WATER LILIES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 91, 11 January 1935, Page 16

WATER LILIES

Summer Treatment ■ It is not everywhere realised that it is just as important to remove faded flowers from water lilies as it is to re- . move them from border plants—if for a different reason. Unless the faded flowers are removed, the water soon becomes fouled by the rotting blooms, and the water lilies suffer from ill-health accordingly. Leaves, too, must be examined periodically, yellowing ones being taken off. If lilies appear to be sickening for no apparent external reason, ’suspect the exhaustion of the soil in which they are growing. Care must be taken to choose a dull, cloudy day for the renewal of soil: otherwise the plants will suffer badly from their exposure to the sun when the water is partly run off. Mix up a good fibrous loam with an equal quantity of leaf mould, and add sufficient sand or road-scrapings to make it gritty throughout. Partly empty the pool or tub, and pack a good layer o£ the soil over and around the roots of the lilies.

Any fresh water that is poured into the pool, even a little just to make good any loss by evaporation, must not come straight from a tap. Rain water from the butt is the ideal, but if this is not available, the tap water must be stood in a vessel in the open for at least 24 hours. The aeration of lily pool water in summer is one of the chief aids to water plant health. This is done automatically if the pool has a fountain which is allowed to play occasionally. With small pools and tubs the aeration can be done with a syringe, the water being drawn up and squirted back a dozen or so times two oj three nights a week during hot weather. SOOT WATER How to Make It Soot water is a stimulant constantly recommended for both outdoor and indoor plants. It is a great aid to growth, it deepens the green of the leaves and brings out the full colouring of the flowers. The soot from coal fires is best; that which comes from the flues of coke fires is not nearly so valuable. And the soot should be weathered; really, it should stand in a dry shed for upward of six months before it is used. If you have a large tub in the garden you can make your soot water in bulk. Fill a sack with soot and plunge it into the water-filled tub. ’ Leave for two or three days. Then draw off the clear liquid, diluting it to a light brown colour with clear water before using it. More water can go into the tub,, which can be filled again and again until the goodness in the jjoot is exhausted—until it no longer colours the water. Then fresh soot must be added'. To make soot water on a small scale, the plan is to enclose a quart of weathered soot in a piece of sacking and plunge it into a 2 or 3 gallon wateringcan. Leave for two or three days, as before, and dilute before use. If you make your soot water in a big tub you can increase its value by adding just one ounce of sulphate of iron to the sack of soot. The iron is particularly valuable in bringing out the deep green colouring of foliage. “FIRST FLOWERS” Do They Weaken Plant? Whether or not a bedding plant should be allowed to Hower immediately after planting must be decided by the plant itself. If it is fairly vigorous. there is no reason why it shouldn’t start straight away. We must make it clear, though, that you cannot interfere with the course of Nature in snapdragons and ten-week-stoeks. The main spike comes first and if you nip that off, the display is jeopardised. But it is different with violas, calceolarias, geraniums, petunias, bedding dahlias, nemeslas and tuberous begonias. If these plants display any weakness, flowering will only weaken them further. It is better in such eases to nip off the buds for a week or two until tne plants are strong enough to sustain good blooms the season through.

Once flowering dees start, you must be vigilant in removing faded blossoms. They very soon begin seed production, which is an exhausting business. While it isn't quite true to say that when a plant starts to form seed it ceases to develop buds, it is a fact that the latter fall to a negligible quantity. So make it a weekly job to go round your beds and clip off the faded flowers with a pair of sharp scissors. Never break them off by hand; to do so invariably results in bark peeling, followed by bleeding and mould diseases. Be very careful when going over the dwarf dahlia beds. In their ease the spent flowers are very much like buds. By looking closely, however, you can always tell the difference. The bud has a pointed centre, whereas the husk or seed box from which the petals fell is flat-topped.