Latest articles from Paul Brannan

Paul Brannan: Don't fence me in

AS we say goodbye to our nice crisp dry autumn we welcome a rather wet winter if this week is anything to go by, the frequent heavy showers can make it difficult to do anything in the garden.

Gardening Tips: A bit of winter pruning goes along way

Following storms Aileen and Brian sandwiched by Hurricane Ophelia that removed a lot of leaf there remains some wonderful autumn colours around at the moment however with colder weather and darker nights upon us with change of clocks this weekend we will find the remaining leaf on trees and shrubs will start to lose the remaining foliage and now is the time to think about carrying out some winter pruning.

Gardening Tips: How to preserve the green green grass of home

At this time of year we can often see our nice lush green lawns begin to look quite yellow and losing all colour. The wet summer months we have had since July this year will have removed a lot of nutrients in the soil and can make the lawn prone to disease.

Gardening Tips: Spending mower time on on gear will help you

The weather over the last week has meant grass has continued to grow and the lawn possibly still needs cut before preparing your mower for any winter laydown or service. Any machine large of small should be less expensive to assess and service if it is cleaned thoroughly before hand, this could also stop any rot build up and the possibility of hiding any structural, blade or bearing damage.

Gardening Tips: Celebrating World Ranger Day

There are very few dates in a year where there isn’t one thing or another being celebrated. This year, in July alone we had World UFO day on Sunday July 2, Bastille Day on July 14 and World Emoji Day on Monday July 17.

Gardening Tips: How to deal with weeds, pests and disease

At this time of year in any year weeds, pests and disease are always apparent and thriving, this year, with the recent wet humid conditions the weeds, pests and disease appear more prevalent possibly down to the wet conditions that favour the growth of weeds, pets and disease. The wet conditions we are experiencing are conducive to the spread of weeds, pests and disease in the garden and obviously reducing and limiting the time you can spend treating these issues as most products used for control require a period of dry weather following application to allow the weed or plant time to take in and absorb control methods used. In the case of weeds, growth has been strong and although you may have treated areas earlier in the year, you will notice re growth at this time of the year. If you are looking to control weeds in the driveway or path areas then products containing glyphosate and other active ingredients are available for this, care must be taken when spraying that these products do not drift on to surrounding plants and lawn areas as they could cause some damage even in small amounts. If you are spraying the paths make sure you allow enough time for the product to dry before walking across the lawn, if still wet product can transfer on feet causing damage or even killing off areas of the lawn. These type of products can be used in shrub and border areas by a directed spray on to the problem weeds with extreme care to avoid spray damage on desirable plants. There are other products available containing maleic hydrazide and pelargonic acid for the control of weeds in the driveway and shrub areas of the garden. Weeds that can be particularly troublesome at this time of the year are mares tail and couch grass. Mares tail also referred to as horse tail can be described as a grassy fir tree like thin leaf type of weed almost like a horse or mares tail hence the name. It finds its way into driveways through tar and continues to spread with its rhizomes going underground. In this situation and this type of weed it can take several applications over a few years to totally eradicate the weed. Couch grass is also strong at this time of year and always finds a way of growing through desirable plants making it difficult to apply a chemical control. Pulling out couch can often uproot desirable plants. If you are able to apply a direct spray or in this situations some products come in a gel formulation to allow easier target application then this will eradicate this difficult weed. Weeds in the lawn are also on the increase this year as grass is being cut wet, soils compacting are all contributing factors to weed growth. Applications of products containing clopyralid, MCPA, 2,4-D, mecoprop-p and fluroxypyr are all available in RTU 'ready to use' spray solutions to target weeds on lawns without damaging the grass. Some of these products are available in lawn fertilisers allowing application of a lawn feed at the same time as weeding. Before considering a weed programme consider if total eradication is required throughout the garden or if you could leave areas for wildlife or to encourage bees in the garden as removal of some of our weeds also removes bee pollinating plants.