April is the autumn version of October - soil to cultivate, lawns to repair, lots to plant, and all in a rush before the days get too short and cold. Planting new fruit trees, in particular citrus, get the spring bulbs in (tulips should be planted this month), and fill the vege garden with either winter brassicas and greens, or green manure crops.
Sow seeds or plant seedlings of broad beans and peas.
Sow quick-growing microgreens such as kale, mustard, rocket and radish for nutrient rich salads.
Continue planting seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, spinach and silver beet in warmer regions.
Refresh your herbs with a trim back and a feed of general garden fertiliser. Thyme, mint, sage and marjoram will respond to trimming with fresh growth.
Prepare your asparagus plants for winter. Cut down the ferny shoots of asparagus to soil level when they have turned yellow and add them to the compost bin. Spread 5cm of mulch over the bed. Straw, wood chips or compost make excellent insulators to protect the asparagus crowns from cold temperatures. Remove the mulch in spring when the shoots begin to emerge.
Kumara are best harvested when the tops start to yellow, or on the day of the first frost, and leave to dry in the sun.
Give the vege patch a rest through winter. Protect and enrich the soil by sowing a ‘green’ crop of mustard or blue lupin which adds nitrogen and improves soil structure. Weeds are suppressed, soil microbiology is kept active and by spring your soil will be ready for planting.
Feed citrus trees in the ground with citrus fertiliser, and in pots with a slow release fertiliser for strong healthy autumn growth.
Treat citrus trees with yellow leaves with epsom salts (magnesium sulphate). Best applied when dissolved in water at the rate of 1 tablespoon in 2 litres. Yellowing of leaves caused by iron deficiency occurs when temperatures drop below 12 degrees.
Rhubarb crowns can be lifted, split, and re-planted into newly prepared soil. Rhubarb enjoys a food rich soil so add in lots of compost, sheep pellets, blood and bone, and top dress with a general garden fertiliser.
Feed fruit trees with sulphate of potash after fruiting to enhance fruiting next season.
When all the fruit from your pip and stone fruit trees is picked and leaves start to fall, spray with FreeFlo Copper to protect against diseases, in particular, brown rot and leaf curl.
Plant new fruit trees this month – citrus, pip fruit and stone fruit. The warm soil and hopefully seasonal rain will give them a head start before winter and for spring. Plant in a sunny sheltered spot in soil well-prepared with planting mix and a slow release fertiliser. Water thoroughly to settle in. Look for double or triple grafted trees and dwarf growing varieties which are ideal for small gardens and growing in containers.
In the south, it is time to move potted citrus into the greenhouse or under cover.
Prepare garden beds with compost and general garden fertiliser to plant favourite winter flowers.
Plant seedlings of calendula, cineraria, stock, pansies, violas, wallflowers, primulas, polyanthus and sweet peas. Water and feed with a liquid food for flowers for quick results and plenty of blooms.
Sow Flanders Poppies to commemorate ANZAC Day.
Seedlings of polyanthus, primulas and pansies respond to a teaspoon of dried blood in the planting hole, with lush growth and plentiful blooms. Dried blood is a fast-acting rich source of nitrogen and iron.
Continue to plant spring flowering bulbs in pots with bulb potting mix or in the garden enriched with compost and bulb fertiliser.
Remove the dead heads off summer flowering shrubs and perennials with a trim back which will shape the plant and allow fresh growth to harden before winter eg hebes, lavender, hydrangeas, pelargoniums and geraniums, penstemons.
It’s time to stop deadheading roses and let hips form. Sprinkle sulphate of potash around the drip-line and water in, to harden new growth for the colder months.
Prior to autumn leaf fall, spray roses with FreeFlo Copper to reduce overwintering of foliage and stem diseases. Rake up and dispose of fallen leaves, don’t compost them.
New season roses will be in store late May /early June. Ask for a Rose Catalogue to choose your new varieties. Prepare garden beds for new roses by digging in compost and manure eg sheep pellets or Dynamic Lifter.
Feed established camellias,azaleas and rhododendrons with acid fertiliser, for healthy new growth, flowers and to combat yellow leaves. Best applied with autumn rain.
Autumn is the ideal season to repair, renew or sow new lawns. Feed established lawns ahead of winter with lawn fertiliser. Rake up fallen leaves which can damage the grass.
Rake thatch from lawns, scarify well-trodden areas by spiking with a garden fork, and re-seed bare patches. Mix Saturaid with lawn seed to improve water absorption in the soil which will reduce dry patches.
Water potted plants, including indoors, more sparingly as conditions turn cooler and the days get shorter.
