IMPORTANT FLORISTS' PLANTS 



159 



"Kentia seeds usually arrive in this country in the late Summer or 

 in the Autumn and are sown in various ways, according to the quan- 

 tities the grower may have to handle. Growers having large lots 

 stratify them in benches, or sometimes even under the benches, using 

 a light and open soil, such as peat or sandy loam, for the germinating 

 medium. If the seeds are sown on a bench, about two inches of soil 

 is first put in; then the seeds are sown as thickly as they will go in a 

 single layer, covered with soil to the depth of one inch and are well 

 watered in. 



Fig. 87. Phoenix Rcebelenii 



"Small lots of Kentia seeds may be sown in trays, or in pans. After- 

 ward the soil is kept moist at all times and a night temperature of 60 

 to 65 degrees at least is maintained. These seeds germinate quite 

 irregularly and it is best to save and replant any that do not come up 

 with the first growth. Some seeds have been known to come up after 

 a period of three or four years, while some come through in two months. 



"When the Kentia seedlings have expanded the first leaf, it is time 

 to pot them off into 2-inch or 2^-inch pots. They should then be 

 placed in a shaded house, with a temperature of not less than 60 degrees, 

 and regularly syringed in bright weather in order to keep down the 

 insects," 



