THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



449 



POINTS IN THE CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS. 



Owing to the varied re(|uirements of different [jlants, 

 it is quite impossible to give accurate directions covering 

 even appro.xiniately all cases. .\ few points, however, 

 such as repotting, resting period, and cutting-back should 

 be mentioned, as failure to take these into account fre- 

 quently leads to unsatisfactory results, or, in some cases, 

 even failure. 



Rcstiiii^ Period. — .Many plants used in the house, espe- 

 cially l)ulbous and tuberous-rooted jjlants, require a period 

 of rest following the growing season. Such plants, e.g., 

 tulips, callas, hyacinths, narcissus, lilies, etc., following 

 the flowering period, should be given the most favorable 

 growing conditions in order to afford the plants an oppor- 

 tunity to replenish the food materials in the bulbs wdiich 

 were utilized during the flowering period. Following 

 this, the water should be withheld and the bulbs allowed 

 to dry and "ripen." Pnilbs treated in this way and pre- 

 vented from shriveling hv placement in sand in a cool, 

 dry place, can be used for flowering purposes the follow- 

 ing season. Xot alone bulbous plants, however, are bene- 

 fited by such a rest period, but jiractically all perennial 

 Powering plants whose growth is discontinuous, i e., 

 those which show a cessation of growth following flower 

 and seed production. Careful observation will readily 

 enable one to determine whether plants should be given 

 a rest period or not. I'racticallv all bulbous plants, as 

 well as tuber begonias, glo.xinias, poinsettias, and many 

 others are greatly benefited by a rest period. In order to 

 bring tiie ])lants back into active growth, it is only neces- 

 sary to su|iply them with sufficient water; ordinarily it is 

 desirable to repot in fresh soil at the beginning uf the 

 new growing season. 



Cutting; Back. — House-grown plants tend to grow 

 slender and weak because of the usually inade(|uate and 

 une([uall3- distributed light, by cutting back some of the 

 leading shoots, new grow'ths w^ill usually start from below 

 and tend to produce a bushier and sturdier plant. It is 

 precisely in this way that growers obtain stocky pot- 

 grown plants, as illustrated by sna])dragons, begonias, etc. 

 On the other hand, the removal of all side shoots and 

 buds tends to make the main a.xis very strong and the 

 remaining flower buds of greater size and better shape, 

 a procedure the results of which are admirablv illustrated 

 in the long-stemmed, single-flowered chrysanthemums. 

 The method of cutting back to be used, therefore, depends 

 largely upon the nature of the plants and the effect and 

 results desired. The cutting back or pruning of woody 

 r-erennial plants, such as roses, presents new problems, 

 brt these need not be entered upon here, as few plants of 

 tbiis class are ordinarily grown in the house. 



Rcpotliiii^. — Plants grown in nots for long ])eriods of 

 time finally become "pot-bound," i. e., the roots become 

 crowded, making it necessary to transfer the plants to 

 fresh soil in somewhat larger containers. If the plant 

 with the ball of soil adhering to the roots is remove<l from 

 the ])0t bv inverting the latter and tapping gentlw cm a 

 surface, the condition of the nlant can be readilv deter- 

 mined without injury to the latter. If the roots are jilen- 

 tiful around the outside of the ball or earth it is an indica- 

 tion that rejiotting is necessary. It should be remem- 

 bered, however, that it is, generally speaking, not advis- 

 able to repot the plants after the flower buds have ap- 

 peared, as the disturbance is usually sufficient to cause a 

 retardation in the time of flowering as well as stunting 

 the flowers themselves. In these cases it is Ijetter to 

 Uave the olant undisturbed, and as a substitute for repot- 

 ting, suppl\- the roots with limiid cow manure, which m;\v 

 be obtained from florists. Tleneficial results will be ob- 

 tained from this fertilizer, whether ])lants are pot-bound 



or not, if applied just prior to the flowering period. In 

 repotting, the jjlanl with the adhering ball of soil should 

 be removed to a somewhat larger pot, the additional space 

 being filled with fresii, rich soil. In generid it is advisable 

 to shift plants at shorter intervals into somewhat larger 

 pots rather than into much larger ones at longer intervals. 

 When plants are freshly ])i]iicd in the fall just before 

 bringing them into the house, it will usually not be neces- 

 sary to repot before the following spring. The wdiole 

 matter of reijotting is so important that unless one is 

 thoroughly familiar with the details, it is advisable to 

 have it done by a competent florist or to do it under his 

 direction. This is especially true since the method used 

 is dift'erent for dilTerent plants, in\-ulving also tlie proper 

 choice of soils. 



ll'atcr. — Perha])s no one factor is so important in the 

 successful growing of plants in the house as is proper 

 watering. Owing, however, to the striking differences 

 between the various kinds of plants as regards water 

 reciuirements, as well as the differences in temperature, 

 soil, humidity, etc.. to which plants are subjected in 

 houses, it is practicall\- imijossible to give general direc- 

 tions which will be fundamentally helpful. Practical ex- 

 lierience alone, it seems, can teach one the ]jroper use of 

 water for house plants. With the exception of certain 

 desert plants, like the cacti, most ])lants thrive best in a 

 thoroughly moist soil, and are injured 1)\ even slight 

 degrees of wilting. It appears, how^ever, that over-water- 

 ing rather than under-watering is the more frec|uent cause 

 of failure. While most plants require a thoroughly moist 

 soil, a nniddy or water-logged soiled is in most cases 

 distinctly injurious. .Such a condition can lie effectively 

 avoided by providing ample drainage. Hut even where 

 flower pots provided with drainage openings are used the 

 common practice of placing the pots in turn in a jar- 

 diniere without drainage provisions leads to disaster. .\s 

 water drains out at the bottom of the pot, it accunudates 

 in the jardiniere, and, if enough is given, may accumulate 

 to such an extent as to more than saturate the soil with 

 water. Where jardinieres or other vessels without drain- 

 age facilities are used, great care should be taken to pre- 

 vent over-watering, it is in all cases better to use shallow 

 under pans, since the latter will overflow before an injuri- 

 ous amount of water accumulates in the soil, as so 

 frequently occurs where jardinieres are rscd. If t'.ie 

 latter are desired, a form provided with sliallow under 

 pans and having ])rovision for drainage should be used. 



.As regards the frecpiency of watering, again no definite 

 recommendation can be made. Usually it is not necessarv 

 to water house plants every day. Piest results seem to be 

 obtained by thorough waterings at longer intervals. In this 

 connection it should be remembered that growing plants 

 need a great deal more water than do dormant ones, 

 flowering plants especially requiring large quantities of 

 water for the full development of blossoms. It is further 

 desirable in many plants to spray or even wash the leaves 

 in order to remove dust and soot which so frequently 

 accumulates on the leaves, to the injury of the latter. 

 This practice besides being beneficial greath- improves the 

 appearance of the ]ilants. — Froiu .]I i.^soiiri Botanical 

 Garden Bulletin. 



GROWING MELONS UNDER GLASS. 



Melons are always ai)preciated. To grow them suc- 

 cessfully it is necessary to have a fair amount of heat at 

 command, to encourage free, healthy growtli. 



Plants arc raised by inserting seeds singh- in i)ots 

 filled with loam)- soil, to which has been added a little 

 Uaf-mold. Plunge the pots in a projiagating frame or 

 over a hotbed to facilitate germination, and when the 



