18 



The Florists* Review 



May 26, 1921 



ciiibly i)laiiUHl out in tlio field, iuid may 

 socyre two or tliree full crops of cut- 

 tings iluring the season or may continue 

 to take cuttings intermittently, as he 

 needs them, until the last part of Sep- 

 tember. 



If, however, the grower wishes to keep 

 the stock plants in first-class condition 

 as (lower-producers for the following 

 year, his right course will be to give 

 them, at the end of their blooming 

 season, a jieriod of ])artial rest. So he 

 will remove the old llower stems, reduce 

 the water su]t])ly and permit the soft 

 growth to rii)en. Water will not bo 

 i'ii1ir(>ly withheld, but will not be given 

 in suflicient (juantitics to encourage new 

 growth. Even under such treatment, 

 Ihe ]ilaii1s may jirovidc material for 

 (iccasidiial cuttings throughout the sea- 

 son, l)iit till' time for the main harvest 

 of cuttings, in sucli a case, is a matter 

 of dispute and largely a matter of free 

 choice. 



Time to Take Cuttings. 



One well known grower states ex- 

 plicitly that the best time to take cut- 

 tings is soon after the flowering season; 

 then the wood, naturally, would be only 

 slightly matured. Another good author- 

 ity says that the cuttings should be 

 taken early in August, from well ripened 

 shoots. Still another grower says he 

 takes liis cuttings any time after llower- 

 ing, but jtreferably in August. 



Many ex]ierienccd growers obtain 

 their main ciop of cuttiugs in Septem- 

 ber, when ]iruiiing the stock ])lants into 

 shape in prejiaring them to be re])otted 

 ;nid grown along as lloweriug plants for 

 tiie succeeding s])ring. So late a start 

 of the cuttings may be a disadvantage 

 if well develoi)ed plants are wanted for 

 an early Easter. The manifest advan- 

 tage is, that the supjily of wood for cut- 

 tings is then abuiulant, as the stock 

 ]dants require cutting back at that time 

 ■ ind almost every part of the j)runings 

 will root, whether young, tender tops 

 or mature wood. 



Carrying Stock Plants Over. 



Before dismissing the stock ])lants 

 from mind, perhaps something should 

 be said about the treatment of such 

 of them as are to be carried over for 

 use the following season. In Septem- 

 ber or early October these plants usually 



are shaken out of their pots, the long 

 roots as well as the branches are cut 

 back, the soil is shaken off and the 

 l)lants are placed in pots about one or 

 tw'o sizes smaller than the ])ots from 

 which they were removed. The repotted 

 plants receive a copious watering. Then 

 begins the process of growing the plants 

 on, a process which is the same, in a 

 general way, as for cuttiugs. If, how- 

 ever, especially early llowers are wanted, 

 these largo plants, after being cut back 

 in September, may be placed directly 

 in the jiots in which they arc to bloom. 



Rooting the Cuttings. 



Now to return to the cuttings. If 

 placed in sand, preferably with one cj'e 

 above and another below the surface, 

 they will root readily, cither on a bench 

 or in a frame. They may also be rooted 

 in soil, as are geraniums, but sand usu- 

 ally is preferred. They need onlj' moder- 

 ate moisture, with little or no shade 

 after the first few days. From four 

 to six weeks later they may be trans- 

 ferred to 2i{;-inch pots of sandy loam. 

 After they have reestablished them- 

 selves in a somewhat close atmosphere, 

 abundance of air may be admitted. A 

 cool, airy liouse, with a temperature of 

 45 degrees at night, will t)e suitable. 



Early in winter they will be ready 

 for their next shift, into 4-inch pots. 

 If first-class plants arc w^anted for the 

 Kaster market, it is desirable to have 

 them ready for this shift in November. 

 On plants intended for Easter tlowering, 

 no ])inching, or stoj)ping, should be done 

 after November. If late blooms are 

 wanted, the jjinching may be continued 

 until the end of February, but must then 

 cease, as the flowering stems usually 

 begin to show about that time. 



Naturally Symmetrical. 



Some varieties, liowever, require no 

 topi)ing at all. Many of the most suc- 

 cessful Easter Greeting growers con- 

 sider topping entirely unnecessary. They 

 say that the habit of this variety is 

 perfect and that no trimming is needed 

 to produce shai)ely plants. Easter stock 

 should receive its final shift, into 5- 

 inch or (i-inch jiots, before Christmas. 

 In growing j)lants for later blooming, 

 the last potting may be deferred till 

 February. 



In order to have short-jointed, sturdy 



growth, pelargoniums should be potted 

 iirmly, esj)ecially in the larger pots. A 

 suitable compost consists of three- 

 fourths fibrous loam and one-fourth cow 

 manure, well decayed, with the addition 

 of a small quantity of sand if it is 

 needed. 



Maintaining Steady Growth. 



A point that cannot be too greatly 

 emphasized is the necessity of keeping 

 pelargoniuins growing steadily from the 

 time they take root in the smallest pots 

 until they are fully in flower. It is 

 true that they should never be forced 

 and should not have a higher tempera- 

 ture than 45 to 50 degrees at night — 

 about 50 degrees in their period of 

 most active growth and slightly less 

 ill midwinter. Yet, throughout their 

 growing period, they should never be al- 

 lowed to lag on account of the lack of 

 a fair amount of food or moisture and 

 should iii'vor be checked by deltxy in 

 potting. Jn this respect they require 

 much closer and more systematic atten- 

 tion than do the zonal geraniums. 

 Though geraniuins also are frequently 

 injured by a prolonged neglect of re- 

 potting, followed by overpotting, yet 

 they will endure considerable abuse of 

 that sort. But when pelargoniums need 

 repotting, they shouhl be repotted as 

 j)romptly as possible. If immediate re- 

 j)otting is impracticable, as in the case 

 of large stock plants, feeding will 

 partly compensate for the lack of the 

 needed shift. 



Watering and Feeding. 



It is evident, then, that careful at- 

 tention must be given to watering and 

 feeding. During cold, cloudy weather, 

 especially in the short days of mid- 

 winter, the plants need comparatively 

 little water and an excess of it would 

 be harmful. Pelargoniums, like gera- 

 niums, should be grown on the dry side 

 rather than otherwise. But in the 

 brighter, warmer days of spring they 

 absorb an abundance of moisture and 

 should not be deprived of it. 



In late winter and early spring, say 

 in February and March, when the plants 

 naturally make their strongest growth, 

 they may be stimulated, if necessary, 

 by the judicious use of artificial fertili- 

 zers and this manner of feeding may be 

 continued until they come into bloom. 

 After they are well rooted in their final 



In iPopularity Easter Greeting Has Outdistanced All Other Pelargoniums. 



