It is now just about the end of February and every day the daylight hours are becoming shorter.
In New Zealand, the reduction of daylight hours in February is less pronounced compared to other months. Here’s how February compares to other months:
- February: The daylight hours decrease by approximately 1.5 to 2 minutes per day1. This results in a total reduction of about 45-60 minutes over the course of the month.
- March-April: The rate of daylight reduction accelerates during these months, with days becoming shorter more rapidly as the autumn equinox approaches.
- May-June: These months see the fastest reduction in daylight hours, leading up to the winter solstice (shortest day) in late June.
- July-December: After the winter solstice, the trend reverses, with daylight hours increasing. The rate of increase is fastest around September-October and slows down as it approaches the summer solstice in late December.
- January: Similar to February, the reduction in daylight hours is relatively slow, as it’s still close to the summer solstice.
The gradual change in February contrasts with the more dramatic shifts seen in the months closer to the equinoxes. It’s worth noting that the exact rates of change vary slightly depending on the specific location within New Zealand due to latitude differences.
February’s abundant sunshine is generally beneficial for agriculture. Many locations in New Zealand experienced their sunniest February on record in 2024, with places like Auckland and Hamilton recording their second-sunniest February.
This increased sunlight can boost photosynthesis and plant growth.
What this all means is if you want to grow vegetables or flowers for winter harvesting/picking then you better hurry up and do so as suitable growing time is quickly running out.
I had a person say to be during the week what’s the point of growing vegetables as they are so cheap now in supermarkets and market gardens/farmer markets?
Yes there is a glut in the market place right now and it will be so for a few weeks yet.
The only counter for this is there is also lots of vegetables in your own gardeners now from plantings done in the spring.
The big difference between what is in the supermarket and what is growing naturally in your garden is taste, nutritional content, with no chemical poisons and high health food.
Only you and your gardening will give you those attributes.
Planting vegetables for winter harvesting actually should have started in December for things such as leeks and long large maturing brassicas and my favourite vegetable for winter stews being swedes.
The difference in taste of home grown swedes in your winter stews is incredible when compared to swedes in the supermarket in winter.
So you should be taking this last opportunity to plant brassicas and other vegetables to harvest in winter.
Select mini type brassicas and other vegetables that are quicker maturing as they will be reaching maturity as winter rolls in and day light hours shorten down to about only 8 hours on the shortest day in June.
Sun, sunlight intensity plus length of these in hours are what really makes plants grow as they covert sunlight to carbohydrates which is the ‘energy sugars’ that along with CO2, moisture and manures in the soil.
Therein lays a problem that as a result of pollution in the atmosphere the strength of the sunlight reaching our plants is not as good as it used to be in the past.
This one of the reasons why many gardeners have noticed and say that their plants don’t grow as well as they used to do. (Reduced sunlight and reduced CO2)
We can overcome this problem simply by spraying our plants every few days with this powerful combination: Magic Botanic Liquid with Mycorrcin and adding what I call Liquid Sunshine. (Molasses dissolved in hot water at the rate of a tablespoon per litre of water)
If you do this you will see that the plants grow bigger and faster and that the leaves also get bigger than normal. When the price of vegetables to buy is expensive you will have big savings in the garden not only in money terms but in health as well.
If storing unused products in spray bottle unseal to allow it to breathe as it may swell the container because the microbes in the mix will expand their populations.
The foliage of the plant loves these freebie carbs, as they make the plant grow bigger leaves to collect more Liquid Sunshine and in doing so will also collect more sunlight. (Bigger solar panel more energy collected)
Your best buy for molasses is PGG Wrightson where a 25 kilo bucket is about $70.00.
Or another good buy is here – 5 litres for $16.00
We used to worry about what was called a nuclear winter (which is still a possibility) which would happen when the fall out of many nuclear bombs creates lots of atmosphere pollution to dim or darken the skies.
I came across another one recently called ‘a volcanic winter’ where the eruptions puts so much ash and debris into the atmosphere the sunlight is blocked for a long time till it clears.
In either case plants either dont grow or are slow growing like in winter during short day light hours.
To overcome that you would either have to use artificial light from special LED lights or you use molasses sprayed onto the foliage daily. Thus if you are wise it would be good to have a good amount of molasses stored in home or shed. For general health or emergency situations (like no supermarkets) Molasses is vital..
Blackstrap molasses has many potential health benefits, including helping with anemia, digestion, and bone health. It’s also a good source of energy and nutrients like iron, calcium, and magnesium.
- Benefits: Anemia: Blackstrap molasses’ high iron content can help increase hemoglobin levels and energy.
- Digestion: Molasses can help relieve constipation.
- Bone health: Molasses contains calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which are important for bone health.
- Energy: Molasses is a concentrated source of carbohydrates and calories.
- Antioxidants: Molasses contains antioxidants that may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
- Heart health: Molasses contains vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that may help lower blood pressure.
Other potential benefits May help treat ADHD and ADD, May help prevent osteoporosis, and May help soften skin.
Considerations
Blackstrap molasses can raise blood sugar levels, so it should be used in moderation, especially for people with diabetes. You should consult a healthcare professional before using molasses to treat a health condition.
Good for your plants and good for you .. I remember as a kid mum used to give me a spoonful every so often.
Image credit: Matti Johnson
Products mentioned are from Wallys Range of products and can be found in some garden shops or by Mail Order on www.0800466464.co.nz
Problems ring me at: Phone 0800 466464
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
Shar Pei pages at www.sharpei.co.nz
Mail Order products at www.0800466464.co.nz
