For July, 1922 



211 



The Greenhouse, Month to Month 



GEORGE F. STEWART 



THE last half of July and the first part of August 

 keep the greenhouse man on the move continually, 

 Plants that are getting- well rooted require a great 

 amount of water and moisture to counteract the strong 

 sunshine. Keep all the paths and under the benches well 

 damped until far in the afternoon on all bright days. 

 Keep ail plants that are Hkely to burn shaded until well 

 towards the end of September. 



\\'atch a chance for any wet or cloudy days for fumi- 

 gating as greenfly breeds fast in the hot we^ither. Do not 

 wait until it is seen on the plants — use prevention rather 

 than cure. Mealy bug and scale will need to be con- 

 tinually hunted for, as, when they get a hold, they are not 

 easily driven off. Dtist under the benches every now 

 and then with air-slaked lime which helps to keep the at- 

 mosphere sweet and destroys any snails that may be about. 



Any repairs that need to be made in the greenhouse 

 should now be attended to. as many plants may be placed 

 out doors which will allow more room to move around. 

 See also that the heating plants and pipes are in good 

 shape as it is no joke to have a breakdown on a frosty 

 night in Winter. 



Chrysanthemums will be well rooted in their flowering 

 pots and must be generously fed to keep up the strength 

 of the wood and to give a healthy color to the foliage. 

 Syringe the leaves occasionally with soft coal soot water 

 which lends a nice glossy appearance to the foliage, and 

 insects prefer not to be near it. Side growths will now 

 begin to be troublesome and should be removed as soon 

 as they can be taken hold of. The bush plants should 

 be held in shape by pinching up to the first of August. 

 Some of the varieties will come blind if stopped after 

 that date. See that they are well supported by a few 

 stakes set around them to which is tied a piece of string, 

 as they are easily broken down when being syringed. 1 

 find it a good plan to put in a batch of cuttings about 

 August first of such varieties as E. D. Godfrey, Gaza, Miss 

 Isabelle. Jane Inglis. 'Mrs. Buckingham, November Glow, 

 ^largaret ^^'aite. ^^'ilIiam Lincoln. After they are rooted 

 we put a dozen cuttings into an eight-inch pan in a fairly 

 rich sandy loam and set them on a shelf near the glass. 

 By Christmas they have become nice plants, about a foot 

 high, and come in very useful for decorative work at 

 that season. No doubt there are other varieties which 

 would answer for that purpose but these mentioned we 

 find most reliable : they set bud. Several others we have 

 tried but thev come blind struck at that date and, of 

 course, are useless. 



Hard wood plants will be plunged outdoors. Syringe 

 them regularly and stimulate with Clay's fertilizer and 

 soot water, also a little weak cow manure water until 

 they set bud. An application once a week alternately will 

 be sufficient to keep the foliage in good color, and will 

 also build up strong wood. 



Look well after the cyclamen plants and shift them 

 along before they get pot bound. L^se a good fibrous 

 loam wnth some nice fljiky oak leaves, adding a third of 

 dried cow manure, also a little lime, arid, of course, sand 

 and charcoal to keep the compost porous. Very few in 

 this country bother with left-over cyclamen plants nowa- 

 days, but the largest plant we have ever seen was a two- 

 year-old plant. They are better if not dried off. A firm 



crown should be selected if they are to be grown the sec- 

 ond year. Corms that have a scattered appearance should 

 be discarded. Secure cyclamen seeds in August for next 

 year, being sure to get fresh seeds as old seeds take a 

 long time to germinate W'c sowed in August one year 

 and they did not come up until the following February. 

 Space the seeds equally in a good leafy loam and let them 

 remain in the seed liox until they have a nice little tuft 

 of leaves. 



Seeds of such annuals as are wanted for next Winter 

 flowering are better if sown early in August. Calendula, 

 dimorphotheca. lupine Hartiwgii, stocks, etc., are all very 

 useful for cutting in \\'inter. 



Those who want nice specimens of fuchias for next 

 Summer should put in their cuttings about the last week 

 in July. Select nice soft points of the shoots, about two 

 inches long, and put them in sand. Space them well and 

 water every bright day until they show signs of rooting. 

 Arabella Improved, Gracilis, Monarch, Rollinsoniana, 

 Rose of Castile, Speciosa, Wiliam Bond, all make good 

 plants if properly trained by pinching. 



Those who wish freezias for Christmas better get them 

 potted by the last of July. We use bulbs that have been 

 on the place many years and find that they force early, 

 much better than those one can buy. They start away 

 more evenly in the pots. We use ten bulbs to a five-inch 

 pot and leave them outdoors until there is danger of frost. 



Plants that flower at this time of the year are always 

 acceptable. The Kalanchoes were once well-know-n but 

 now they are never seen, although they certainly deserve 

 a place in the greenhouse. Their culture is the same as 

 Kalosanthus. Kalanchoe fiammca is a good variety as is 

 also carnea and keiy'cnsis. Many of these old plants ought 

 to be revived. Chironia llnoides is another useful plant at 

 this season. Steplwnofis Horibunda is just coming into 

 flower : it makes a h.andsome specimen \\-hen trained on 

 a trellis. 



The Allamandas are also beginning to flower, and who 

 could wish a better bush plant than AUamanda JVilliamsii 

 when in flower? Later on Lapas;erias will bloom. Some 

 of us can remember seeing trained pot plants of them with 

 three hundred open flowers. 



Ixora Fraseri is flowering with us now. It is one of 

 the best of the ixoras. As the achimenes pass out of 

 bloom, put them outside in a frame and gradually let them 

 ripen off. These remarks apply also to gloxinias and 

 caladiums. In the Fall remove them to warmer quarters. 

 Manv of the bulbous plants die from too cold treatment 

 while they are resting. 



In August shake out the Lachenahas and put them in 

 fresh soil. Loam, leaf mold and about a third of dried 

 cow manure is a good compost to pot them in. Twelve 

 bulbs to an eight-inch pan makes a nice plant, but pwts 

 as small as three inches -with, a few bulbs in them, are 

 very attractive plants for- Winter use. Allow them to 

 stav outdoors until there is danger of frost. 



If possible, bulbs for early forcing should be secured 

 in August. Paper ^^^1ites and Roman hyacinths, if they 

 are desired early, should be well rooted by the time frost 

 comes. In tulips. Due J~an Thol is forced for very early. 



Tropical plants such as crotons, marantas, anthuriums, 

 etc., are now growing freely 'and should have plenty of 



