February, 1911 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



31 



Dormant Plants in Winter 



William Hunt, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph 



PLANTS that are taking their winter 

 rest in a dormant or partially dor- 

 mant state must not be neglected, if 

 good results are to be obtained from them 

 next summer. The old adage, "Out of 

 sight, out of mind," is too often applica- 

 ble to this class of plants during winter. 

 The different kinds of plants that are usu- 

 ally kept dormant in winter can be divid- 

 ed into two classes, viz., fibrous-rooted 



f 



Dorout Facbtia Pit it in Pit in Jaonary 



Note dead leaves on plant. Plant in good 

 dormant condition.— Fig 1. 



and bulbous or fleshly-rootEd olants, each 

 requiring somewhat different treatment. 



FIBROUS-ROOTED PLANTS 

 Plants such as fuchsias, abutilons 

 (Flowering Maple), pot hydrangeas, 

 roses in pots, Japanese Hibiscus, Aloy- 

 -ia citriodora (Lemon-scented Verbena), 

 .md even pot geraniums, find similar 

 plants of a shrubby, deciduous or .semi- 

 deciduous nature, must not be allowed 

 to dry out too .severely at the roots. The 

 roots of these plants, being of a fibrous 

 nature, will not bear the drying out pro- 

 cess that many of the more fleshy-rooted 

 or bulbous-rooted plants will. 



The soil in the pots of the fibrous-root- 

 ed plants should be kept barely moi.st, 

 but not soddened with water or allowed 

 to go to the other extreme and become 

 dust dry. A cool temperature of about 

 ;,5 degrees to 45 degrees suits these 

 plants very well. The .stems or growth 

 also should be sprinkled with water 

 .ibout every week or two to prevent the 

 growth from becoming dry and shrivel- 

 led. .\ fairly moist, cool cellar, ba.so- 

 incnt or room, or a cool window, will 

 suit these plants very well. It does not 

 atter if the leaves kll drop off, as this 

 one will not hurt thtem, unless this 

 ndition is induced by the soil becom- 



ing dust dry or the atmosphere becom- 

 ing too hot and dry, conditions that are 

 not desirable for resting plants success- 

 fully. 



BULBOUS AND FLESHY ROOTED PLANTS 



Tuberous-rooted begonias, amaryllis, 

 gloxinias, fancy caladiums, tigridias, 

 and achimenes, can be allowed to dry 

 out at the roots to a greater extent than 

 can the fibrous-rooted plants named. 

 These should not, however, be kept in 

 a dust dry condition for too long a per- 

 iod. If the pots with the bulbous-rooted 

 plants named are stood away in a tem- 

 perature ranging from 35 degrees to 45 

 degrees in a fairly moist cellar or room, 

 they will require very little if any water 

 during the winter, and then only a 

 sprinkling once or twice so as to moisten 

 about an inch of the soil. A better plan 

 still is to sprinkle the outside of the pots 

 well every week or two as required. 



The gloxinia and caladium roots re- 

 quire a little more moisture, and a slight- 

 ly higher temperature than that men- 

 tioned, as these are liable to suffer from 

 dry rot if the soil they are in is allowed 

 to become too dry and powdery. Gladi- 

 oli corms will require no water if they 

 are kept in a cool, not too dry, place. 

 Covering the corms of gladioli with quite 

 dry sand, sawdust, or soil will help to 

 preserve them better than water, if the 

 atmosphere is too dry where they are 

 kept. Canna roots should not be allowed 

 to become very dry, or the temperature 

 where they are kept to drop below 40 de- 

 grees or 45 degrees. Dahlia roots can 

 be kept very well in a cool, moist place 

 at a temperature only a few degrees 

 above freezing point. 



In addition to the plants before men- 

 tioned there are one or two more easily 

 grown plants that can be kept over win- 

 ter in a partially dormant or resting 

 state. The Imantophyllum or Clivias, 

 and the Agapanthus umbellatum (Afri- 

 can Lily), and several varieties of the 

 Funkia or Day Lily can be kept very well 

 in a cool room, basement, or cellar in a 

 temperature of about 35 degrees to 40 

 degrees. These should not be allowed to 

 dry out too much, as they are moisture- 

 loving plants. The soil should always 

 be kept barely moist. The three last- 

 named species make splendid .specimen 

 nlants for outdoor decorative purpo.ses 

 in summer time, when grown in large 

 pots or tubs. 



The two main factors to be consider- 

 ed in resting are temperature and moist- 

 ure. The temperature should be as low 

 as can safely be given above freezing 

 noint to keep them dormant without in- 

 juring them. A moist atmosphere and 

 not too much water at the roots, just 

 suHicicnl to sustain the life of the plants. 



and not to sodden the soil to induce rot 

 or decay in the root system, are the con- 

 ditions that will best suit dormant or 

 partially dormant plants in winter. 



Timely Suggestions 



Spring will soon be with us. Have 

 you made due preparations for it? Have 

 you all the extras ready, such as labels, 

 stakes, seed baskets? 



.Send for the seed catalogues advertised 

 in Thh Canadian Horticulturist. Make 

 up your list of .seeds and other necessi- 

 ties, and order them in good time. Un- 

 less you order early you may be disap- 

 pointed in finding that just the things 

 you want most have been sold out. 



Make hot beds during February. Use 

 good stable manure, breaking it up fine- 

 ly and treading it down firmly. 



During February thin and head back 

 ornamental trees and shrubs. All trans- 

 planted stock that was moved last fall 

 should be headed back before growth be- 

 gins. Flowering shrubs that bloom on 

 the new wood can be pruned back hard 

 now to make an abundance of bloom for 

 the spring. 



Nothing is easier to grow than the 

 common petunias. In the last twenty- 

 five years plant breeders have so im- 

 proved them thiat their small red and 

 white blooms have given place to an al- 

 most inexhaustible variety of wonder- 

 fully beautiful flowers. If seed is sown 

 in January and the plants grown in a 

 night temperature of not less than forty- 

 five or fifty degrees, strong plants will be 

 had for use during the summer as porch 

 or window box material. Bulbs that were 

 bedded in the cellar can be brought into 

 light now and by bringing them in at 

 different times a succession of bloom can 

 be had until outdoor flowers begin. 



DonntDt Fnchtia Plait Entirely Bare oi Foliage 



The .young giowth shows slight bud develop, 

 ment. Plant in good dormant oondition. — Fig Z. 



