74 



Gardening for Amateurs 



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The wrong way to layer Lapageria, a greenhouse climber 

 the slits are in the wrong direction. 



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How stems of Lapageria, a greenhouse climber, are layered 

 the slits being in the direction of the buds. 



Preparing a rose stem for layering 



The rose stem layered in sandy soil. 



piece of wood ; soil is 

 packed round it until 

 the incision is completely 

 hidden. A compost com- 

 posed of soil, leaf -mould, 

 and sand is prepared, 

 and the layers are pegged 

 into this. Nothing re- 

 mains to be done but 

 to keep the soil moist. 

 When top growth is 

 noticed the layer can 

 then be severed from its 

 parent, generally in the 

 months of September or 

 October. 



Layering Greenhouse 

 Carnations. If Carna- 

 tions in pots are to be 

 layered the process be- 

 comes more difficult 

 although essentially the 

 same. Various methods 

 are employed ; the pot 

 may be plunged into a 

 box or larger pot of soil, 

 and layering carried out 

 in the same way as is 

 done in the open ; some 

 gardeners prefer to place 

 a small pot of soil near 

 the plant and layer the 

 branches in this rather 

 a difficult task ; while 

 quite a number cut the 

 notch as in the previous 

 case, insert a small piece 

 of charcoal to hold it 

 open, and wrap the 

 wound round with moss, 

 which is kept damp con- 

 tinuously. The stem be- 

 low the moss is severed 

 when the branch begins 

 to grow actively, loose 

 moss is then removed 

 carefully, and the layer 

 planted in a pot of sandy 

 compost. If the shoots 

 are high up the stem, the 

 pot must then be laid on 

 its side and the shoots 

 pegged in a bed of soil. 



