Gardening Techniques. Part Two.

Dibbing In:

Dibbing In:

Dibbing in is a simple and fast planting technique compared to using a trowel. The standard dibber is usually a stout wooden or metal spike bought from a garden shop or made at home from an old spade handle. These dibbers are for big seedlings. For pot culture and for small seedlings outdoors use a pencil or dowel. The tip of the dibber needs to be rounded as opposed to sharply pointed.

Dibbing in (or dibbling) involves inserting the dibber sufficiently deeply into the soil so that the roots will fit comfortably. Place the plant into the hole and then firm the ground by re-inserting the dibber point about 1 - 2 inches from the stem. Move the dibber towards the plant in an effort to press the soil around the roots.

This is an excellent technique for planting vegetables which have been raised in a seed bed. Brassicas, including Cabbages, Brussels Sprouts etc, are well known examples. It is also widely used for planting cuttings, but in all cases you must be certain that the hole is no deeper than necessary. The role of dibbing in is restricted - use a trowel and never a dibber for large size planting material like bulbs or tubers, and do not use a dibber in heavy, wet soil.

Disbudding:

Normally, flower buds in the garden are allowed to develop and open naturally to produce the maximum display. For exhibitors however, and others interested in the size of individual blooms, the flower stems are disbudded. This requires pinching out side buds the minute they can be handled, leaving the central bud to grow to be a sizable specimen to catch the eye of the judge or earn the envy of the neighbours. Chrysanthemums, Dahlias and Carnations are frequently treated this way for show purposes. Many Hybrid Tea Roses produce more than one flower bud at the end of every shoot. With this flower it is nearly always desirable to seek the maximum size, so disbudding of side shoots is advisable. Delay taking off side buds if you want to hold back flowering for the day of the show. If the Rose variety produces very full blooms which spoil badly in wet weather, reverse the process and pinch out the terminal bud so that your side buds develop.

Earthing Up:

There are a number of reasons for earthing up, this means the drawing up of soil towards and all around the stems. Potatoes are earthed up to avoid the tubers being open to light. When the haulm is about 9 inches high a draw hoe is needed to pile loose soil against the stems to establish a flat-topped ridge. The greens (Broccoli, Kale, Brussels Sprouts etc) are earthed up for a different reason - soil is drawn up all around the stems of well developed plants to improve anchorage against high winds.

The stems of Celery and Leek are blanched by earthing up. This begins with Celery when it is about 1 foot high - with Leeks it is done in phases, the height being increased a little bit at a time by drawing dry soil all around the stems.

Earthing up is vital on the vegetable plot but it has a place in the herbaceous border. Shoots can appear prematurely during a mild spell in early spring, it is advisable to draw loose soil over them with a hoe so as to avoid damage by severe frosts which may come later.

by: Stephen Drummonsy

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