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Justin GARDENING with Justin Wride

The Portugal News 21 Jan 2012

Irrigation

Hello readers, welcome to my fortnightly column for all gardening enthusiasts in the Algarve. Over the coming months I am going to share with you my knowledge of gardening and landscaping that I have built up from over 20 years working here in the Algarve. I will cover top-soils, weed prevention, irrigation, plants that will thrive in the region, companion planting, organic gardening, vegetable growing plus a whole host of tips on pruning, seeding and fertilising that I have picked up (some from trial and error), that will enhance your gardening experience and give you an easier and more understandable approach to the specific problems you face when gardening here in the Algarve. Each edition, I will focus on a plant of the week not just the pretty, scented flowers but also on shrubs with beautiful foliage that will stand out in your garden or create vibrancy in your borders or rockeries.

TOP ALGARVE TIPS

1. When planting trees and palms, place a pipe down to the root ball. You can then add fertilisers (and your banana skins see last article) and extra water direct to the roots in the hot summer months. to connect a simple irrigation system to a manual tap. Believe me, your garden will benefit from regular and consistent watering and your utility bills will drop. If you are running your garden water from a borehole, then I advise you to get it tested. Some boreholes drilled here in the Algarve, have very high salt and iron levels that, unless tested, will destroy your garden. The ph balance might not vary too much but the saline content will. I recommend two tests per year one in January and one in August. The water table will drop during the summer months and in some cases the water will become more salty this may well be the reason why your garden and lawn looks tired. You might even find that plants will die. When the rains return, the water table is replenished and the make-up of your water changes again. Tests cost around 80-120 euros and there are local companies that will do that for you. Its a worthwhile investment and it will explain why some shrubs are not doing so well and allow you to experiment and choose plants that are more saline tolerable. Finally, as you know, this winter to date has been glorious and some of you have already needed to switch back on your irrigation systems. However, its inevitable that the rains will return so it would be wise to collect as much of this valuable resource as you can rather than watch it pour away down your driveway or land. Install water butts and containers around your house to catch the run off from your roof. For those of you having to switch to mains sewerage systems this year, think about utilising your soon to be redundant septic tank as a water deposit and redirecting a guttering pipe to run into this instead. The water from your deposits can then be pumped back to where its needed in the dry summer months. Next time: Rockeries and Retaining Walls. 2. If you see birds especially the hoopoe on your lawn feeding on some insects in the grass, you have a problem with cutworm, which left unchecked, will destroy your grass. The birds act as an early warning system.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Leptospernum Scoparium
Ill bet not many people know this, but this colourful, nectar filled shrub is very attractive to honey bees and is known in other parts of the world as the Manuka Bush. Those busy bees, if left to collect from just this plant, then go on to create the strong, antibacterial, health boosting elixir known as Manuka Honey. The Portuguese dont seem to have realised this otherwise wed have gallons of it sitting on the local supermarket shelves selling at treble the price of the locally produced stuff. Now theres a business idea!!

y last edition c o v e r e d topsoil, so presumably you now all have copious amounts of it already well dug in to your existing soil ready for the next stage!! I have been asked many times - Do we really need an irrigation system? Well, lets look at the facts. The Algarve basks in a temperate zone where the thermometer rarely drops below 6oC and often peaks at +40oC but probably averages around the mid 20oCs. Add to this, the summer northerly drying winds and very few shaded areas, then the answer should be obvious. For those that reside here all year round and prefer to water with a hose on those balmy summer evenings, you probably dont realise that you are doing more damage to the plants than good as well as wasting more water than you need. A fully automatic irrigation system is the definite answer and not as expensive as you think, especially if you look at it as a longterm investment. The systems on the market today are focused on preserving water by giving plants, shrubs and trees just minimal requirements for optimum growth. Drip tubes (gotagota), shrubblers and auto compensating tubing are all types of irrigation that can save water and still make your plants thrive. If you cannot afford the multifunction computer that sets the run times/start times and amounts of water, it is very easy

Justin Wride

For any questions or more information on any item discussed you can contact me on jmwride@hotmail.com

GARDENERS TO DO LIST JANUARY

1. Trim your ornamental grasses such as pennisetums, hard and cut back all roses. Apply a general fertiliser (10-10-10) or (1515-15) to all areas of the garden best done before any rainfall to wash the fertiliser through the soil. Normally sold in 50kg bags but you can buy it in smaller quantities at the Cooperatives. 2. For those of you who have almond trees, as they start to leaf, its a good time to prune the dead wood as its easier to see. 3. For your veggies: I would start seeding tomatoes in pots. They will love this early spring-like temperatures we are experiencing.