ZINNIAS EASY TO GROW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 September 1939, Page 3

ZINNIAS EASY TO GROW

UNDER GOOD CONDITIONS. 3 Zinnias have the unenviable and quite undeserved, reputation of being ’ hard to grow. Once the real needs of 3 the plant are understood, there is no reason why anyone, who can give them : the conditions they require, should not succeed in growing flowers of real’ quality. ’ The plants are native of tropical > Mexico, and cannot, therefore, be ex--5 pected to bloom freely if accorded the > same treatment as half-hardy annuals > from temperate climates. Rapid growth from the outset is essential. Let them become checked through low temperaf lures oi- some other cause, and the i plants will receive a setback from • which they will never fully recover. , September is just as early as any zin- • nias should be sown, and then only • if facilities are available to permit of the steady maintenance of a temperature of 50 degrees, no matter what the • weather may be. If such a temperature , is unobtainable during a cold spell, de- ■,’ lay the sowing until the end of the month. ! The serious risk of a check through low temperatures is avoided by the slight delay. Zinnias in the early stages of growth are extremely susceptible to damping and black leg. For this reason, sterilised soil should be used. Wattering should be carefully attended to. The plants should never suffer from dryness at the roots, but they must not be left to grow in a wellnigh saturated soil, on which a film of moisture forms on the surface. Just as soon as the seedlings are showing through the soil, shading can be dispensed with, and plenty of air given in favourable weather. Fresh air and sunshine are two indispensable factors in the growing of zinnias. THE ASPIDISTRA POPULAR ROOM PLANT. The aspidistra is still one of the most popular of room plants. It will survive the most adverse conditions. As a rule, this plant flourishes best when its pot is filled with roots; but when it becomes excessively rootbound, the leaves dwindle in size and split at the tips. It is then necessary to move it to a larger pot, or divide it. If repotting is decided upon, choose a pot that is large enough to allow of one inch of compost being placed around the old ball of soil. Put in about one inch of crocks, covering these with undecayed leaves. The bescompost consists of two parts loam, one part leafmould, and enough coarse sand or crushed brick to keep the compost porous. When mixed, the compost should be placed in a tin and heated over a fire to kill pests, especially worms, which cause damage by. disturbing the soil round the roots. To divide a rootbound plant, remove the crocks and all loose soil with a pointed stick, then cut through the rhisomes at various places. The severed portions should be placed in pots just large enough to hold them comfortably. LUPINS NEW STOCK DO BEST. Although spring-planted lupins will make quite a good show of bloom the same year, they will do very much more the second year. It is not a very satisfactory business to split up old plants of lupins. A better way to get young stock from old plants is to cover an old crown with a mound of sharp sand at least three inches thick. When young growths appear through the mound the sand can be scraped away; the young growths may then be cut from the crown with roots attached. Give them a start in a frame bed a of light soil, then in a month or so they I can be lifted and placed in their flow- I ering quarters. Such methods are only | worth while in the case of particularly | good kinds which it is desired to per- | petuatc. |