SOWING SMALL SEEDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 263, 5 November 1932, Page 6 (Supplement)

SOWING SMALL SEEDS.

Small seeds are really no more difficult to manage successfully than, larger ones, if care is taken to observe these few simple rules: Perfectly clean pots or boxes must be crocked to about half their depth, one large piece being put over the drainage hole. A layer of moss or flakey leaf mould goes next to prevent the soil -washing into the crocks. A compost consisting of three parts loam and one part iinely-crumpled leaf mould, with the addition of eand, must be well mixed together and run through a sieve.

Some people recommend heating the soil in an oven to destroy .any germs concealed in moss or low vegetation. These are contained also in rain water, and spring up very freely where this is used. The coarser portion of the soil should be put in the pot first and a layer of the finer, lin thick, on the top. Water through a fine rose and leave for an hour to drain. Mix the seed with an equal part of fine sand and scatter as thinly as possible. No covering is

needed, simply lightly press into tie soil, then place in a suitable temperature according to the variety. Cover "with a. sheet of glass and ehade from bright sunshine. In dealing with hardy plants, a good plan is to sink the pots containing them to the rims in a bed of ashes, and cover with a pane. of glass. Evaporation will be much slower and germination quicker. Under glase, a good method is to have a box a little deeper than the pots, and bed the pots cither in ashes or coconut fibre, as this serves to conserve the moisture. Take care that the soil never approaches dryness. When water is required, immerse

the pots to half their depth in water until the surface becomes quite moist. Moisture which condenses on the surface of the glass must be dispersed by withdrawing and wiping the glass so that air reaches the plants. A watch should be kept for damping off, and immediately prick off the young plants, especially gloxinias and begonias. Use a similar soil to that advised previously, and water carefully always before the soil is completely dry.