Get Busy In The Greenhouse

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 208, 3 September 1938, Page 14 (Supplement)

Get Busy In The Greenhouse

'I-HE present and succeeding 1 month is always a busy time with persons in charge of this department, for, in addition to the usual routine work of the greenhouse, plants required for the outdoor beds and borders must have attention. Providing seed is good, there is little difficulty is raising most varieties of ssnusls, if esrefully sown and placed is greenhouses, frames or other suitable covering. It is after the plants are above ground that special care is needed to protect them from the ravages of slugs sad snails, which play havoc with some varieties. As soon as the plants are large enough t* handle they should be pricked out into shallow boxes allowing sufficient •pses between each plant to allow of their being lifted with a fair amount i of. soil when being planted outside. In, every case the plant* require to ke ; well hardened off before planting out. The striking of cuttings too will need attention. -* Many soft wooded plants needed for outdoor planting require to be renewed each year in this way. If the cuttings are taken from inside plants they strike readily if placed over a little bottom" hest; failing this, the cuttings .should be placed is boxes or frames covering, the boxes with "glass. These : should be placed in the warmest part of lbs bouse, but kept shaded from the [sun during the hottest part of the day;

the object being to prevent the cuttings from wilting, so that shading should be continued until all danger of wilting is past. Special care must be exercised in watering, for while a genial moisture is necessary an excess of it is almost certain to result in failure. The prolonged spell of cold, moist weather has been anything but favourable for many varieties of greenhouse plants. The more tender varieties especially have needed extra care. At this time the plants are making little or no root growth, and should in no case be watered while there is sufficient moisture in the soil. Without the aid of artificial heat it is almost impossible to keep such ; tender varieties in a growing condition, while it requires the most skilful treatment to keep many of the plants alive. ' It is far better for the amateur to confine his varieties to the more hardy : kind, that with any reasonable care can be successfully grown. Every encouragement should be given to early flowering varieties. To keep up a succession of blooms is the aim of everyone who has a greenhouse. and may be accomplished by carefully selecting and growing plants to suit the season. At the present time early grown primulas are one of the chief features, and make a fine display. Cyclamens, too, are invaluable for winter and spring decoration, while cinesarias, herbaceous calceolarias, and other early flowering varieties should be grown to keep up a succession of flowers.