for June, 1922 



181 



The Greenhouse, Month to Month 



GEORGE F. STEWART 



THE greenhouse man must ahvavs tliink aliead. No 

 sooner does Summer arrive than we think of 

 next Winter's flowers and plants, and how a suc- 

 cession can be kept up. The last of June young roses must 

 be planted on the benches, so that when frost comes, a 

 good crop may be had indoors. A good strong loam is 

 what they require to grow in. Add about a third of well- 

 decayed cow manure, and to about twenty shovelsful of 

 the mixture, one shovelful of bone meal, also a sprink- 

 ling of lime. This ought to carry them well through the 

 hot weather. After the benches have been thoroughly 

 cleaned and washed on the inside with hot lime, about 

 four inches of the compost mav be packed firmlv all 

 over. The rest of the space should be reserved for future 

 top dressings. The young plants should he planted firm- 

 ly in the compost and all wires for tying put into place. 

 Keep well watered and syringe on all bright days. Full 

 top ventilation is necessary except when it rains, and 

 then it may be lowered enough to shed the water freely. 



Old rose plants may be carried over successfully longer 

 than many believe. \Ve have a fine bench of "(Jphelia'' in 

 its seventh year, and this year we have as good a crop 

 as ever we have had. However, we never dry them off 

 severely, only enough to dry out the soil well, so that it 

 may be released quite easily from the roots. We leave 

 a nice ball around each plant and clear the rest down to 

 the boards. The leaves are quite green on them, and we 

 cut them back from a foot to fifteen inches high. They 

 always seem to break well all over the plant. We give 

 the same compost to them as to the young plants. They 

 are on their own roots and always throw up well from 

 below to build up the plant. I have come to the con- 

 clusion that it is unnecessary to plant young plants often 

 if the old ones are healthy and doing well. We are only 

 going to change this year as we want to try "^Mme. But- 

 terfly" instead of "'Ophelia." 



Young carnations. I believe, are Ijetter if planted in- 

 doors about the last week in June. They may not appear 

 to make much top during the hot days, but they are 

 making root, and wdien the cool nights come, they will 

 grow rapidly and will not give short stems in the Fall. 

 My experience has proved that there is little stem rot 

 under the indoor treatment and that insect pests are more 

 easily controlled, in fact, if due care is taken, thev may 

 never be seen. A good loam, to which has been added 

 a third of manure, may be lightened with the addition of 

 sand if it is too heavy. I do not like bone meal for 

 carnations but I think they like lime and respond to a 

 good fertilizer, especially when the cool nights come 

 on during the Fall. Let the bud show before they are 

 pinched, as I am sure that they break much better 

 Give plenty of air. top and bottom, all Summer and 

 moisten the floors and under the benches on all bright 

 days. They should have a good syringing when they 

 require water but let the foliage be dry before night. 



Keep begonias growing along into larger pots as 

 they need it. Good loam, decayed cow manure and 

 flaky leaves in equal parts is what they enjoy growing 

 in. A little charcoal is beneficial to keep the soil sweet. 

 A night temperature around 65 degrees should be main- 

 tained. Every gardener should try the tuberous rooted 

 Locotrana hybrids, if he has a decent greenhouse to 



grow them in. There is a wide range of colors among 

 them and they make excellent plants — I saw one last 

 Fall four feet in diameter, which was the finest grown 

 begonia of any kind I had even seen. It was a leaf 

 cutting about one year old. The Lorraine type has 

 been so much grown commercially that manv private 

 families are tired of it. 



Keep an eye on the young cyclamen plants and do 

 not allow iheni to get pot bound. They will now do 

 well in a cold frame if bench room in the greenhouse 

 has to be used for something else. Fumigate once a 

 week to make sure that insects are held in check. The 

 mite is \ery troublesome. An excellent grower told 

 me he kept clear of it by going over his plants every 

 two weeks, washing out the crowns with a nozzle and 

 a gentle spray of water. He said that it was the only 

 sure remedy he had found. 



Feed Amaryllis plants that have flowered regularly 

 with liquid manure and Clay's fertilizer. A good de- 

 velopment of leaves is essential to ensure good flowers 

 next season. 



Gloxinias will also take a liberal amount of food to 

 make them flower well. Do not wet the foliage as it 

 is likely to make it spotty. This applies also to 

 Achimincs. 



Chrysanthemum bush plants should now be in their 

 flowering pots and kept well up to the glass to encourage 

 a sturdy growth. See that they are pinched regularly 

 and evenly. Syringe them regularly as red spider is 

 likely to gain a foothold. It is advisable to place a few 

 stakes around them to prevent the shoots from splitting. 



It is now time to get a batch of poinsettia cuttings in. 

 Take them off with a heel and pot singlv in two-inch 

 pots in equal parts of sand and sphagnum moss. Place 

 them in a tight case and water them everv bright day 

 until they show signs of rooting. Air the case out two 

 or three times a day by opening it for a few minutes. 

 By this treatment we hardly ever lose a cutting. 



Euphorbia Jacquinmflora is also a useful plant around 

 December and January and can now be rooted in an 

 ordinarily warm cutting bed. Water it well when it 

 is put in the sand, but allow the sand to become fairlv 

 dry between waterings. 



Early sown calceolarias, cinerarias, and primulas will 

 now be ready to pot off into small pots. Equal parts 

 of loam, leaf mold, sand, and dried cow manure make 

 a nice compost for first potting. A greenhouse facing 

 north is an ideal place to grow them in all Summer and 

 failing that, a cold frame. Give plenty of air and shade 

 from strong sunlight. Watch carefully for green fly 

 and thrip. Fumigate with Nicofume once a week as a 

 preventative. 



All hard wood plants can be plunged outdoors in ashes 

 about July first. On no account let them get too dry at 

 the roots. Syringe them once or twice a day on all 

 bright days and weekly applications of Clay's fertilizer 

 until they set their flower buds will do wonders in keep- 

 ing them with a nice healthy color, if they are well 

 rooted. Any extra strong shoot which may be outgrow- 

 ing the others should be pinched to preserve the sym- 

 metry of the plant. 



Fuchias and specimen geraniums thrive better outdoors 



