to feed them with a range of indoor orchid fertilisers.

NO MESS FERTILISING Yates® Thrive® Plant Food Spikes Orchids are specially designed to feed orchids where they need it most, at the roots. Each plant food spike contains slow release nutrients that feeds orchids for up to 2 months. It’s easy to use and out of sight – simply insert into the potting mix and sit back and relax!

READY TO USE LIQUID FERTILISER Yates® Thrive® Liquid Plant Food Drippers are specially formulated to help easily feed indoor orchids.

Each dripper contains the right NPK balance to feed indoor orchids for 4 weeks. To use the dripper, simply snip off the tip of the dripper and insert into the orchid potting mix. They are perfect for those who want an easy and convenient way to feed orchids! Ideal for when indoor orchids need a quick boost feed!

You can find ‘Dan The Orchid Nerd’ on Instagram @the_orchid_nerd Yates and Thrive are registered trade marks of DuluxGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Winter

gardening essentials C R E AT E N E W P L A N T S Do you have a favourite deciduous shrub or vine growing in your garden that you would like to clone? Well, this winter, try your hand at taking some hardwood cuttings.

It’s easier than you think! Hardwood cuttings is the technical sounding term for taking pieces of stems from plants like hydrangeas, wisteria and grapevines during winter and encouraging them to grow their own roots.

Here’s a step by step guide to growing new plants from hardwood cuttings: » Choose leafless stems around 0.75–1cm thick and cut off 15–18cm long pieces. » The top cut should be just above a node (the bud where the new leaves develop) and the bottom cut just below a node.

Make a slanted cut at the top so you can remember which way is up. » Dip the bottom ends of the cuttings into Yates® Clonex® Red Rooting Hormone Gel. Clonex Red contains a concentrated plant hormone that helps promote root development as well as helping to seal and protect the cutting.

» Insert the dipped ends of the cuttings into pots filled with and keep moist in a cool, sheltered, well-lit position until they form roots in a few months time. » Once roots are well established and new foliage has grown, individual cuttings can be transplanted into small pots to grow until they are big enough to be planted out into the garden.

Extra winter gardening tips: » Top up mulch around flower and shrub beds to protect the top soil and add a finishing touch to the look of your garden. » Don’t let weeds sneak up on you during the cooler weather.

Get weeds under control with careful spot sprays of Yates Nature's Way® Organic Weed Gun.

» It’s time to plant deciduous trees, climbers and shrubs, while they’re leafless and dormant, including fruit trees like apples, pears, peaches and nectarines, maples, crab apples, hydrangeas and wisteria.

GROWING

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Frost Protection Winter frosts can damage plant foliage and shoots, particularly if unseasonable weather has resulted in tender new growth.

To help protect vulnerable plants from frost: » Move potted plants to a protected area such as on a veranda. » Drape frost or shade cloth over sensitive plants. » Apply Yates Thrive® Natural Seaweed Tonic which aids recovery from stress conditions and improves plant resistance to frost. » Don’t prune off any damaged foliage until the risk of frost has passed, as the damaged leaves can help protect the rest of the plant.

Proactive pest & disease control During the depths of winter, it’s an ideal time to break the life cycle of a range of common pests, which are lying in wait on deciduous plant stems during winter, ready to infect new spring foliage and flower buds. Spray leafless stone fruit and apple trees, roses and other deciduous shrubs like hydrangeas with the higher winter rate of Yates® Lime Sulfur. It has a strong smell but is a very important winter clean up technique.

Winter feeding There’s a wonderful range of fabulous flowering plants that are at their busiest during winter and will really appreciate a good feed to keep them healthy and promote a gorgeous floral display.

Feed plants like camellias, daphne, dianthus, calendula, cornflower, English daisies and spring flowering bulbs like hyacinths and daffodils with Yates Thrive® Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food every 1–2 weeks. It’s as easy as diluting 1–2 capfuls in a 9L watering can and applying over the plant and surrounding soil.

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Winter

Rose Care To promote healthy rose bushes and a fabulous floral display, there are two simple but important rose care steps to take during winter.

PRUNING Winter, when roses are leafless and dormant, is the ideal time to prune roses. Completely remove any dead stems, which are usually grey, and crowded or overlapping growth in the middle of the bush, and then cut all the remaining healthy stems down to around knee height, apart from standard or lollipop roses, banksia and climbing roses. David Austin roses should be trimmed back by about a third. If you have time, prune each stem to just above an outward facing bud.

If you’re time poor or a bit unsure, then take no notice of the buds! You can even use hedge shears or loppers rather than secateurs. Winter pruning helps promote healthier plants and a much better flower show, so it’s well worthwhile devoting some time to pruning your roses.

PEST PREVENTION Scale is a common rose insect pest, which can lie in wait on rose stems during winter, ready to infect new growth in spring. Used at the higher winter rate, Yates® Lime Sulfur will control scale insects, helping to break the pest cycle and give the rose the best possible start in spring. Once the rose bush is pruned, spray all stems thoroughly with Yates Lime Sulfur.

It’s a pungent (it smells a little like rotten eggs) but very effective way to control rose pests.

Pruning Tip:

If you live in a really cold area, delay pruning until August as pruning can stimulate new leaf growth that could be damaged by frosts.

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Tempting roses Clever rose breeders work tirelessly to introduce gorgeous new varieties to delight and captivate gardeners. This winter look for some stunning roses available in garden centres and online.

DESDEMONA A new David Austin rose, Desdemona, has peachy-pink buds that open to reveal beautiful pure white chalice shaped flowers that have an attractive hint of pink in the early stages.

Desdemona will produce these myrrh scented blooms over a long period, with flowers maintaining their shape during wet weather. This rose grows to around 1.2m tall and 1m wide, forming a compact and healthy bush, and can be grown as a rose border or combines beautifully with perennials or other roses in a mixed garden.

Desdemona information and images courtesy of Leigh Siebler.

MY MUM If you’re looking for a special gift for your mum, then ‘My Mum’ is a gorgeous floribunda rose with clusters of lightly scented flowers that blend shades of pretty pink, apricot and coral. Bred by New Zealand’s Matthews Roses, it’s a healthy rose that grows to around 1.2m tall.

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Planting a new rose Winter is bare rooted rose planting season, the perfect time to add a stunning new variety to your current collection or start your brand new rose growing journey.

Bare rooted roses are available in garden centres and via mail order during winter.

They are thoroughly pruned leafless rose bushes sold in small plastic bags of potting mix. A bare rooted rose bears little resemblance to the magnificent flowering plant it can become, however cast your mind forward to spring and summer when it will be delighting you with masses of blooms.

Here are some simple steps to give it the best possible start: » Before planting, unwrap the plastic from around the roots and then place the plant in a bucket of diluted Yates® Thrive® Natural Seaweed Tonic, so that all the roots are covered. » Choose a well-drained spot in the garden that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day, as roses growing in shady conditions will develop spindly growth and have less flowers. Good air flow is also important, as it can help reduce the chance of diseases. » Dig a hole around 30cm wide and deep.

Mix some Yates® Thrive® Natural Blood & Bone into the soil dug from the hole.

The rich organic matter in Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone will improve the structure and quality of the soil and provide the rose with gentle slow release organic nutrients as it establishes.

(bump on the stem) will be sitting at least 5cm above the final ground level. Backfill around the roots gently with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone enriched soil and then water in well. » Apply a layer of organic mulch, like bark chips or pea straw, around the new rose, keeping the mulch a few centimetres away from the stem. » Keep the soil moist while the new rose establishes.

» Create a pyramid shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the planting hole. Place the rose in the hole with its roots sitting on and around the mound of soil. Ensure that the graft union G R O W I N G W I T H Y O U - YA T E S

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Many roses will also grow very well in pots. Choose a pot at least 30cm in diameter and partially fill with a good quality potting mix like Yates Premium Potting Mix. Place the rose in the pot and backfill around the root zone with potting mix, keeping the graft union 5cm above the final level of potting mix. Water in well to settle the potting mix around the roots. Potted roses will require more frequent watering than in-ground roses, so monitor potting mix moisture levels regularly.

Sometimes a rose will produce new shoots prematurely during winter. These are vulnerable to damage from cold and frosts. If your roses are developing tender new growth, move potted roses into a frost protected position, cover with frost or shade cloth and apply Yates Thrive Natural Seaweed Tonic.

At the end of winter and early spring, roses will start to wake from their winter slumber and it’s time to feed them. Apply some Yates Thrive Rose & Flower Granular Plant Food around the root zone, which is a complete fertiliser that is specially formulated to provide roses with up to 3 months of nutrients that they need to grow healthy foliage and lots of heavenly flowers.

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Winter

vegie care

Delicious winter vegies like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broad beans, spinach and peas are thriving in the cool weather. Here are our top tips to keep your winter vegies healthy and productive.

Brassica vegies »

Keep feeding leafy brassica vegies like broccoli and cabbage with a nitrogen rich fertiliser like Yates® Thrive® Fish Blood & Bone to promote healthy growth.

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Pick broccoli while the head is still tight and before the flowers open. Cut off the main head and smaller florets will develop around the cut stem over several weeks. For sprouting broccoli, pick the florets regularly to promote a longer harvest.

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The two main insect pests of brassica vegies are aphids and caterpillars. Aphids are small sap feeding insects that can be green, black or grey and are often present in their hundreds along stems, leaves and within the heads of broccoli and cauliflower. They remove important sugars and nutrients from plants, causing poor growth and a reduced harvest. Caterpillars are chewing pests that can rapidly destroy leaves and no one wants to find a caterpillar in their steamed broccoli! Control both aphids and caterpillars effectively with regular sprays of Yates Nature's Way® Organic Citrus, Vegie & Ornamental Spray. It’s a handy ready to use spray based on a combination of pyrethrin, a natural extract from the pyrethrum daisy, and vegetable oil and is approved for use in organic gardening.

Spinach »

Whether you’re growing delicious baby leaf or larger spinach varieties, individual leaves can be picked as you need them. Avoid picking any more than about 50% of leaves from any one spinach plant. The double benefits of regularly picking the leaves are that you can enjoy them at their most tender and it will also promote further leaves to grow.

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It takes of lot of energy to grow lots of lush green leaves, so it’s important to feed your spinach plants every week with a fast acting plant food like Yates Thrive Fish Blood & Bone.

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Keep watch for caterpillars, which can rapidly devour spinach leaves.

Sometimes you might not see the caterpillars themselves, as they’re experts in camouflage, just the damage they cause or their brown droppings. Spray plants every 7 days with Yates Nature's Way Pyrethrum to control caterpillars. It contains pyrethrin, a natural extract from the pyrethrum daisy.

Broad beans »

To encourage a great harvest, as soon as the broad bean seedlings are established start feeding each week with Yates Thrive® Flower & Fruit Soluble Plant Food, which is boosted with extra potassium that promotes flowering and pod development.

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If temperatures are low in early spring broad beans can drop their flower buds however new flowers will quickly follow, so don’t be alarmed.

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Broad beans can be susceptible to attack by aphids, which feed on the sugary plant sap. Aphids can cause leaves to curl and distort and plant health to suffer. It’s easy to control aphids on broad beans by spraying the plants every 5–7 days with Yates Nature's Way Natrasoap® Vegie Insect Gun. It’s a soap based spray made from natural vegetable oils and is approved for use in organic gardening.

Peas »

Snow, sugarsnap and telephone peas can be productive for many weeks if given the right care. Feed pea plants each week with a high potassium plant food like Yates Thrive® Flower & Fruit Soluble Plant Food to encourage lots of pretty flowers and delicious pea pods.

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Regularly picking the pods will promote more to develop, so visit your pea patch or pot every day and harvest.

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Pea plants can be prone to diseases like powdery mildew. You can help reduce the incidence of disease by gently watering the soil around the base of the plants, rather than over the foliage.

Disease spores can splash up from the soil to infect leaves and damp foliage can encourage diseases as well, so keep the leaves as dry as possible. And control powdery mildew that does appear by spraying Yates Nature's Way Fungus Spray over the foliage every 10 - 14 days.

Leafy greens »

Lettuce, spinach and Asian leafy greens are all irresistible to snails and slugs, which enjoy winter’s cool and moist conditions.

You may not see the snails and slugs themselves, just chewed leaves and their silvery trails. Go hunting with a torch at night and pick off the ones you can spot and control the rest by lightly sprinkling Yates Blitzem® Snail & Slug Pellets around the plants.

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Regularly pick leaves of loose leaf lettuce and tatsoi to encourage fresh new growth and feed each week with a fast acting liquid fertiliser like Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food.

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Sow more seed every few weeks to keep the vegie patch filled with healthy and delicious leafy greens.

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vegies & herbs TO S OW I N W I N T E R The weather might be cool and crisp but you can continue to sow a fantastic range of vegies during winter, that will help keep your kitchen stocked well into spring.

Seeds by All Around New Zealand you can sow: » Baby Beets » Carrot Express Hybrid (temperate zones) » Lettuce Cut & Come Again » Lettuce Buttercrunch » Baby Leaf Spinach » Winter Queen Spinach » Spring Onion » Broad Beans Hughey » Broad Beans Exhibition Long Pod » Broad Beans Evergreen » Snowpea » Dwarf Sugarsnap Pea » Climbing Sugarsnap Pea » Dwarf Peas Earlicrop Massey

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Here are the three easy steps to sowing & growing delicious vegies in winter: step 1

Choose a sunny spot in a vegie patch that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day. There are some vegies, such as Yates Baby Leaf Spinach and Yates Lettuce Cut & Come Again, that can be grown in part shade.

Many vegies are also perfect for growing in pots, so you don’t need a big backyard to grow some of your own produce. Consider delicious options like Yates Baby Beets and Yates Snow Peas. Seed packets include helpful information about how much sunlight your chosen vegie needs and whether it’s suitable for growing in pots.

step 2

Follow the directions on the seed packet and either sow seeds direct where the plants are to grow or sow into trays of Yates Black Magic® Seed Raising Mix. Water gently and keep the soil or potting mix moist. For peas and beans, limit watering until seedlings emerge as seeds can rot before germinating if the soil is too wet.

For seedlings grown in trays, transplant them into their final home once they’re large enough to handle.

step 3

Once the seedlings are established, encourage lots of healthy growth by feeding each week with Yates Thrive® Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food.

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Growing

Marvellous Mandarins Mandarins are a vibrant and welcome sight during the cooler months.

They’re so handy to pop in a lunchbox or to have as an on-the-go healthy snack. Mandarins are little packages of juicy citrus goodness!

Kawano mandarins are one of the first mandarins to ripen, with harvest season starting in late autumn. They’re easy to peel, sweet, juicy and seedless. Another delicious mandarin variety is Silverhill, which is ready to be picked in June and July.

Mandarins will grow in all but the coldest areas and prefer a sunny location with well drained soil. Grafted dwarf mandarins grow no taller than around 2m, so are perfect for small backyards and can also be grown in a medium to large container filled with good quality potting mix such as Yates® Premium Potting Mix. When planting a new mandarin tree into the ground, mix some Yates Thrive® Natural Blood & Bone into the soil dug from the hole.

Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone improves the quality of the soil and supplies the newly planted mandarin with gentle, organic nutrients as it establishes.

Mandarins, like other citrus, are heavy feeders and require lots of nutrients throughout the year to support all the foliage, flowers and developing fruit. From spring until the mandarins are harvested, feed each week with Yates Thrive® Citrus Liquid Plant Food, which is a complete fertiliser that’s been specially designed to provide the right balance of nutrients for citrus trees.

Sometimes mandarins will produce fruit only every second year, which is called biennial or alternate bearing.

To help minimise this, remove some of the fruit when it’s still small and green, which reduces the drain on the tree’s energy reserves. And don’t forget to feed, feed, feed!

Mandarin Tip: Growing a range of mandarin varieties, including Kawano, Silverhill and Encore, can provide fruit from late autumn through to early spring.

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Winter citrus care There are some pests and diseases which attack citrus trees that can be treated during winter. This helps to break the pest and disease life cycle, giving citrus trees a fresh start in spring.

There are several different sap sucking scale insects that can infest citrus, including soft wax and brown scale and Chinese wax scale, which is a type of hard scale. They deplete plants of valuable sugars and the honeydew they excrete can lead to sooty mould fungus developing as well as attracting ants.

Citrus red mite (Panonychus citri) is a sap sucking pest that affects fruit colour, can lead to poor plant health and cause leaves and fruit to drop. The mites themselves are very tiny and difficult to spot with the naked eye. Citrus red mite are particularly active during the cooler months.

Thrips are another sap sucking insect that attack citrus.

They’re small pests that scrape and pierce the surface of leaves, petals and fruit, feeding on the sap and causing leaves to become stunted, deformed and mottled and petals and fruit to brown. Thrips can be active from summer and through into winter.

Yates Conqueror Spraying Oil is a broad spectrum mineral oil that will control sap sucking pests such as scale, mites and thrips. It works via contact action so thorough coverage of leaves, stems and fruit is important. Do not apply to frost stressed plants.

Yates Conqueror Spraying Oil is approved for use in organic gardening by BioGro NZ.

Citrus winter feeding tip: Keep feeding citrus trees each week with Yates ThriveÂŽ Citrus Liquid Plant Food while they are maturing their fruit. It contains the nutrients phosphorus and potassium, which play an important role in fruit quality.

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Stone Fruit guide Preventing STONE FRUIT LEAF CURL Distorted and discoloured foliage on stone fruit trees like peaches, nectarines and plums is caused by a fungal disease called leaf curl. The tree ends up looking awful and in severe cases it reduces the tree’s ability to photosynthesise, which in turn can affect plant health and fruit yield.

Leaf curl disease spores lurk in bark crevices and around leaf buds during winter, waiting to infect the newly emerging foliage in late winter and early spring. Leaf curl is a disease that needs to be prevented, by killing the disease spores before they infect the new leaves, as the damage done by leaf curl is irreversible.

It’s easy to break the leaf curl disease cycle by spraying stone fruit trees during winter with Yates® Nature's Way® Fungus Spray. Yates Nature's Way Fungus Spray will also control other diseases like stonefruit blast, brown rot and rust, which hide on fruit tree stems during winter.

Spray all stems and the trunk thoroughly before new foliage emerges. This will help give fruit trees a disease free start to spring so they can concentrate on giving you a fantastic harvest.

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IT’S TIME TO PLANT STONE FRUIT! Stone fruit are one of summer’s delights and picking your very own fresh peaches, nectarines, plums or apricots is very achievable.

Prepare for Winter Wellness

For nectarine lovers, look out for Waimea Nurseries range of nectarines. 'Fantasia' is a freestone nectarine with large, yellow fleshed flavoursome fruit. Or fabulous burgundy foliaged 'Mabel™', which has delicious purple skinned fruit and is suitable for growing all around New Zealand.

And for small space gardens, dwarf nectarine 'Flavourzee' develops into a compact, bushy tree with good sized yellow fleshed fruit.

Clean up your garden pests now before they bunk down for Winter!

Waimea Nurseries also has a delectable range of plums, including 'Ruby Queen', which is a highly productive variety with dark red skin and firm red sweet and juicy flesh. Or why not grow one of their clever 'Plum Double' trees, which have two or three varieties grafted onto the one tree. There's the 'Billington & Burbank' duo, which combines the dark skinned and fleshed Billington with yellow fleshed Burbank. Or 'Santa Rosa & Omega', with intensely flavoured Santa Rosa and juicy red fleshed Omega.

MAKE THAT A COMBO. These two sprays are great mixed together on citrus, fruit, vegetables, roses & flowers.

When planting a new bare rooted or potted stone fruit tree, improve the soil in the planting hole with some Yates Thrive® Natural Blood & Bone. It’s a rich source of organic matter to promote great soil health and provide the newly establishing tree with gentle slow release organic nutrients.

Yates® Copper Oxychloride controls a broad range of diseases such as blights, citrus scab, downy mildew and rust.

Yates® biogro certified organic Conqueror Oil works by coating pests and their eggs with a suffocating film.

Great for controlling scale, mealy bug, aphids and mites.

DPP51432JUNE19

Prune, Paint & Protect Paint on Yates PrunceTec after pruning to seal the cut from diseases. The sealant is long lasting & stretches as the tree grows.

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Cockroaches, rats & mice

eating you out of house & home?

There are various introduced cockroach species that can be a persistent problem inside your home. Cockroaches leave behind mess, produce foul smelling odours, ruin fabrics and other household items and can sometimes carry infectious human diseases and worm parasites.

Some people are allergic to cockroaches and the materials they leave behind, triggering conditions such as asthma and dermatitis.

Cockroaches are highly successful insects due to their ability to survive on a very wide variety of food sources. They are also prolific and rapid reproducers. For example, the female German cockroach (Blatella germanica) can lay up to 240 eggs in her 200 day lifetime and the population can grow very quickly, particularly when there is an abundance of food and water.

It’s important to control cockroaches inside your home as soon as they’re noticed.

Evidence of infestation includes tiny faecal droppings, smudges from regurgitated food and faeces, foul-smelling odours in cupboards, or other sheltered areas, damage to fabrics, clothing, shoes and various household items such as books.

Cockroaches come in various colours, including black, brown and yellow, and some have distinct patterns and markings. Cockroaches have a flattened oval body, triangular head and a pair of long flexible antennae that wave

independently to sense their environment.

Some cockroaches also have wings.

Cockroaches can be present throughout the year and are mostly active at night, generally hiding throughout the day. If cockroaches are observed during the day, this could be the sign of a major infestation.

Cockroaches are fast moving, can travel across both vertical and horizontal surfaces, run away when exposed to light, and sometimes fly. Cockroaches are social insects with many preferring to live in groups. They use their faeces, sometimes mixed with a pheromone, to attract mates and mark out feeding and shelter areas. This produces a foul-smelling odour and unsightly mess.

Cockroaches are attracted to areas where food and water are available and are commonly found in warm, humid and sheltered areas such as the pantry, kitchen, bathroom, toilet and garage.

To kill cockroaches and create a barrier to discourage cockroaches from entering the house for up to 3 months, apply Blitzem!® Indoor/Outdoor Barrier Spray around walls, cupboards, behind sinks and into cracks and crevices.

Extra cockroach tips: Keep food in sealed containers, clean the outside of sauce bottles and jars, rinse food waste residues out of recyclable packaging, store toothbrushes in sealed containers and don’t leave pet food out overnight.

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Hearing scratches in your roof or walls?

Or seeing chewed food packets or small droppings? Then rodents might have ventured into the house!

Black and brown rats (also called roof and Norway rats) are the two most common rats that live in suburban New Zealand.

They’re both around 16–20cm long with a smooth coat and big, thin ears. Mice are much smaller, usually around 7.5–10cm long with a shorter tail. Rats and mice need warmth, shelter, food and water, which is why they often come inside during the cooler months. They’re most active in places like the laundry, garage and kitchen where there are sources of water and food and spots to hide and make nests. And with other sources of food from restaurants, cafes and rubbish in public spaces becoming scarcer during the coronavirus pandemic, rodent activity has been increasing further in and around homes.

R A E H RATCHING

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F O O E R IN TH ?

S L L A OR W

To control mice, place some Ratsak® Disposable Bait Stations along walls where mice primarily travel. For rats, Ratsak Fast Action Throw Packs will kill rats (as well as mice) in a single feed.

There are also trap options, including the Ratsak Trap Station, which helps keep traps away from pets and children.

S K C A P THROW JUST N I L IL

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G RisOa W ING W I T Hmark Y OofUDuluxGroup - YA T E S Ratsak registered trade (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Winter LAWN CARE LAWN DISEASES Rainfall and humidity, together with mild temperatures, can promote the growth of lawn diseases such as winter fusarium, brown patch and dollar spot.

Lawn diseases can be hard to diagnose as signs can be similar to other lawn problems such as damage from insect pests like grass grubs and porina.

Common lawn disease symptoms include areas of small discoloured, brown, dead or dying patches in the lawn.

Lawn diseases can spread and also reoccur year after year, so it's important to help minimise them and keep your lawn looking fantastic.

Here’s how to help reduce lawn diseases: » During periods of high risk, such as damp weather, use Yates® Fungus Fighter over the lawn to control dollar spot and rust. » Mow regularly to prevent a build-up of thatch and remove clippings from the lawn. » Water only in the mornings, to allow the lawn to dry off during the day. » Aerate or core your lawn to improve drainage. » Keep your grass well fed with a lawn food that contains a good amount of potassium, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter® Organic Lawn Food. Potassium is a nutrient that helps strengthen the lawn so it’s better able to resist disease infection. Based on chicken manure, it will also add valuable organic matter back into the soil.

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Moss control Moss can develop on lawns in moist, poorly drained, compacted and shady areas. If not controlled, moss can start to compete with the lawn and make it look untidy.

Here’s how to help keep your lawn free from moss: » Trim back overhanging trees and shrubs to allow more sunlight into shaded lawn areas. » In compacted spots, aerate the soil by pushing a garden fork into the soil across the area multiple times. » Apply Yates Weed’n’Feed® Mosskiller over the mossy areas. It’s a fast and effective way to kill the moss and also fertilise the lawn, which encourages strong grass growth which helps prevent the moss from regrowing.

Weed control Get on top of weeds now to help prevent the grief later! Control weeds like Onehunga weed, thistles and clover with Yates Weed'n'Feed.

Yates Weed'n'Feed comes in an easy to use hose-on applicator, a concentrate for dilution in a watering can or sprayer and also granules, to control the most common broadleaf weeds in lawns.

Yates Weed'n'Feed will also give the lawn a quick burst of nutrients to promote healthy green growth.

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Growing a

cast iron plant

The name ‘cast iron’ gives you an indication of just how tough this plant is. Cast iron plant, Aspidistra elatior, creates a lush and tropical feel in warm climate gardens however is also ideally suited for growing indoors.

It’s particularly good for dim rooms as it tolerates low levels of light, and beginner and time-poor gardeners will also enjoy growing cast iron plants, as they’ll still look lovely and leafy with minimal maintenance.

Cast iron plants develop long, spear shaped leaves, up to 90cm long. Most have green foliage but there are also interesting variegated and spotted varieties available.

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Follow these easy steps to grow a fabulous indoor cast iron plant: » Use a well-drained pot that’s at least 20cm in diameter or larger, depending on the size of your plant. » Cast iron plants do best in a brightly lit spot, out of direct sunlight, however they will also grow well in low light areas. » Half fill the pot with Yates® Thrive Indoor Plants Potting Mix. » Remove the cast iron plant from its original container, and gently tease out the outer roots if they’re compacted. » Position the plant in the middle of the new pot and backfill around the roots with fresh potting mix. Keep the level of new potting mix the same as the original level of mix around the plant, so that all the roots are covered. Water well to settle the potting mix around the roots. » Keep the potting mix just slightly moist, though cast iron plants are usually forgiving if you occasionally forget to water them. Check moisture levels in the potting mix by inserting your finger into the top few centimetres of mix. » To promote healthy growth, feed with Yates Thrive® Plant Food Spikes Plants & Ferns every 2 months from spring to autumn. » Remove any yellow or dead leaves by cutting their stems off at the base.

Propagation tip Once the cast iron plant becomes congested in its pot, remove the entire plant from the pot, divide and separate the clump into a few smaller sections and pot each new clump into its own pot.

FUNGUS GNAT PROBLEMS? Fungus gnats are annoying tiny black winged insects which fly around your house. These adult fungus gnats lay eggs into moist potting mix in potted indoor plants and the larvae hatch into tiny white grubs which feed on organic matter in the potting mix and can damage plant roots.

The larvae then mature, emerge from the potting mix as winged insects and the life cycle continues. You can deter the adult female fungus gnat from laying her eggs by allowing the top layer of the potting mix to dry out and applying a layer of sand or small pebbles over the top of the potting mix.

» The long leaves can accumulate dust, so give them a gentle wipe to keep them clean.

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Winter Roses HEAVENLY

hellebores

You can add gorgeous winter colour into low light areas in your garden with hellebores.

Also known as winter roses, they are perfect for growing in full to partly shaded spots such as underneath the canopies of trees or in a pot on a shady patio. They are a delight during the cooler months of the year, putting on a prolific display of large, bell shaped flowers right throughout winter and into early spring.

Living Fashion New Zealand have some spectacular hellebores to tempt you this winter: Hellebore 'Anna's Red' has striking deep rich magenta blooms that sit above the foliage and 'Ruby Daydream' has lovely dark claret flowers with yellow stamens.

Both grow to around 50cm high and 60cm wide and will flower for many months. They look wonderful when mass planted in a shady garden bed.

‘Charmer’ is another stunning hellebore, with masses of delicately mottled burgundy-red flowers that sit neatly above the lush green foliage. Growing to around 30cm high and 50cm wide, it has a smaller and more compact habit than other hellebores.

Hellebore ‘Molly’s White’ has beautiful white flowers with blush pink tones and ‘Penny’s Pink’ has lovely deep pink flowers. Both these varieties grow to around 60cm tall.

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Hellebore 'Cinderella' has interesting pretty white ruffled flowers speckled with pink and grows to 50cm tall.

Hellebores will flower for many months and look wonderful when planted in drifts in shaded positions or grown in a decorative container and displayed in a sheltered outdoor entertaining area. You can even bring potted hellebores indoors for a few days at a time to show off their flowers.

Despite having a delicate appearance, hellebores are hardy plants that are both dry and frost tolerant.

When planting a new hellebore into the garden, mix some Yates ThriveÂŽ Natural Blood & Bone into the planting hole. It enriches and improves the soil, adding valuable organic matter and encouraging earthworms and beneficial soil microorganisms.

During periods of new foliage growth and flowering, feed hellebores every eight to twelve weeks with Yates Thrive Rose & Flower Granular Plant Food. Sprinkle the granules around the root zone, of both in-ground and potted plants, gently tickle into the soil or potting mix, and water in well. Yates Thrive Rose & Flower Granular Plant Food contains a special combination of nutrients to promote healthy green leaf growth and is boosted with additional potassium to encourage lots of beautiful flowers. It also includes controlled release nitrogen to feed plants gradually for up to 12 weeks and a blend of trace elements for plant vitality.

Trim off spent flower stems to keep plants looking tidy and promote further flowers.

Hellebore photos courtesy of Living Fashion New Zealand.

Insider tip: Beautiful hellebore flowers can also be cut for a vase.

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Winter flower seeds

to sow

Don’t let the cold weather stop you from sowing flower seeds! There’s lots of beautiful flowers you can sow during winter, which will help set you up for a fantastic floral filled spring.

Seeds by ALL AROUND NEW ZEALAND

you can sow

» Cottage Garden Mix » Gypsophila Baby’s Breath

IN TEMPERATE & WARM AREAS

you can sow

» Alyssum Carpet of Snow » Bee Pasture (late winter) » Butterfly Field (late winter) » Gerbera Colour Mix » Marigold Cupid (late winter)

Here are the easy steps to starting a fabulous flower patch: STEP ONE Choose a sunny spot in a garden that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day. If there are any weeds or grasses in the area, spray with Yates Zero® Weed Killer and let them die back completely (usually around 2 weeks).

STEP TWO Mix some Yates Thrive® Natural Blood & Bone into the soil, to enrich and improve the quality of the soil and help give the new flowers the best possible start. Follow the directions on the seed packet and either sow seed direct where the flowers are to grow or sow into trays of Yates Black Magic® Seed Raising Mix. Water gently and keep the soil moist. For seedlings grown in trays, transplant them into their final home once they’re large enough to handle.

STEP THREE Once the seedlings are established, encourage lots of healthy growth and promote masses of vibrant flowers by feeding each week with Yates Thrive® Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food. It’s as easy as adding 1–2 capfuls into a 9L watering can and applying around the plants and soil.

No backyard? No worries! Many flowers are also perfect for growing in pots. Seed packets include helpful information about whether your chosen flower is suitable for growing in pots. Compact flowers that are perfect for growing in containers and window boxes include alyssum and marigolds.

Flowers can be susceptible to sap sucking aphids, chewing pests like caterpillars and diseases such as powdery mildew and rust. Regular sprays of Yates Rose Gun will control the most common insect pests and diseases in flowers.

Seedling tip Protect seedlings from damaging snails and slugs with a light sprinkling of Baysol® Snail & Slug Bait.

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Captivating Cinerarias Winter gardens can be filled with glorious colour by growing flowers that love the cool weather. For bold colour in sheltered, partly shaded areas you can’t go past cinerarias. Their daisy-like flowers are wonderfully cheerful, perfect for brightening up drab winter days.

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The range of Venezia Cinerarias (Pericallis cruenta) from Rainbow Park Nurseries are particularly beautiful. Growing to around 25cm tall, they are compact cinerarias which thrive in partly shaded garden beds with moist soil. They’re breathtaking when mass planted in drifts. Venezia cinerarias are also perfect for growing in pots, adding vibrant colour to outdoor entertaining areas.

There are four gorgeous Venezia varieties to choose from: » Cineraria White – masses of crisp white flowers. » Cineraria Blue – vivid solid mauve-blue flowers. » Cineraria Blue With Ring – lighter mauve-blue blooms with a centre white ring. » Cineraria Bordeaux – rich burgundy flowers with a striking inner white ring.

Choose a frost protected spot, keep the soil or potting mix moist and to promote lots of fabulous flowers, feed each week with Yates® Thrive® Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food. It’s boosted with additional potassium to promote flowering.

Venezia cineraria images courtesy of Rainbow Park Nurseries

Health tip Cinerarias can be prone to sap sucking aphids and the disease powdery mildew. Help keep cinerarias healthy with regular sprays of Yates Rose Gun. It’s a handy ready to use dual action spray that controls common pests and diseases on ornamental plants like cinerarias.

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Cultivate some

Inner Peace

A combination of lush indoor plants and soothing paint colours can transform an interior space into a calm haven.

Dulux® has some exciting colour trends for 2020, including ‘Cultivate’, a nature-inspired palette, with gentle layers of green, that reinforces our connection with nature and helps bring elements of the natural world inside. Ideal for combatting the chaos of the modern world and creating a space where we can refresh and rejuvenate, these colours embrace slow living and our ability to grow and sustain ourselves in simple ways.

Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux Group Colour and Communications Manager, says “I love how powerful colour is when it comes to creating a sense of space and importantly the emotion it can evoke within that space”.

Colours in the Dulux ‘Cultivate’ palette include harmonious shades of botanical greens, interspersed with pops of chalky blue, deep plum and yellow curd, creating the perfect contrast.

CREDIT Dulux, Photographer: Lisa Cohen Stylist: Bree Leech, featuring ‘Rainy Mountain’ original artwork by Prue Clay, Forman Picture Framing, Dulux Colours: Powdered Gum (left), Hancock (centre & right)

CREDIT Dulux, Photographer: Lisa Cohen Stylist: Bree Leech, Dulux Colours: Hancock (left), Pencarrow (right)

To create a restful space, combine these beautifully soothing ‘Culitivate’ Dulux paint colours with green lush and leafy plants, such as: » Fiddle leaf figs (Ficus lyrata), which have wonderfully large deep green leaves and their impressive height can really make a statement in any room. » Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum wallisii) bring a tropical feel with masses of lush green leaves and crisp white flowers. » Umbrella trees (Schefflera actinophylla) have clusters of multiple glossy green leaves and are ideal for adding a vertical dimension into a plant display.

» Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana) have graceful arching green fronds that create a gentle rainforest feel. » Cast iron plants (Aspidistra elatior) are perfect for a low light corner of a room, with long and lush sword shaped leaves. » Devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum) is a tough climbing plant that can be trained up a support or left to cascade, creating a mass of greenery.

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Combine with matt black, grey or stone look pots and timber plant stands to create layers of earthy texture.

For splashes of colour, include purple toned foliage plants like: » Chain of hearts (Ceropegia woodii), a beautiful trailing plant with delicate green, grey and purple toned leaves.

Perfect for a hanging basket or draping down over shelves.

No see, no mess fertilising

» Varieties of Never never plants (Ctenanthe spp.), which can include both mauve and grey leaf markings, providing wonderful foliage interest and contrast. » Waffle plants (Hemigraphis spp.), which are compact plants with burgundy and green foliage, ideal for a vibrant splash of colour on a coffee table or shelf. » Incorporate a yellow or mustard coloured pot in the plant display to contrast the green hues and complete the ‘Cultivate’ look.

Growing Tip It’s important to regularly feed your indoor plants! It’s as simple as inserting a Yates® Thrive® Indoor Plants & Ferns Dripper or Yates Thrive Plants & Ferns Plant Food Spike into the potting mix. They provide indoor plants with a complete and balanced blend of nutrients to promote lush, healthy growth.

Yates® Thrive® Plant Food Spikes are specially designed to feed plants where they need it most, at the roots.

• Contains slow release fertiliser that will feed your plants for up to 2 months • No measuring or mixing required • Spikes slowly release nutrients when watered • Available for Plants & Ferns, Orchids and Cacti & Succulents

No see, no mess!

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Yates andGThrive marks DuluxGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd. R O Ware I Nregistered G W I T trade H YO U - ofYA TES

GARDENING in different climates

All around New Zealand, there are lots of things to keep you wonderfully busy out in the garden during winter.

IN COOL CLIMATES

it’s time to:

» Create a colourful pot, trough or hanging basket of pansies or violas to brighten sunny outdoor spaces.

To keep the pot looking fabulous, remove any spent flowers and feed each week with a fast acting plant food like Yates® Thrive® Flower & Fruit Soluble Fertiliser that’s been specially designed to nurture flowering plants. » Apply Yates Thrive Natural Seaweed Tonic which aids recovery from stress conditions and improves plant resistance to frost. Don’t prune off any damaged foliage until the risk of frost has passed, as the damaged leaves can help protect vulnerable growth underneath. » Feed spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips with a high potassium plant food, like Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Plant Food, to promote healthy growth and a great flower show next year. Continue feeding each week until the foliage dies down in late spring. » Prepare sunny strawberry beds and pots for planting in late winter and early spring. Enrich the soil with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone or fill pots with Yates Premium Potting Mix, ready for planting bare rooted strawberry crowns or runners.

IN TEMPERATE CLIMATES it’s time to: » In mid winter, buy seed potatoes, place them in an open egg carton in a dry, brightly lit spot, out of direct sunlight, for them to start developing shoots (in a process called ‘chitting’). This helps give them a head start for spring planting. » In late winter, get an early advantage with warm season vegies and herbs like tomatoes, capsicum and sweet basil. Sow seeds into small pots or punnets, keep them on a sunny windowsill and the seedlings can be planted out into the garden once the chance of frost has passed. » In late winter, start sprouting some sweet potato tubers so the slips are ready for planting in spring. » Plant asparagus crowns in a sunny, well drained vegie patch that’s been enriched with some Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone. Asparagus will live for many years so it’s best to plant crowns in their permanent home.

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sign up now yates.co.nz/garden-club/join Connect with us @yatesnz For more great gardening advice visit yates.co.nz G R O W I N G W I T H Y O U - YA T E S Yates is a registered trademark of DuluxGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd

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