GERANIUMS AND PELARGONIUMS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 45, 23 February 1939, Page 23

GERANIUMS AND PELARGONIUMS

AH varieties of pelargoniums may now be increased by cuttings. Select ripe young growths about four inches long. They may be taken off with a heel or the cutting should be severed just below a joint. All leaves i except the four topmost should be removed. Allow the cuttings to dry for from twelve to twenty-four hours' before planting. If planted immediately they may fail to callus and rot away without making roots. Cuttings should be inserted in sandy soil in partial shade. Make the soil fairly firm round them and water them in. While they must not be allowed to become bone dry they require very little moisture, and succeed best when kept somewhat on the dry side. When forking over beds of geraniums or pelargoniums disturb the roots of the plants as little as possible as, during hot weather, any excessive disturbance of the roots may result in the loss of the plants. The plants should be kept on the dry side and perfect drainage must be provided, as excessive moisture has a tendency to develop rust fungus and

other diseases, and at the same time to encourage excessive leaf growth at the expense of flowers. Geraniums are among the best plants for hot, dry situations, thriving where few others could survive without constant watering.