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YOUR GARDENING QUESTIONS THIS MONTH

Your questions answered.

QWISE WATERING We are told not to water from above to avoid fungal disease but how is one meant to water an entire garden without using a sprinkler? Even hand watering is done from above. How do experts water their gardens on a daily basis? It must take them hours! SUE VAN PELT, CHRISTCHURCH

ARunning through the spray of the lawn sprinkler on a hot day is a fond memory for many of us who had childhoods before waste water charges, water shortages and hose bans.

Sprinklers do cover large areas and there’s no need for the gardener to stand by holding the hose, but they aren’t the most effective way to give each plant what it needs while conserving water. They’re a one-sizefits-all method delivering the same amount to thirsty plants and drought-tolerant ones alike. Evaporation rates are high and sunlight refracted through droplets on leaves causes damage. Daily watering isn’t ideal either except for containers and hanging baskets. A weekly deep soak is better than a daily sprinkle as roots are encouraged to grow downwards searching for water rather than staying near the surface where they are vulnerable to drought and heat.

The spout of a watering can could be used to direct water to the roots as well as showering from above. Remove the rose if you prefer a single stream of water. Top-of-the-range cans from thecompanyshed.co.nz have long-reach spouts, filters and detachable spouts of various sizes for different water flows. Tie a stocking full of sheep pellets to the handle and dangle it inside the can (like a teabag) so plants get a liquid feed each time you water.

There are many nifty attachments for hand watering with a hose. My favourite has a long wand that reaches in under foliage in containers and up high for vertical gardens. It has three spray patterns and the water can be shut off at the handle so there’s no wastage or backtracking to the tap between containers.

Soaker hoses deliver water to the root zone. Mulch over the hoses keeps the irrigation water where it’s needed and reduces evaporation. Use a timer so you don’t leave them running all day. The ones which count down like an egg timer are easier to use than the high tech ones with 24/7 programming.

Watering systems can be as complex as the budget allows, but if watering for hours is necessary every day, perhaps it’s time to rethink the planting plan. Save both water and time by growing plants that perform well in your climate without frequent irrigation.

QESPALIER ADVICE We started espaliering our pear trees last year. I'm not sure what to do next. There are lots of vertical branches. I intend to train some along the wires and trim the rest back but I’m unsure where to cut. REBEKAH CAMPBELL, ROLLESTON

AChoose one branch to grow up to the next wire and tie two others horizontally. Shorten shoots from the horizontal branches back to a pair of leaves. More details and cutting diagrams in NZ Gardener special edition Pruning Made Easy available from mags4gifts.co.nz. Barbara Smith

QIS MY PEAR A DUD? We planted a ‘Doyenne du Comice’ pear four years ago with ‘Conference’ as a pollinator. It’s very healthy but has never flowered. What can we do to get it to flower, before we dig it out and plant something else? VALERIE BOWYER, TIRAU

AI live just around the corner from you and, not wanting to boast, but my ‘Doyenne du Comice’ is fruiting and producing wonderfully – so climate is not the problem. Pears can take a little longer than other fruit to start to bear, but mine certainly produced a few fruit by year four and has steadily increased ever since. ‘Doyenne du Comice’ is a wonderful dessert pear and great for bottling too so it’s well worth giving it another chance.

Nutrition, particularly boron, can have a major effect on flowering.

I would suggest a good mulch of quality compost and some seaweed (or seaweed tea) along with an application of OrganiBOR (an organic slow-release boron fertiliser) as soon as possible. New Zealand soils naturally have low levels of boron. Unlike other sources of boron, OrganiBOR (from farm supply outlets), has low levels of sodium as the boron is bound to calcium and magnesium instead. Boron is released slowly and being low in sodium, it’s safer for soil microbes and worms, and so there’s less chance of your plants getting salt burn.

But remember, it can take 18 months from bud initiation to fruit, so be patient. And finally, walking past a tree revving the chainsaw – while unscientific and unproven – does produce incredible results!