2674 



PLANTING 



PLANTING 



Aporocactus (or Cereus) flagelliformis, which are epiphy- 

 tic species, do well when grafted on slender upright 

 species of cereus, but are more commonly placed on 

 pereskia. If zygocactus is used as a stock, cleft-graft- 

 ing is usually employed; if rhipsalis, either the cleft- 

 or saddle-graft. Cristate forms treated as cuttings 

 usually develop normal - formed 

 new growths, but when grafted will 

 continue the cristate character. 



Although it is possible for cacti 

 to survive a long drought in nature, 

 yet when grown in pots they are 

 seriously injured if their roots 

 remain dry for any considerable 

 time. They should not be placed 

 on benches over the heating-pipes, 

 where the soil soon dries. It is 

 desirable to have the soil cool 

 and the air overhead warm and 

 rather dry for all desert forms. 

 Contrary to a prevalent opinion, 

 they require water. This should 

 be applied in sufficient quantity 

 only to keep the soil moist. A 

 saturated soil quickly induces a 

 soft watery rot which is fatal to the 

 plant. This is especially likely if 

 the soil contains any organic matter 

 that has not been thoroughly 

 decomposed. A small amount of 

 lime in the soil is desirable, and 

 soil should never be sour. Perfect 

 drainage is necessary at all times. 

 Many species of cereus s and 

 phyllocactus (now properly epi- 

 phyllum) climb over trees or rocks 

 by means of aerial roots. These 

 are indigenous to the more tropical 

 regions and should be grown in a 

 separate room from the desert 

 forms, in one where the atmo- 

 sphere can be kept at a higher 

 degree of humidity. They should, 

 also, be provided with suitable 

 supports on which to climb. Zygocactus, rhipsalis, and 

 other epiphytic cacti, may be successfully grown in 

 this same room, but suspended in baskets in the way 

 in which orchids are treated. 



Agaves and furcreas, although readily grown from 

 seeds, are more commonly propagated from suckers, or 

 from the bulblets produced in abundance in the inflor- 

 escence of many species. For these plants a good soil is 

 one of half sod and half sand. In nature they do not 

 form deeply penetrating roots but widely spreading 

 horizontal feeders. In pot or tub culture, the roots 

 quickly reach the walls of the container and the plant 

 very soon becomes pot-bound. Furthermore, if the con- 

 tainer is allowed to remain dry for any time the roots 

 are seriously injured thereby. When possible, it is 

 better to plunge the pots or plant directly in open 

 ground. 



Euphorbias and pedilanthuses are best treated in 

 every way as are the cacti. Their cultural methods 

 differ but very little. While it is possible to grow them 

 from cuttings, it is less easily accomplished than with 

 cacti. The cut surface should be placed immediately 

 in powdered charcoal to check the flow of milky sap. 

 When the surface is thoroughly dry, the cutting may 

 be rooted in finely broken charcoal or in sterilized sand. 

 These plants are very susceptible to bacterial rot. 

 Grafting is possible but difficult. It is sometimes 

 employed to preserve a cristate growth of the cion. 



Most genera of Crassulacese are propagated more 

 readily from seeds or from stem-cuttings. There are a 

 few noteworthy exceptions, however. Bryophyllum 

 can be more quickly and just as abundantly multiplied 



3017. An elongated 

 cactus form. Lopho- 

 cereus Schottii. 



by placing matured healthy leaves flat on wet sand and 

 kept in a moist warm atmosphere. In a very short 

 time tiny plants will appear in the notches about the 

 margin of the leaf (Fig. 673, Vol. 1). When of sufficient 

 size these may be removed and potted as individual 

 plants. In most species of echeveria, multiplication is 

 best accomplished by carefully removing the healthy 

 mature leaves and placing them on sand as with bryo- 

 phyllum. The base of the leaf must not be injured, for 

 it is from this point that the one or more young plant- 

 lets develop. The leaf -like bracts on the flowering 

 stock of many species are very easily detached and 

 propagate even more readily than the normal leaves. 

 The above method is adapted to the acaulescent spe- 

 cies of echeveria. With the caulescent species the 

 rosette is cut from the top of the stem and treated as a 

 cutting. The parent plant, thus pruned, will soon throw 

 out a number of growths from the dormant lateral buds. 

 As soon as these have formed rosettes of about an inch 

 in diameter they, too, may be removed and will readily 

 grow as cuttings. 



Many Crassulacese, and echeverias in particular, 

 suffer severely from attacks on their roots and the base 

 of the stem by nematodes. For this reason only clean 

 fresh or sterilized soil should be used in growing them. 

 The various genera and species may be grafted back 

 and forth but no special advantage is to be gained by 

 the process. It is also possible to hybridize between the 

 genera and the species, and a number of interesting 

 results have been secured. 'Some of the echeveria 

 hybrids have proved to be valuable additions to the 

 group used in design work or for bordering other beds. 



Asclepiadaceae is most commonly represented in col- 

 lections by the genus Stapelia. These plants fare excel- 

 lently when given the treatment recommended for 

 cacti. The chief difficulty in growing them, in the past, 

 seems to have been their proneness to decay at the sur- 

 face of the soil, especially in wintertime. This is easily 

 prevented. See that the drainage is perfect and use 

 porous sandy soil. Spread the roots out on the surface of 

 the soil and cover not more than ^ inch deep with 

 more soil. Over this place an inch layer of gravel about 



3018. A garden scene in which topiary craft is a feature. 



