Autumn is a great time to do garden improvement and maintenance, for example constructing a pathway or a pergola, sharpening your tools, improving your soil or mulching the garden beds. A little time spent on jobs now will help your garden power away in the spring. Don also has some tips on keeping your indoor plants looking great right through the winter.

Strawberries

Strawberries planted now will produce fruit in October and November. Prepare the bed by digging in some aged poultry manure or compost. You can buy strawberries in pots or punnets, but the cheapest and best way is to buy runners in a cardboard box (always use plants that are certified free of virus diseases). Space the runners at about 30cm apart, and apply a mulch to help prevent weeds and keep the fruit clean. When the flowers start to appear feed with a liquid fertiliser, such as Nitrosol, every few weeks. Strawberries will fruit well for about three years - replace them with new plants in the autumn of the third year.

Citrus trees

Don put some mulch around the base of a citrus tree, making sure not to allow any of the mulch to touch the trunk. Some citrus trees, such as Emperor mandarins, bear so heavily that the branches bend over with the weight of the crop. When this happens it is necessary to do some emergency thinning to prevent the branches snapping under the strain. Ideally, the best time to prune citrus is after the crop is harvested.

Banksias

Don was surprised to find a little banksia growing and even flowering in a shady part of his grevillea garden. Since autumn is a wonderful time of the year for planting, he decided to put in another banksia. ‘Birthday Candles’ is a prostrate from of Banksia spinulata. In late summer to autumn it has pale yellow to orange flower spikes, which sit well up above the foliage. (Tip: do not buy banksias and other native plants in large pots. Smaller sized plants will establish more quickly and develop into healthier specimens.)

Cymbidium orchids Insert thin stakes into cymbidium pots to support the developing flower spikes. Apply snail bait to the top of the pot to prevent slugs and snails from eating the flower buds. (Warning: snail baits can poison pets and native animals. Follow the directions on the pack.) During autumn and winter orchids can be moved out of the shade and grown in full sun until spring. Bring flowering orchids inside the house for a week or so to get the most enjoyment from their beautiful display.

Indoor plants

Be careful not to overwater your indoor plants during autumn and winter. Indoor plants, such as peace lilies (Spathiphyllum sp.), should be kept on the dry side throughout the cooler months. However, ferns should be kept moist and watered normally.

Further information

Strawberry runners are available in packets or boxes - 5 runners cost approximately $6.
Banksia spinulosa ‘Birthday Candles’ cost approximately $20 for a 140mm (6") pot.
Cymbidum orchids cost approximately $45 for a 200mm (8") pot depending on flower spikes. The more flower spikes on an orchid plant the more expensive it is.
Peace lilies cost approximately $25 for a 200mm (8") pot.

Copyright CTC Productions 2003