Gardening Questions

Hyde Library. 2009

I’m looking for a general horticultural course. Are there any colleges nearby that would offer something suitable?

There are three colleges in the North West which provide horticultural training, they are:

• City College Manchester (based at Wythenshawe Park)
• Myerscough College in Preston
• Rease Heath College in Cheshire (Nantwich)

It is best to contact these establishments directly to discuss the type and suitability for the course that they offer.

I have planted lots of daffodils, but some clumps are blind whilst others are OK. What can I do? The bulbs were all planted at the same time and some of the clumps have been OK in the past.

Leave the plants a minimum of 6 weeks after flowering before you mow over them, but remove any seed heads as soon as they are visible. Feed the plants after flowering for the following year. Naturalising bulbs can take a couple of years to flower. If there’s plenty of foliage the soil may be too high in Nitrogen.

What can I do about slugs in my garden? I’ve tried cat litter, beer traps, copper wire and salt. I’ve been trying to encourage hedgehogs into my garden, but with little success due to my pets. I don’t want to use slug pellets at all because of my grandchildren.

You could try planting a “slug garden” full of plants such as African Marigolds that are so attractive to slugs that they will hopefully leave the rest of the garden alone.

The other option is Nematodes. These are microscopic parasites. You can buy them online. You put them into a watering can and water them into your garden. Neomotodes enter the slug, feed on the slug and reproduce until the slug dies. They stop the slugs feeding within approx 3 days and are effective for up to 6 weeks. Neomotodes are resistant to water and rain. Many slugs will die underground – the bacteria the nematodes release encourages the slug they inhabit to burrow. This method is not harmful to wildlife, pets or children.

How often should I feed my tomato plants?

Once the trusses are set, feed the plants 3 times per week with a high Potassium food. Stop the plant at 6 trusses.

I have a lupin plant which is planted in a 2ft tub in compost and bone meal. Do I need to feed it?

Lupins are a member of the pea family and make Nitrogen fixing bacteria in their root systems. You shouldn’t need to feed the plant again this year. If the plant is pruned after flowering, you may get a second set of flowers. Use a Phostrogen based feed. Lupins are prone to aphids and slugs.

I have a Meion Opis (blue) which is planted in the ground in clay soil. It doesn’t seem to be thriving, how can I best look after it?

Take the crown off the plant and divide it by teasing the roots apart. Plant it in a pot using multi-purpose compost and grit. Water it as soon as it is potted but do not overwater. Give the plant light, but not direct sunlight. 

I have a North East facing garden which is quite breezy, what plants will do best in this position?

Look for plants with shiny, leathery leaves as these do better in lower levels of sunlight. Look for:

• rhododendron,
• fatsias,
• mahonias,
• alpines,
• heathers,
• azaleas,
• pieris,
• camellias,
• viburnum,
• photinia,
• forsythia,
• philidelphis.

Some plants may do better in tubs where they can be moved into the sunshine when flowering.

How do I best feed my fruit trees? I have a Victoria Plum, an apple and a pear tree.

Most fruit trees will grow quite happily in a wide range of soils, from sandy to quite heavy clay. They seem to adapt well to the situation that they are in. To get the best from your fruit tree it is important that it does not dry out and they benefit greatly from mulching around the base of the trees. The mulch should be about 10cm deep and should stretch out to the “drip line” which is the span of the branches. It should be supplemented each year as it breaks down. This area, in some cases, might appear to quite large but this is where the beneficial roots of the tree will be.

How can I get rid of Bindweed in my garden? I’ve tried conventional weed killers.

You will need to dig it out, and you will need to dig deep to ensure you get all of the roots. You will need to dispose of the soil and replace it with new sterile soil. You may also need to use a total weed killer and leave the ground for 12 months, continually treating the ground during that time. You are likely to lose any plants planted close to the area. 

Where does the garden waste taken to Bayley Street tip end up?

Once the garden waste is tipped at Bayley Street, Stalybridge it is passed through shredding machinery and then bulked and stored until it can be transported to various other sites to be processed. These composting facilities create a versatile material that has practical uses in agriculture, horticultural and landscaping.

Although, there used to be a system where residents could buy the compost back, this option is no longer available.