Amateur Gardening – 10 August 2019

36 AMATEUR GARDENING10 AUGUST 2019

Ask John Negus

Johnhasbeenanswering

reader queries for 49 years

Q

I’vejustbuilta compostbinusing

oldpalletstomakethewooden

frame.ShouldI coverthesidestostop

thegrassgrowingorleavethem open?

Also,canI compostturf?

Trevor Martins, Oldham, Lancs

A

Anunlinedcompostbinwillallow

airintotheheap,whichis beneficial

totheorganismsthatareactively

decomposingtheplantmaterial.

However,leavingthesidesslattedcan

increasetheamountof waterthatis lost

fromtheheapandkeepthematerialat

theedgescooler.Decompositionslows

downif thematerialgetstoodryorcold.

Alinedheapwillmaintainhigher

temperatures,whichencourages

speedier decomposition, helps maintain

at s t e est bin formakingcompost?

Carnivorouscare

Q

HowshouldI overwintermypitcher

plantsandVenusflytraps?

Ian Mitchell, via email

A

Sarraceniapurpurea(thepitcher

plant)is almosthardyandcanbe

overwinteredin anunheatedporchor

room.Remove‘brownedoff’leaves

andflowerstalksassoonaspossible.

Venusflytraps(Dionaeamuscipula)

hailfromNorthandSouthCarolina

andneedtobeoverwinteredin a

temperatureof notlessthan41ºF(5ºC).

Keepit perkybysittingitspot in a

drip tray of lime-free water.

Pitcher plants are happy in a cool porch

moisturelevelsandpreventslight

reachingthematerialtostopit growing.

However,a linedheapis vulnerableto

becomingtoowetand/ortooairless.

Whetherornottolinethesides

perhapsdependsonthelocationof the

heap.If it is standingonbaresoilthenit

shoulddrainwellandnotgettoowet.

Youcanalsodecreasetheamountof

waterreachingtheheapbycovering it

duringparticularlywetweather.

If thebinis standingonconcretethat

willrestrictdrainage,thenit mightbe

bettertoleavethesidesunlined,only

coveringthetopin prolongedwetspells.

Turfwillgrowwhereit getsaccessto

light,soturntheexposedpartsof the

turfintothemiddleortothebaseof

the heap so that they are buried. 

Morguefi le

All photography TI Media unless otherwise credited

Q

Willyellowpondirisessurvive

beingplantedin a border?

G Gauntlett, via email

A

Yourmoisture-lovingyellowiris(Iris

pseudacorus) willthriveandflower

wellin a sunnyborderthatstaysdampin

summer.Itsfoliagewillbelessvigorous

thanif it wereimmersedin water,butit

shouldbecomea handsomefeature.

Alternatively,transferit toa large

potof loam-basedpottingcompost

andplaceit in a driptray.If youkeepthe

tray filled with water, it should prosper.

Pond iris in a border

Hippeastrumhelp!

Q

Myamaryllishassprunginto

life,hasthreeleavesandis

12in(30cm)tall.Is thisOK?

Maureen Stone, via email

A

Toensurethatanamaryllis

(hippeastrum)flowersthe

followingyear,whenbloomsfade

waterregularlyandliquid-feed

fortnightlywithtomatofertiliser

untilmid-October,thenstopboth.

Whentheleavesdieback,repot

thebulbintoa largercontainerof

ericaceouscompost,ensuringthat

thereis a 2in(5cm)gapbetweenthe

bulbandpot.Soakthecompost

beforeplantinganddonotwater

again until new leaves appear.

Hippeastrumoramaryllisshould

be left to die back naturally

Yellowpondiriseswill thrive

in a damp border

Compostingmaterialneedslight,

heatandmoistureasit breaks

down into crumbly goodness