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Gardening for Amateurs 



succulent nature can be propagated from 

 leaves. Commonest of all that are treated 

 in this way are the Begonia rex and other 

 varieties, Saintpaulia, Gloxinia, Achimenes, 

 Croton, Echeveria, Streptocarpus, Ramondia, 

 Crassula, Peperomia, as well as many bulbous 

 plants. 



To take the Begonia rex, or ornamental- 

 leaved Begonia, as an example of the usual 

 method : Any healthy, fully developed leaf is 

 selected from the parent plant ; notches are 

 made half-way through the chief vein on the 

 under-side just at a point where any large 

 branch vein joins it, and on the side of the fork- 

 ing nearest to the bottom of the leaf (as illus- 

 trated). A number of these notches, varying 



The correct way to form notches 

 on the back of a Gloxinia leaf. 



In time small tubers form 

 where notches were made. 



Begonia leaves fastened down on sandy soil after the veins 

 have been notched. Young plants will appear in due course. 



with its size and venation, are made on each 

 leaf. A box or seed pan is filled with sandy 

 compost and watered thoroughly ; the leaf 

 is pinned down on the surface with the upper- 

 side on top, i.e. with the notches next the 

 soil, and the stem of the leaf is pushed into 

 the soil. The box should be plunged in moist 

 fibre in a temperature of about 65, and the 

 soil moistened with tepid water as required ; 

 they must be shaded from strong sunshine. 

 In a short time a callus will form at every 

 wound, roots will grow out from it and 

 eventually tiny leaves appear. As soon as 

 they are large enough to handle they should 

 be lifted and planted singly in small pots. 

 Leaves of some plants (Echeveria, Saintpaulia, 

 Tolmiea, and a few others) 

 simply have their leaf 

 stalks dibbled in the soil 

 and made firm, when they 

 will soon develop into nice 

 plants. The work of pro- 

 pagation from leaves is 

 best done in spring, about 

 the month of April. 



The scales or leaves of 

 bulbs are pulled off and 

 laid flat on the soil in a 

 seed pan ; sand or fine 

 soil is then dusted over 

 them until they are just 

 buried. If kept in dark- 

 ness for a short time 

 (8 to 12 days), then in a 

 greenhouse in light, tinj' 

 bulbs will form, and these 

 can be repotted and grown 

 on until of flowering size. 



Propagation by Bud- 

 ding. Budding is a 

 method of grafting in 

 which the scion or graft 

 is a bud or potential 

 branch, and propagation in 

 this way has always to be 

 carried out during the 

 growing season. Every 

 mature bud noticed in the 

 axil of a leaf contains the 

 rudiments of a plant, bush, 

 or tree, hence the process 

 forms a speedy and reliable 

 means of propagating 



