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Florist's 'more manure' plea to feed prize-winning dahlias
A PRIZE-winning florist is appealing for pesticide-free poo so his dahlias can get some last minute flower power ahead of the Dorset County Show.
Mark Read, of P & M Read in Upwey, won the dahlia championship in last year’s horticulture section but is not confident his winning streak will continue because of a shortage of farmyard manure to feed the soil in his back garden.
Mr Read, who used to put 14 tonnes of manure on his annual dahlia crop, said: ‘Dahlias originate from Mexico and are grown during the rainy season, so they need a lot of water.
‘Manure is the best thing for holding the water in the soil but the problem I have got at the moment is I can’t get hold of any that has not got weedkiller in it.
‘So many farmers are using the broad leaf weedkiller in their fields, which does not kill grass, only things with a broad leaf - like dahlias. It goes straight through the cow and comes out in the manure, and kills off the dahlias.
‘It has been so difficult to find farmers who can guarantee that their grass is not contaminated by this. I have managed to get some from a sheep farmer who let me have 20 bagfuls but that’s nowhere near enough.
‘I don’t dare to infect my garden with this weedkiller – it would take three years to get rid of all traces of it. So I end up using so much more water. I give each plant more than a gallon every day. And because my garden has not had manure for three years the soil has got very dusty and loose.’
Mr Read says a lot of care goes into growing a championship dahlia. They are all grown from cuttings taken off his best plants from the previous year. He said: ‘I root them myself usually in April or May and plant them in my back garden in Upwey in June.’
Show Secretary Sam Mackenzie-Green said: ‘At the Dorset County Show we have got an excellent network of hundreds of farmers but this is the first time we have ever had to broadcast a plea like this to them!
‘Our members all like to help each other out, that is what makes the Dorset County Show such a great success year after year. We would love to be able to help Mr Read so perhaps there is somebody out there who needs to clear their field of horse or pony poo, and they could come to some happy arrangement with him.
‘Every year I am always amazed at how seriously people take their preparations for the Show. I hope Mr Read will be able to put on a great display, because the floral tent is one of the things that hundreds of visitors always make a beeline for.’
Mr Read also grows vegetables such as leeks and onions, runner beans, cauliflower and celery, as well as pot plants, to enter in the Dorset County show classes.
If you have some manure you can donate please contact P & M Read on 01305 812932.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Mark Read with his champion dahlias.
NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information, or to arrange interviews, please contact Emily Pykett at Watershed PR on 01308-420785, email emily@watershedpr.co.uk
The Dorset County Show is one of the premier county shows, celebrating the spirit of the county and the best rural traditions of Dorset since 1841.
When: 4-5 September 2010.
Where: The Showground is just one mile outside Dorchester just off the A35.
How: By car, parking is free at the Showground. If you’re coming by public transport, take the train or bus to Dorchester and pick up a First Buses service, which will be running frequently from Dorchester to the Showground from 07.35am to 17.08pm.
Tickets: An advance adult ticket is £10. Entrance is free for children aged 16 and under. You can buy tickets online at www.dorsetcountyshow.co.uk or from Tourist Information Centres in Dorchester, Weymouth, Bridport, Lyme Regis, Wimborne, Blandford, Wareham and Swanage.
ENDS
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