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Friday 20th October, 2017

Hi

NEWSFLASH 


Kumara slips have arrived! 

Don't hold it against them just because they belong to the morning glory family... yes that's right, the same family as that climbing vine with the gorgeous blue flowers, which is such a weed!! So the family name is Convolvulaceae and the fancy Latin is Ipomoea batatas. (Don't ask me to pronounce it!)
So this means that Kumara love to grow in a long warm season. I have grown these and on the whole they have been quite an easy crop to grow, they just need some space, and for quite some time too!!

Prepare the soil with any ferts, compost prior to planting and don't feed them again otherwise they will put all their energy into growing tops and not tubers. Lime the soil at this point as well. Don't dig deep, just aerate the soil. Ideally they like to grow in a light soil with a pan or hard layer underneath so when they hit the hard spot they will start to grow tubers.
Make a mound around 20 cm high and plant them like a J in  the soil, get the slip mostly all in the soil and just leave the outer leaves showing and keep them moist until they take off. Those brand new slips can run out of water if the soil surface suddenly turns dry.  I have always planted mine at 40 to 50 cm spacing along a mound.
One growers secret for growing kumara is to not cut the runners back but rather keep lifting them so that the tops don't root into the ground. This will mean that they will put their energy into growing the tubers.  My old boss knew a thing or two when we planted them through left over polythene mulch.... the poly would have stopped the tops rooting down and kept the soil much warmer as it attracts the heat.
When the plants start to die down and the tops are going yellowish, approximately 4 to 5 months then this is the time to harvest. Take care lifting these beauties out of the soil as you want them as undamaged as you can and then dry them off in the sun for a few days and they should store for up to 5 months in a dark airy cupboard.  
These are available in bundles of 25 for $9.99 per bundle.  Follow the links above to purchase online.
                


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2017 Newsletters...

1st one for 2017 (26th January, 2017)

Grapefruit (2nd February, 2017)

Party time (10th February, 2017)

17 Feb (17th February, 2017)

Asteraceae (24th February, 2017)

Autumn Its Official 03032017 (3rd March, 2017)

The Camellia story (10th March, 2017)

Roses Half Price (16th March, 2017)

Clipped Camellias (23rd March, 2017)

Red and gold (31st March, 2017)

Wairere Newsletter 7th April (7th April, 2017)

A wet season indeed (13th April, 2017)

Form and texture (21st April, 2017)

To Bee or not... (28th April, 2017)

Mothers Day (10th May, 2017)

Its Rose time again (19th May, 2017)

Winter colour (24th May, 2017)

Roses blooms (1st June, 2017)

Healthy roses (8th June, 2017)

Birthday brekkie (14th June, 2017)

winter solstice (22nd June, 2017)

Rose Names (29th June, 2017)

Dry July (7th July, 2017)

Dry July nearly half way (13th July, 2017)

school holidays (20th July, 2017)

Tree time (27th July, 2017)

unoffical spring (3rd August, 2017)

Signs of spring (11th August, 2017)

Tui cherries are blooming (18th August, 2017)

Sunshine at last (24th August, 2017)

slugs and snails (1st September, 2017)

Never fail choc cake (7th September, 2017)

Never fail choc cake (8th September, 2017)

sandpaper vine (15th September, 2017)

In the beginning (21st September, 2017)

The Villa (29th September, 2017)

Montanas (6th October, 2017)

Crepe Myrtles (13th October, 2017)

Te Aroha Airport (18th October, 2017)

..... Kumara plants are in

French Tarragon 2 (27th October, 2017)

Trees (3rd November, 2017)

what happening (15th November, 2017)

Xeronema (17th November, 2017)

Summer Watering (25th November, 2017)

Officially summer 2 (1st December, 2017)

Wairere Newsletter (8th December, 2017)

Xmas Summer Holidays (22nd December, 2017)




Wairere Nursery
826 Gordonton Road, R D 1, Hamilton 3281 Ph: (07) 824 3430 Email: