Hi
Really cold this morning, must have been very close to a frost, it was registering 2C at 7 this morning. Luckily it looks like we are coming into a run of high pressure and more settled conditions with sunshine and light winds which should stave off the autumnal feel for a bit. Potting has gone really well this week, we are close to catching up with the schedule, just another few tunnels to go before the October bulb potting spree and then we can relax. Space in the tunnels is getting harder to create as we cut a few things back and shuffle it all about. It looks like we are going to be overwintering a bit more than I had originally planned, but that should be fine, I will just reduce my spring module ordering a bit to make up for it and hope the winter isn't too wet or cold so all that stock flies out early in the Spring.
After emptying the irrigation tank over the weekend the tank relining team pitched up on Monday as planned, but after several setbacks and a late night finish we were left with a functioning but uncovered tank. Our small leak had developed into an 18 inch split, so it was a good job we rushed the team in for the repair, but a surprising number of parts had rusted away including the outlet pipe and flange, and the cover centre post base support. Unfortunately none of these things are visible until the tank is emptied and it all comes apart. More parts have been ordered but at least we now have a non leaking and functioning water store. Because of the late finish there was no water in the tank to test the pumps, so an added surprise the following day was that they still error messaged that there was no water, despite all my pump bleeding and priming efforts. Had to call the pump man for advice and he suggested checking that the float switches were doing their thing after being reintroduced into the newly lined tank. One had sunk when it should have been floating (weight had got stuck in the wrong place) but this still didn't clear the issue. Thankfully I was able to get Ian the pump man to do an emergency visit and he found they had pulled out one of the float switch wires in the terminal box while reinstalling the switches. Not my fault for a change, and such a relief as we had been without water for 3 days.
The last compost delivery is coming in on Tuesday, half is our peat-free bulb compost and half our general overwintering potting mix, We emptied the bin today so it's perfect timing and I'm hoping I've worked out the quantities just right so none of it goes to waste. The last main predator release happened this week, just in time for the cold snap last night. They should be ok, as they are delivered slightly chilled, but they appreciate some warmth over the next few days to get properly active. The next couple of week of warm sunshine should be perfect timing to knock back any pest build up that could happen before winter sets in. We still get the odd aphid outbreak now and then but not a lot. Red-spider mite, vine weevil, whitefly and all those compost flies all seem to be absent so we assume the bugs are doing the trick. We did have one scare a few weeks ago when a customer noticed potential scale insects on several plants on an order, and the images sent did get me worried, although it isn't a pest we have ever seen before. I sent the pictures to our expert man who quickly reassured me that these were commonly misidentified at this time of year and that they were in fact small spider egg cases. Once we knew, we were spotting them all over the place especially on the underside of propagation and carrying trays as well as on some leaves. Apparently it indicates a healthy population of spiders are about with more likely to be running all over the place very soon. Caroline wasn't too keen on that bit.
Next week I'm off to Hyde Hall to hear about all the latest progress on peat-free propagation, so hoping to pick up a few tips so we can make the most of the new tray filler and seeding machines that should be arriving soon. We also get a tour of a local bedding nursery to see their prop unit so looking to cherry pick some good ideas and practices there too. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
End of season wooden Box returns
We have already started collecting a lot of our wooden boxes back from many sites and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. If you have empty boxes ready to go please do drop us a line and we will pop in when next in the area.
Availability list.
Summer is rushing by and the Autumn flowering Cyclamen hederifolium are well ready with the bud and flower. Premium variety Tiarella Pink Skyrocket are ready with attractive foliage and now also in bud and flower. Lovely foliage plants on show with Ajuga and Euphorbia displaying nicely.
The more classic Aster varieties are coming on strong now, after all the new early Alpha range has sold out. Most are now coming into bud ready for their late summer and autumn display.
Summer colour is still there with Gaura Rosy Jane and its bicolour flowers plus the lovely delicate white Whirling Butterflies, New range for this year is the Helenium Hayday series, Strong and compact and still showing good colour and bud.
Armeria Dreameria series of long season flowering Armerias are still showing plenty of colour with still more to come.
Best wishes from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.
