GARDENING WITH MUGGLES 2

GARDENS AND PRUNES

Whether Muggle or Hagrid the process of pruning is much the same. At Dumbledore our property near Snake Valley we have been propagating the finest plants of any Hippie Garden undetected by the experts for a decade now. We are not publicity hounds and don't even have a sign on our fence. We rely on words of mouth to provide both keen gardeners and their admirers with all the enjoyment they need.

Pruning is generally done to create more yield off your plants, producing more fruit or nuts or buds, or to limit the size of the plant to fit the area in which you grow it. As a weed it can grow a little too prolific and will have every dickhead and dunce between here and Ballarat out looking for more dopes. S pruning becomes a necessity rather than a way of restricting production.

There are several methods of pruning but the most commonly used method would be stem tip removal. We have personally seen what we call 'panic pruning' occur more often than is necessary. This is a method whereby pruning is the rather drastic affair of pulling the whole plant out by its roots, something outside authorities seem to prefer, and getting rid of it either by the authorised version of incineration under Police supervision or by a quick dispersal sale at the back of Sebastapol High.

The tip removal process is achieved by simply removing the tips of the plant. (a.k.a 'Duh') and by doing this the plant effectively creates two new growing tips just below where you removed the original tip. Obviously good pruning by this method not only thickens the bush but doubles its cropping potential. This method is often used where the chances of having your crop decimated by disease or discovery is very low. Although effective we believe there is a superior method to creating more yield which I will explain under Maximising Your Crop.

I think this method of pruning is good for limiting the size of your plants, and thus better for indoor and hydroponic fanatics, more so than increasing your yield. The way you can limit the size of your plant/s is by tipping the arms at their desired lengths.

If your plants head off early enough in the season, meaning there is still a couple of months of summer remaining, it is good to prune your plants by cutting the larger buds off and putting them away for a rainy day. Once you have pruned the plants back it is good to start off by giving them a good feed of lifter and a nice big drink. An alternative is to distribute your excess crop along with a good stiff drink. Over the next couple of months it will be a very heady time as the plants will give head again and create even more yield.

Note: The Linton C.F.A Fire Restriction Period is almost equivalent to the Hagrid and Muggles growing season. This has the advantage of your crop not being 'incinerated in situ' but the disadvantage of being secretly admired by aircraft keeping their eyes out for bushfires.

Other publications in the Linton Hanging Garden Series.

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The story of Kerr's Cur