The problem with the rainy season

Published July 5, 2015
Cabbages are always Kings — the bottles deter hungry birds
Cabbages are always Kings — the bottles deter hungry birds

With the weather rumbling and grumbling away as it builds up to what is predicted to be a less than normal monsoon — although one generally takes such predictions with a large pinch of salt as, despite up-to-date global weather pattern images being so easily available, our Meteoro-logical department is often wrong — even the thought of working in the garden is too much for some people to bear. But, if a beautiful and productive garden is what you want, work must be done and wearing a towelling headband, like those worn by some athletes, is the perfect way of keeping rivulets of sweat from interfering with your vision!

High humidity combined with pre-monsoon showers — and monsoon rain when it materialises, of course — create the perfect atmospheric conditions for one of the banes of summer gardening life here in Pakistan. The dreaded powdery / downy mildews that, in a matter of just a few days, can completely decimate many flowering and edible plants alike with, for example, all members of the Cucurbita family — cucumbers are one, Patty-pan squash another — liable to be stopped in their previously prolific tracks by the rapid depredations of this fungal disease.

Powdery and downy mildews simply adore ‘stagnant’ air and both first appear as white / grey dusty spots on the leaves of whatever plants they are decided to attack. These spots quickly spread, connect and form a solid mass both above and below what were previously healthy leaves. The next stage is that the affected leaves first begin to yellow, then turn brittle and brown and then, as the mildew turns from what initially resembled a smattering of flour into a nightmarish grey-black, sooty mess, completely give up the ghost and have to be removed.


The damp monsoon weather brings problems of its own that need to be taken care of beforehand as new seeds are being sown


A variety of chemical-based sprays claim to control the problem but, quite frankly, they don’t; organic sprays, such as a popular one with bicarbonate of soda as its main ingredient don’t either work in our extremely humid summer climate, to be honest. The only sure fire way of dealing with any form of mildew is, frankly, to avoid it to your level best.

Mildews — along with various other problematic fungal diseases including botrytis — thrive in high humidity exacerbated by the aforementioned ‘stagnant’ air. As we all know too well, the air tends to be like ‘soup’ in the run-up to the monsoon and there is nothing that we — aside from drastically reducing the amount of atmospheric pollution present — can do to make it breathable and fresh; but, garden wise, it is not all that difficult to increase air flow by ruthlessly cutting back overgrown plants / shrubs and, if a garden is very congested, removing surplus plants completely. This ‘opening-up’ of the garden, naturally increases whatever airflow there happens to be and, in doing so, vastly reduces the chances of mildew and other fungal attacks.

Mildews also tend to go for ‘stressed out’ and weak plants: healthy specimens are mostly able to shrug it off if, that is, it even dares to venture near them. ‘Stressed out’ plants are those which have not been properly cared for, especially as regards a regular watering routine, those which have been recently transplanted or are struggling to survive in unacceptable soil conditions. Weak plants, those with straggly, visibly unhealthy growth, are easy to spot and should not be allowed to remain in the garden as they attract problems in various forms. Keep only healthy plants in your garden if, as no doubt you do, want to avoid mildews and other summer season nasties. Mildew prevention is really the only way: there is no actual cure.

Having sounded off about mildews, let’s now move on to taking a quick look at just a few of the gorgeous flowers you can, with care, start off from seed this month: Balsam, begonias, scabosia, rudbeckia, gaillardia, dahlias, geraniums, salvias, cinerraria, carnations, sweet williams, hollyhocks and zinnias, the latter in all of their blindingly vivid colour range, can all be sown now.

Sow the seeds, in top quality, preferably organic, compost mixed with sweet earth — take care to mix it well, removing any debris / lumps in the process — in seed trays / clay pots which have good drainage capability. Take care not to overcrowd seeds or the resultant seedlings will be adversely affected. With rain in the offing, it is wise to either place these seed trays / pots in a place that already has protection from the weather or, if not, then ensure that you have some form of easily emplaced rain protection standing by for use as soon as the first drops of rain make their presence known: all it takes is one downpour to wash all of your seeds / seedlings away. A simple plastic sheet, either weighted or tied down to prevent it blowing away, is all it really takes although such a sheet is best placed over some kind of support frame to stop it from damaging already growing seedlings which, on the whole, are delicate little things.

Beetroot, long radish & crunchy lettuce & Seed grown dahlia
Beetroot, long radish & crunchy lettuce & Seed grown dahlia

The same seed sowing requirements apply to any vegetables and herbs also being started off in seed trays / pots both this month and the next.

Vegetable seeds to be sown in July include: tomatoes, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, carrots, spring onions, radish, leaf beet / Swiss chard, spinach, celery.

On the herb front: coriander, lovage, dill, borage, chives and garlic chives.

Other tasks this month are, as always, legion and here are just a very few which should be towards the top of your ‘To do’ list:

• Have rain protection at the ready for outdoor pot plants and seed trays / pots. If pot plants are very large, carefully lay the pots on their sides at the first sign of rain as this will help prevent problems with water-logging.

• Any pot plants susceptible to rain damage — chrysanthemums and carnations being prime examples — should be moved, if possible, to protected locations or given protection where they are.

• Check garden drains, paying special attention to drains connected to rooftop gardens, for blockages and clean / repair as necessary.

• Clean filters on rainwater harvesting systems.

• Have pot grown saplings, shrubs and creepers at the ready to plant in the holes you have already prepared: you have, haven’t you?

• Take cuttings and layerings of selected shrubs and creepers.

• Divide and multiply ferns.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer will not respond directly be email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 5th, 2015

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