BALSAMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 230, 28 September 1935, Page 6 (Supplement)

BALSAMS.

Well-grown balsam plants are excellent for greenhouses in summer. As it is a half-hardy annual, seeds are sown each year under glass in spring. There arc two distinct strains of balsams, the camellia-flowered balsam and the roseflowered balsam. Some florists offer as many as ten distinct colours of both strains, the most important being scarlet, violet, rose, pink, salmon and white. Seeds are sold in separate colours. The average height of the plants is about 2ft, but when they are liberally treated they grow much taller in large pots. Balsams thrive best in a light rich soil made up of three parts of turfy loam, one part of leaf mould, one part of decayed manure from a spent hot bed and one part of coarse sand. Sift a mixture of this compost without the manure for sowing the seeds in. Stand the seed pots in the propagating frame until the seedlings begin to push through the soil. Should the greenhouse be at all dry and freely ventilated for the other plants, grow the young balsams for a time in a handlight or small frame stood on the greenhouse stage. Here the moist heat, so desirable for balsams during their early growth, can be maintained better. Prick off the seedlings into shallow boxes or pans when they are large enough to handle. A little later pot them off singly, shifting them again i'lto larger pots as required. Seven-inch or eight-inch pots are usually used for flowering in. It is most important to give the plants liberal pot space during the growing period, otherwise if the pots get at all full of roots growth will stop and flower buds push before the plants are fully grown. The pots for balsams must be well drained. When the plants are growing freely,- they delight in plenty of water, including weak liquid manure. Grow the plants in light positions to encourage sturdy growths. Balsams thrive on warm sheltered borders outside in summer, so j that it is worth while growing more than the number required for the greenhouse; then when planting out time arrives pot on the best and plant the remainder outside.