Stuff Digital Edition

KEEP IT CLEAN

Nothing is more disheartening than seeing a promising punnet of seedlings suddenly wilt, collapse and die. The problem is a fungal infection called damping off and it’s most likely to occur in wet, cool conditions.

To reduce the chances of damping off wash punnets before reusing them and give them a rinse with a mild solution of bleach.

Always use fresh seed raising mix. Keep the soil mix moist but not saturated – let them drain after watering and don’t let them sit in a puddle of water.

While you’ve got the bleach out to clean your seed trays, give paths, steps and decks a wash and brush up too.

A mild winter with plenty of rain has turned my shady back path and wooden steps green with moss, and the sloping concrete drive could double as a slip and slide.

In the past I’ve used a water blaster, 30 Seconds or Wet&Forget but a stiff broom and a bucket of diluted bleach does the job and gives one an energetic workout too.

Scrub out the bird bath and give bird feeders a good clean as avian diseases can spread quickly through bird populations when they congregate.

Be careful about cleaning nesting boxes as they may be in use already or prospective parents may be checking out their new home and you don’t want to frighten them away with intrusive housekeeping.

Gardening

en-nz

2022-08-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282883734499979

Stuff Limited