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Because conditions vary from district to district, even from garden to
garden—manuring advice must be fairly general, and these notes deal only
with what can be done at this time of year. Fruit trees and bushes, like
vegetables, need fertilisers—and in the right proportions; for instance,
nitrogen is needed to make shoots and leaves, though too much of it will
produce rank growth but little fruit. If your apples and pears are not so
vigorous as they should be, they can be encouraged by dressing the ground
around the trees in winter with hoof-and-horn at the rate of 3-4 oz. per
square yard. Alternatively, sulphate of ammonia, applied in early spring at
the rate of 1-2 oz. per sq. yd., will prove equally effective. |
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Apples
and pears (not so much) need potash, especially on light soils. But that's
difficult to come by and you may have to rely on wood ash from your
bonfires. This should be kept in a dry place until you apply it to the
ground in April. And don't forget that your gooseberries would like as much
wood ash as you can give them; if there's any to spare the redcurrants and
raspberries would appreciate it. Blackcurrants don't need it so much.
Every second winter give your plums a dressing of 2-3 ozs. of bone
meal.
Don't forget at this time of year to fork lightly over the ground
around fruit trees and bushes. But be careful about the raspberries: their
roots are near the surface and they don't like being disturbed.
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