Slipper Flower Display Worth Care In Growing

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30365, 14 February 1964, Page 7

Slipper Flower Display Worth Care In Growing

Already it is time to be thinking of plants for a glasshouse display during winter and spring. A plant which always attracts attention, with its unusual shaped flowers and its bizarre colouring and spotting, is the herbaceous or hybrid calceolaria, also known as the slipper flower.

Although it is not the easiest of plants to grow, it is a spectacular plant for flowering in October anil November. It is a plant of very mixed parentage and is usually treated as an annual, being raised from seed each year. Although best treated as a glasshouse plant at all stages of growth, high temperatures are not necessary and in fact the cooler the temperatures, the better the growth of the plant. During winter months a glasshouse that can be kept frost free is all that is necessary. Calceolarias are plants that particularly benefit from growing in sterilised soil as this reduces the susceptibility to disease which can prove very troublesome at several stages of growth. Seed can be sown at any time between January and March, but later sowings are probabaly easier to handle.

A seed compost can be made up of equal parts of soil. sand, and peat, alternatively leaf mould or old sawdust, with a sprinkling of superphosphate; the soil and organic matter should be sterilised separately if possible. Seed may be sown in a pot, pan. or box depending on the amount of seed to be sown. The container should be provided with good drainage, covered by roughage, or leaf mould, with about an inch of soil well firmed and level on top. The soil should be watered and allowed to drain before the seed is sown. Sow seed very thinly on the surface and do not cover. If the soil has not been sterilised, the use of sphagnum moss will be of help in reducing disease. Rub the moss through a fine sieve and then pour boiling water through it to kill weed seeds. Squeeze the excess of moisture from the moss and spread a thin layer of moss over the surface of the seed container. Sow the seed thinly

on top of this, but. do not cover. J After the seed has been sown, the container should be covered with a pane of glass and a sheet of paper. Inspect the boxes daily and water whenever necessary with a fine-rosed can; it is important that the seed is never allowed to dry out.

As soon as the seed shows signs of germination the glass and the paper should be removed. At this stage, and during the next few weeks, the seedlings are very susceptible to sun scorch and protection should therefore be provided at all times. During this stage damping off is a serious hazard but if the .water supply is clean, seed has been thinly sown and sterilised soil used, the danger is greatly reduced. If, however, the disease should appear water with captan. Pricking Out

As soon as the seedlings are big enough to handle they should be pricked out into a box of soil. The soil mixture can consist of two parts of soil (preferably sterilised), one part of leaf mould, peat or old sawdust and one part of sharp sand. To each box add one level teaspoon of blood and bone. Firm the soil well before pricking out and space the seedlings, one to one and a half inches apart. As soon as the seedlings are touching in the boxes, they can be transferred to the eight inch to six inch pots in which they are to flower. The soil mixture to be used could be three parts soil, two parts of leaf mould, peat or old sawdust and one part sharp sand, and for each pot allow one teaspoon of dried blood, one teaspoon superphosphate and half a teaspoon of sulphate of potash mixed thoroughly. Each pot should be supplied with good drainage and potting should not be very firm. The rosette of leaves should rest on the surface of the soil and not be buried. After potting, water carefully and give no further watering until the soil begins to dry out. Fragile Rosette

. The plant forms a large rosette of thin, soft leaves that are easily damaged. The pots should be spaced out so that the plants do not touch. Water should be applied carefully, so that it does not lodge in the rosette of leaves. However, should water get in the rosette it should be removed or there is the danger of the leaves rotting. As the plants develop they can be exposed to more light. Aphis can be very troublesome and are often found in large numbers on the underside of the leaves where they are difficult to reach with insecticides. Regular inspections should be made and spray with malathion or lindane whenever the pest is noticed. As the flower stems develop the plants become particularly susceptible to a disease which attacks the stems at ground level and quickly

causes the collapse and death of the plants. Careful watering, good air circulation and the avoiding of humid conditions should help to prevent this trouble. Pick over the plants at regular intervals and remove any dead or damaged leaves. Should the batch of plants show symptoms of this foot rot it would be advisable to add captan or thiram to the water when it is applied. Flowers Heavy

When the flower stems begin to develop the plants will respond to feeding. Plant tablets are most suitable for this and they should be applied at maker’s recommendation. A stake should be inserted as the stems develop for the large heads of flowers are invariably too heavy for the stem to sup,port. Under cool conditions flowers will continue for as long as six weeks but under warm conditions the display may last only two or three weeks.