GREENHOUSE PLANTS. Greeuhouse and iStove Plants. 



injured, and applying water to them before 

 they have time to heal up is the most 

 likely means for their destruction. Indeed, 

 we have no hesitation in saying that there 

 are more newly-potted plants killed from 

 this cause than from all others put together. 

 All hard-wooded plants should be potted 

 firmly, and at each succeeding potting, 

 through the whole course of their exist- 

 ence, see that tl e new soil is made quite 

 as solid as the ball of the plant, otlierwise 

 the water will find its way down the sides 

 of the pot, and death, or an unhealthy 

 condition, will soon follow. In potting 

 always use a lath to ram the new soil 

 down, so as to insure its being made 

 thoroughly solid, and finish off by leaving 

 the soil for half an inch round the side of 

 the pot a little higher than the inside of 

 the ball, which prevents the water from 

 settling too much through the new soil. 



Never fill the jjot too full of soil, as this 

 makes watering a tedious operation. In 

 the case of plants in from 18 to 25-inch 

 pots, 1\ inches or 1| inches is not too much 

 depth to leave — smaller plants in propor- 

 tion. In potting always keep the collar 

 of the i^lant well up. In shifting large 

 specimen plants use two strips of strong 

 canvas, 6 inches wide and 2 yards long. 

 These put under the ball of the plant, after 

 it is removed from the old pot, by which 

 means two men can with the greatest ease 

 lift the plant into the new pot, without 

 injuring the roots or breaking the ball, as 

 too often is done in getting the plant into 

 the new pot. The canvas can easily be 

 removed, one piece at a time, by tilting the 

 pot over on one side. After potting, 

 always place the plants where they can be 

 kept a little closer — that is, where they 

 will receive less air — for a few weeks, and 

 shade carefully from the sun. Keep the 

 surface they stand on, and the sides of the 

 pot, syringed several times a clay, if the 

 weather is hot. After from two to four 

 weeks of such treatment, gradually inure 

 them to the sun and full air. 



Tying. — It should be borne in mind, in 

 dealing with this subject, that the majority 

 of greeuhouse plants are naturally of a 

 formal habit ; others in a state of nature 

 are weak growers, half procumbent, and 

 under artificial cultivation are certain to 

 be somewhat weaker — consequently they 

 must have sufficient support to keep them 

 in something approaching the shape they 

 would assume naturally. Plants that have 

 to be conveyed to exhibitions must have 

 their shoots properly secured, to prevent 

 their chafing, else there is no possibility of 

 moving them without their flowers being 

 disfigured. Plants for home decoration 



require only sufficient support to keep 

 them in something like their natural 

 shape. 



In tying a plant never use more sticks 

 than are absolutely necessary to steady it, 

 and display the flowers to the best advan- 

 tage. Where it can be done, keep some 

 of the shoots higher than the rest, and 

 this will tend to break the objection- 

 able even surface that the plants other- 

 wise have. One of the greatest evils in 

 tying, so far as the health of the plant 

 goes, is the practice of forcing the sticks 

 too far down amongst the roots. For weak- 

 growing plants, like many of the Heaths, 

 Aphelexis, and Dracophyllum gracile, the 

 sticks ought never to enter the soil deeper 

 than 3 inches ; in the case of plants with 

 heavy branches that require a few strong 

 sticks, these may be put deeper, and will 

 not do much harm if not used in too great 

 numbers. 



In t}-ing a plant of any kind, some con- 

 sideration should be given to its natural 

 habit. If a low spreading bush, it merely 

 requires suflicient support to keep its 

 branches in their natural position. If it 

 is an upright grower, assuming more or 

 less of the pyramidal form, then it is neces- 

 sary in the early stages of its existence to 

 guard against its ultimately becoming 

 naked at the bottom, by training the 

 strongest branches in a horizontal position 

 from the collar, or as near down to it as 

 they can be got to the sides of the pot. 

 The points of the shoots will naturally 

 turn up of their own accord ; and any that 

 are over-strong may have their points 

 pinched out. The reason for keeping the 

 strongest branches low will be obvious. 

 If they are allowed to remain in their up- 

 right position, bringing only the weaker 

 shoots to the outside of the plant, the 

 strong branches run away with all the 

 strength and starve the weaker ones, which 

 ultimately die. The plant is thus left 

 naked, and, in the case of very many green- 

 house plants, worthless, as the greater 

 number of these will not bear heading 

 down sufficiently low to refurnish the base. 

 But in ti\aining plants of this naturally 

 somewhat upright hal)it of growth they 

 should not be kept so low as to destroy the 

 natural habit of the plant, but be allowed 

 to grow so that their height will consider- 

 ably exceed their diameter. Never over- 

 crowd the blanches, especially whilst 

 young, and in all cases keep them 

 only close enough to furnish the plant 

 sufficiently. In tying any plant care 

 should always be taken that the material 

 is not drawn too tight, or the branches 

 will be injured. This is so evident that 



