FEBRUARY SOWN CYCLAMEN SEED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23275, 18 February 1939, Page 10 (Supplement)

FEBRUARY SOWN CYCLAMEN SEED

pYCLAMEN seed may be sown at Various seasons, some growers favouring one and some another. Plants raised from a February sowing, however, invariably do well. In their second winter and spring they are strong, fully grown, flowering plant 9. Well drained, clean pans should be provided. f Upon the crocks place a little rough turf, then fill up to within half an inch of the top with a mixture of loam and leafsoil, with sufficient sand to ensure porosity. The surface must be made quite level and pressed moderately firm. Give one thorough watering an hour or two before sowing, then * space out the seeds about three-quarters of an inch apart and cover with a quarter-inch of fine compost. A sprinkling of coarse sand on the surface will discourage the growth of moss and lichen, an important point, because . cyclamen seed germinates 6lowly and irregularly. The seed will germinate satisfactorily in a temperature of about 60 degrees, if the pans are covered with glass and shaded from strong sunlight. * Some seedlings will appear in 14 days' time, some' 1 :will take 07 month, while others may be even longer. When the majority can be seen, place the pan as near the glass as possible, in order

The Plants Invariably Do Well

to keep the little plants sturdy. Do not permit direct sunlight to reach them. When the seedlings have made three leavesi, they can be placed singly in small pots. Do not disturb them before this; it is a common mistake to pot the eedlings off too soon. Again, in due course, when the small pots are well filled with roots, but before the plants become pot bound, move them on to three-inch • pots. For each potting the drainage must be adequate, the pots clean, and the soil made moderately firm. Stand the pots on a moist base, shade the plants from bright sun and spray the plants and their surroundings two or three-times daily in bright weather. Always water with great care, especially in winter, when a much decreased supply is needed. February seedlinga are usually ready for their flowering pots by the following January. Place the larger specimens in six-inch pots and the remainder in pois of five inches in diameter. Carefully prepare the compost, for this final potting, of three parts fibrous loam, one part leaf soil, and a little dried cow manure passed /through a sieve, some finely broken mortar rubble and coarse sand, with a five-inch potful of bonemeal to every bushel of compost. The ingredients should bei well mixed before

using, and should be fairly moist when used. When potting is completed, the top of the corm should remain clear of the soil. Do not use a rammer, but pot moderately firmly with the fingers. Return the plants for a few days to the greenhouse and keep them rather close and shaded. When once established, remove to a cold frame on a cool moisture holding bottom. Allow plenty of air without draughts in fine weather, and during March remove the sashes of the frames at night. The plants will benefit greatly by the heavy night dews at that season of the year.