For March, 1921 



513 



The Greenhouse, Month to Month 



W. R. FOWKES 



M-VRCH and early April are the most exacting 

 months of the year. ' Seeds must be sown 

 for the flower gardens, and such vegetable plants 

 as egg plants, peppers and tomatoes must be started in 

 the greenhouse. Space is often lacking, and any dry, 

 bulbous plants that have finished their work must be dis- 

 pensed with. 



Chrysanthemums should be potted and from now on 

 must not be checked. Never allow them to become very 

 dry. Keep them cool and airy at all times, and if you 

 must grow other subjects with these Autumn queens, you 

 must make them subservient to the 'mums. Plain soil is 

 best. Loam leaf-soil and a little old mortar rubble is 

 ideal, but remember, the soil now used has to carry on 

 with the plants until their final growth. Good loam, full 

 of fiber, is the proper kind of soil to begin with, and the 

 better the soil, the better the results. 



Carnations are now- giving their best. Do not forget 

 that the three inches of soil they are growing in is depleted 

 by this time of any real food value. The plants are vig- 

 orous, and constant watering is necessary. To keep 

 healthy and of fine quality, they must be fed ; a safe and 

 sane manure for them is Totty's Special Carnation Fer- 

 tilizer. I put two pounds to fifty gallons of water, using 

 the Kinney pump to apply it with. This is more satis- 

 factory for the private place than blood or any other 

 nauseating fertilizer. Use this every ten days. 



Bouvardias should be raised for boutonnieres, and if 

 you are without these beautiful free-flowering plants, they 

 can be purchased in two and a c|uarter inch pots from 

 several reliable firms who advertise in the Chronicle. 

 They like a coo! house. 



Caladium corms .should be examined and dipped in 

 sulphur, then started in the same manner as glo.xinias. 

 Everyone should grow a few of these fancy leaf plants, 

 for they will help to fill a space with beauty, after the 

 palms go to their Summer quarters. 



Cardenias should be propagated. They strike readily 

 and will be valuable for late Summer blooming. Keep 

 them in a warm corner, protected from draughts and sun. 



Amaryllis are now flowering or preparing to. Keep 

 them plimged in leaves on a bench in a warm, light house. 

 Re careful with water, for they like to be a little on the 

 dry side, and not disturbed at the roots too often. After 

 these fine plants have given their blooms, instead of re- 

 potting, feed with soot water, and Clay's fertilizer. 



Schi.':anfhiis should be sown every three weeks and 

 grown in five-inch pots. They quickly make a fine show- 

 ing if not pinched. It takes many weeks to grow a fine 

 specimen in a large jMrt, but this can be left to the large 

 exhibitors, who have ample space for perfecting speci- 

 mens. 



Nectarines, which have set their fruit, should have all 

 dead blooms carefully cleansed oflf the young fruit, to 

 avoid blemishes later on. Use the hose carefully, and 

 syringe the plants gently, as full force will knock the fruit 

 off. Maintain a proper atmosphere, which should be 

 moist, and watch the temperature, .\voicl draughts when 

 ventilating, as the young leaves and fruit will become 

 blister}'. This is an anxious period for these |>lants, 

 especially for the busy gardener, for they must be atten- 

 tivelv looked after. 



(iloxinias that have filled their first pots with roots 

 should be given their final potting. Let the compost be 

 half leaf soil, the coarse, flaky kind, and as they are not 

 deep-rooting plants, place plenty of crocks for drainage. 

 Fibrous loam, dried cow manure, and a little bone meal 

 and sand will grow them very well but do not use bone 

 too heavily. They like a moist, genial atmosphere until 

 the flower buds show color, and then they enjoy a more 

 airy and somewhat lower atmosphere. The best gloxinias 

 I have seen have been grown in old-fashioned, heavily 

 raftered houses. They do not like the piercing atmos- 

 phere of the modern house, with steel roofs and dry 

 cement floors. It is a good thing to place a few tobacco 

 stems around to drive thrips away. 



Biiddlcia asiatica should be propagated, one large plant 

 will give a good number of cuttings. If you do not 

 already grow it, begin now, for you can purchase young 

 plants cheaply. About one dozen well grown plants are 

 as many as the average place can take care of. 



The lovely Achimcncs is an excellent plant and another 

 ine.xpensive one. The hanging baskets that the oxalis 

 have just finished their blooming in, will suit them nicely, 

 and the same treatment. Just line a basket with moss and 

 light soil, and place two or three bulbs in a six-inch 

 basket. Thev will be charming in a few weeks. These 

 plants thrive in full sunlight and with ordinary care, but 

 demand plenty of water. 



Our most admired friends of all, the orchids, require 

 much attention now. Brighter days call for more air, a 

 moist atmosphere and more mist-like spraying on the 

 foliage, but on no account should the compost become 

 wet. Orchids succeed best on the dry side, but this does 

 not mean the European rest. There are a number of 

 varieties that have finished their blooming, and if they 

 need repotting, do it now. Laclia anccps, Cattlcya 

 Triancc and Pcrcivaliana come under this category. Do 

 not repot an orchid unless necessary, but if the roots are 

 hanging over the pots and the plants are loose and 

 straggly, then repot. 



^lix a compost of one-third moss, two- thirds peat, and 

 a few crocks. L^se clean pots and half fill the pot with 

 crocks, and place a little of the compost in it and set your 

 plant in carefully. Press the peat very firmly, leaving 

 the finished off plant a little higher than the pot, so that 

 water will not lodge in the young growths too lon.g. An 

 orchid loosely potted will not thrive. 



.After repotting, the orchids need classifying, and the 

 newlv potted ones should be placed together. Do not 

 make the mistake of soaking these plants. The new com- 

 post will absorb a lot of water and call for more, but we 

 must remember, as we have disturbed a plant and its 

 roots are torn, it does not need excessive moisture. 

 Unless you are an expert, let the hose alone: use the fine 

 syringe several times a day. and shade. New roots will 

 .soon ramble through and the plant take on a better appear- 

 ance. 



Catllcva .^fossicr. the oldest of the familv. is now send- 

 ing up its lovely fleshy blooms, and this calls for more 

 water as the buds emerge through the sheath. 



Cnttlcva Schrtvdcr(€ will take, and seem to enjoy, a 

 biyher temperature than the others. Its odor is delightful, 



