798 



Gardening for Amateurs 



into three compartments, thus enabling each 

 class of Orchids to be grown therein. That 

 near the heating apparatus will be the warm 

 house, the next intermediate, and the last 

 one the cool house. In the following table 

 of temperatures approximate figures are 

 given for general guidance, but during sun- 

 shine they will be exceeded considerably, 

 and during frosty weather a few degrees 

 lower than the minimum will do no harm. 



TEMPERATURES, DEGREES (FAHRENHEIT) 



WINTER 



Day Night 



Warm house . . . 65 70 60 



Intermediate house . . 60 65 58 



Cool house . . . 52 55 48 



SPRING AND AUTUMN 



Day Night 



Warm house . . . 68 75 65 

 Intermediate house . . 65 70 60 

 Cool house . . . 60 65 55 



SUMMER 



Day Night 



Warm house . ... 75 80 70 

 Intermediate house . . 70 65 



Cool house ... 65 55 



The maximum should be reached at mid- 

 day, and the lowest temperatures recorded 

 during the night. 



Shading. Light is an important factor 

 in Orchid-growing, nevertheless the house 

 must be fitted with roller blinds, which can 

 be let down when necessary. Permanent 

 shading ought never to be employed, except 

 for the ends of houses or on side-lights where 

 such exist. Blinds may be made of canvas, 

 or laths (known as lath roller blinds), and 

 should be raised a few inches above the roof 

 by means of iron supports or parallel rafters. 

 Careful attention ought to be paid to shading, 

 for though the plants need protection from 

 the direct rays of the sun, the blinds should 

 never remain down when the weather is dull 

 and gloomy. If lath blinds are chosen, they 

 can be lowered in the winter, when the nights 

 are cold and frosty, thus economising fire 

 heat, but those- made of canvas should be 

 taken off in October, thoroughly dried, and 

 stored until the following March. The cool 



house is the first to require shading, then the 

 warm and intermediate houses respectively. 

 Cattleyas. Dendrobiums, and similar Orchids 

 enjoy a little more sunlight than Odonto- 

 glossums, Disas, etc., but the observant 

 cultivator will soon master these and many 

 other details. 



Every house ought to be provided with 

 top and bottom ventilators. When admit- 

 ting air, care must be taken to prevent a 

 direct current passing over the plants. 



How and When to Repot. The proper 

 time to repot an Orchid is when fresh roots 

 are seen at the base of the new growths, 

 irrespective of season, perhaps excepting 

 the months of November and December. 

 No plant ought to be disturbed unless a 

 larger pot is needed, or the soil has become 

 unsuitable through over-watering, etc. Clean 

 pots and crocks are essential. When re- 

 potting, some of the old pseudo-bulbs may 

 be removed ; four or at most five should 

 be left behind each growing point. If the 

 Orchid is a choice one the older pseudo- 

 bulbs may be potted up, and will soon make 

 plants if they possess a live bud. The front 

 portion of the plant is not disturbed to any 

 great extent, and in dealing with small 

 Cypripediums, Odontoglossums, etc., that 

 have filled their pots with roots no disturb- 

 ance is needed ; they are repotted intact, 

 in a pot two sizes larger. Each plant must 

 be made firm, without in any way injuring 

 the roots, and when the work is finished the 

 compost should be on a level with the rim 

 of the pot for most Orchids, but for Calanthes, 

 Cypripediums, and Zygopetalums it ought 

 to be just below in order to allow for 

 watering. 



Compost for Orchids. The chief in- 

 gredients employed in repotting an Orchid 

 are as follow : Peat This is now difficult 

 to procure, but when available it should be 

 broken up into pieces about the size of a 

 walnut, and all the sticks removed. Os- 

 munda and Polypodium fibres have largely 

 taken the place of peat, and are not so waste- 

 ful. All the pieces of root must be picked out, 

 and cut up into inch lengths with a pair of 

 shears. Sphagnum moss needs cutting up 

 in the same manner, but first of all the 

 weeds and rubbish must be taken out. 

 Turfy loam is broken up similarly to peat, 



