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To peel off in thin layers or shreds, as the bark of some trees.

Of leaves and other organs - very long and thin, thread-like.

Like a membrane, being very thin, translucent or papery.

, loganberries and other cane fruitsWater gooseberries and strawberries to encourage fruits to swellPlant cold-stored strawberry runners from mail-order fruit specialists for crops in just 60 daysThin out emerging raspberry canes if they're too congested, leaving

tomatoes with Bordeaux mixture to prevent blightThin heavy fruit crops, picking off the smallest. Aim to leave developing fruits about 10-15cm apart along the stems, perhaps thinning congested spurs down to just a single fruitSow seed of herbs now

with carrot root flyGrow carrots in a containerThin out carrot cropsLearn how crop rotation can benefit carrot cropsChoose vegetable varietiesChoose plants by soil type

Sow seeds of beans, marrows courgettes and squashes, two per pot, and thin out the weakest seedling to leave the strongest plantSpray peaches and nectarines with fungicide to prevent an attack of peach leaf curl Pick rhubarb stems as they develop

Hang pheromone traps in fruit trees to control moth pests, such as codling moth larvae, which eat applesThin out congested fruit crops on peaches and nectarines, spacing fruits about 10cm apartWatch out for signs of powdery mildew or disease

Feed fast-growing plants with a diluted liquid or powdered fertiliser Thin out congested pond plantsHand weed flower beds to prevent weeds establishing and setting seedBuild simple log piles at the back of borders to provide shelter for frogs, toads

Sow seeds of herbs in pots to grow on your kitchen windowsill, such as coriander, parsley and basilLook out for woolly aphid on fruit trees, and spray any with soapy waterThin out seedlings from earlier sowings to their final spacings