22 



The Florists^ Review 



FEBRUARY 24, 1916. 



( 



i 



3C=3C 



3I^=C 



3^C 



a^=ac 



ac=3c 



SEASONABLE Mt 

 Mf SUGGESTIONS 



1^=31 



3C=3C 



3^C 



3c;:^c 



3l=^C 



a 



I 



Dahlias. 



It is too early to start dahlia tubers 

 with any idea of planting them out, 

 but there are probably some varieties 

 of which you would like to increase 

 the stock. In that case, some should 

 be placed in heat and cuttings taken 

 oflf, preferably with a heel, and inserted 

 in a warm propagating bench. There 

 are, of course, objections to the Use of 

 green cuttings which cannot be urged 

 against dry roots. Cutworms may 

 destroy them if they are not protected, 

 and they lack reproductive powers 

 when cut off. Still, great numbers are 

 raised in this way and such cuttings 

 will produce as fine plants and flowers 

 as any which can be had from the dry 

 tuber system. 



Cannas. 



It is too soon to start up the cannas 

 unless you want to get one or two 

 plants of each variety in flower before 

 bedding-out time. You have noted how 

 customers invariably select geraniums, 

 verbenas, petunias or heliotropes that 

 are in flower, in preference to larger 

 and more vigorous plants that are not 

 in bloom. Why not, therefore, flower 

 one or two cannas and give your patrons 

 an idea at least of what color they are 

 buying? Look over the canna roots 

 and cut away all moldy or decaying 

 portions. 



Show Pelargoniums. 



Give show pelargoniums a final pot- 

 ting now, using a mixture of fibrous 

 loam and cow manure, with some sharp 

 sand and fine bone added. Drain effi- 

 ciently and ram the soil firmly in the 

 pots. These beautiful spring-flowering 

 plants must have a cool house to be 

 grown successfully. A temperature of 

 45 degrees at night is ample. As they 

 are liable to be attacked by green 

 aphis, give them a nicotine spraying or 

 fumigation once a week. Pinching the 

 shoots should be discontinued after the 

 end of February. 



Mignonette. 



Mignonette will flower over a long 

 period if liberally treated. Plants 

 which have been flowering since late 

 fall will be benefited by a mulch of old 

 manure. In addition, a soaking of 

 liquid manure can be applied once in 

 ten days. Mignonette must have a cool 

 house, not over 45 degrees at night, 

 and no heating pipes should run below 

 the benches in which it is grown. The 

 soil must never even approach dryness, 

 or the plants will soon "peter out." 



Callas. 



To keep callas flowering freely, it is 

 necessary to give them not only an 

 abundant supply of water, but frequent 

 feeding. Liquid manure is good. The 

 water supply will need increasing, now 

 that the sun is gaining in power. Try 

 the plan of standing each pot in a 

 larger pan and pack around the sides 

 with fresh cow manure. You will find 

 in a few weeks that this manure is 



simply alive with active roots. The 

 longer we grow it the more satisfied we 

 are that the Godfrey calla is the vari- 

 ety par excellence for florists to grow. 

 Its large flowers are purer white than 

 the old C. ^thiopica and the plants 

 average from 200 to 300 per cent more 

 flowers. 



Propagating Begonias. 



Leaf propagation is much the best 

 way to secure good plants of Lorraine 

 and Cincinnati begonias and there is 

 still time to insert a batch of leaves. 

 They always root much more satisfac- 

 torily during cold weather, when the 

 heating pipes and cutting benches are 

 steadily warm. Lift and pot all leaves 

 as soon as they are rooted. Do not 

 wait for growths to appear. They will 

 come in due course in the pots and 

 will be much stronger than where the 

 leaves are left in the sand until they 

 appear. 



DISEASED FORMOSA LILIES. 



Enclosed I am sending a Formosa lily 

 bulb. Will you please tell me what is 

 the trouble with itf We had this same 

 trouble last season. This year, out of 

 250 bulbs, seventy are affected in this 

 manner. The bulbs were planted in 6- 

 inch pots early in November. They 

 have been in a temperature of 50. to 

 55 degrees. We have been told the 

 bulbs were dug green. 



H. B.— N. J. 



This is a common trouble, though 

 more in evidence usually on giganteums 

 than on Formosas. It is undoubtedly 

 due to digging the bulbs in an imma* 

 ture condition and then not allowing 

 them a sufficient period of rest before 

 starting them. Too much water in the 

 early stages of growth is also bad and 

 causes many lilies to become sickly. 

 Until the pots are full of roots and the 

 top growths are well started, lilies 

 should be kept on the dry side. 



C. W. 



PUSSY WILLOW FOR FORCING. 



What is the botanical name of the 

 pussy willow for forcing? 



E. C. M.— N. J. 



Usually Salix pentandra. Sometimes 

 S. vitellina is used. C. W. 



^^m 



?f'-VA,!'>"v;Jh» 



OERANIUMS DAMPING OFF. 



I have had trouble this winter in 

 rooting geranium cuttings. Black rot 

 ruins more than half of every batch. 

 The stock plants appear to be healthy, 

 making good growth. I take the cut- 

 tings at the second leaf joint. I use 

 fresh sand, with a temperature of 50 

 degrees, and I keep the cuttings as dry 

 as possible without shriveling the stems. 

 I would blame the stock plants, Ijut cut- 

 tings obtained from different sources 

 act the same way. I would appreciate 

 any suggestions. G. E. Y. — Kan. 



I am afraid you are trying to root 

 your geraniums in too low a tempera- 

 ture. For top heat 50 degrees will be 

 all right, but the sand should be 60 to 

 65 degrees. If you will give the cut- 

 tings this additional bottom heat, using 

 care in watering and not shading the 

 cuttings, I think you will have better 

 success. If your sand is a little too 

 fine, add some finely broken coal ashes. 

 ^___^_^ C. W. 



TIME LIMIT FOR GERANIUMS. 



Kindly advise me how late cuttings 

 can be taken from geranium stock plants 

 in order to have the plants in bloom by 

 Memorial day. D. E. — N. Y. 



You can take cuttings as late as 

 March 1 and have plants in 3-inch pots 

 in flower for Memorial day. These will, 

 of course, be small plants compared 

 with those from fall or early winter 

 cuttings. C. W. 



ROOTING GERANIUM CUTTINGS. 



I would like information on how to 

 root geranium cuttings. I have about 

 5,0(J0 plants grown in 4-inch pots and 

 later shifted to ground benches. They 

 are in a temperature of 50 to 55 degrees 

 at night, with an increase of 10 degrees 

 during the day. The temperature in 

 my propagating house is the same. This 

 is heated by flue pipes. I lose from 

 fifty to sixty per cent of the plants 

 during the winter months, but have no 

 trouble in the early spring and fall. 



C. M.— N. Y. 



A propagating bench containing 

 clear, sharp sand, through which water 

 passes freely, with a steady bottom 

 heat of 65 to 70 degrees, and with a 

 top heat of 15 to 20 degrees lower, will 

 root geraniums well. If your sand is 

 fine and the water does not pass quickly 

 through it you can improve it by add- 

 ing some fine coal ashes, or charcoal 

 with the dusty portion screened out. 

 The cuttings will not need shading and 

 will not stand the amount of water 

 needed for chrysanthemum, coleus or 

 salvia cuttings. Allow them to dry out 

 well between waterings. Remove them 

 from the bed and pot them when the 

 roots are a couple of inches long. If 

 left in longer they are liable to develop 

 stem-rot when potted. I think the prob- 

 able causes of so many cuttings damp- 

 ing off are, using sand which is too 

 fine, overw^atering and a too high and 

 humid temperature. C. W. 



