;■'> '' 



Mabch 3, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



covered witn sphagnum moss, in a mild 

 hotbed or greenhouse, with not too much 

 ventilation until the seed germinated, 

 which takes about four to five weeks. 

 Keep them shaded and moist until the 

 seedlings make the first leaf; then re- 

 move the moss and give them more light 

 and ventilation gradually. Loosen the 

 soil around the plants and keep the green 

 moss removed; do this every three weeks 

 at least, as this is essential to the grow- 

 ing of healthy planta 



Trantplantiag Into Flats. 



We transplant the first sowing about 

 eight or ten weeks after they were sown 

 into flats, placing the plants about an 

 inch and a half apart. We set them on 

 shelves near the glass and give them an 

 average night temperature of about 52 

 to 55 degrees and 10 degrees higher in 

 the daytime, with plenty of fresh air. 

 Never keep a close air or the plants will 

 get weak, and such plants are hard to get 

 through the hot summer months. 



Do not shade cyclamens after the sec- 

 ond part of October untU the second 

 part of February. Give the plants aU 

 the light possible untU you see that they 

 wilt even with two or three sprinklings, 

 and then shade them only during the 

 noon hours. Give them a sprinkling 

 every day and twice or even three times 

 in hot days; this will help to make large 

 bulblets and of course the whole plant 

 will get the benefit of it. 



Plant them so that the bulblets are 

 just covered. After you water them 

 well, the watering will settle the soil so 

 that the head of the bulb will be above 

 the ground. I warn the grower not to 

 plant too deep, as that would make 

 spindly plants and weak bulbs. If 

 planted too high, however, the bulbs grow 

 hard and will never make a thriving 

 plaitt. It is well to pick out the best 

 marked and nicest plants for show plants 

 right at the first shift, and keep them 

 picked out until they make the plants 

 desired. 



Shif tine Into Pott. 



We manage to have the plants from 

 the first sowing in 3-inch pots by the end 

 of March, when they go on a mild hot- 

 bed. At the start keep the bed rather 

 close, until you notice some root action. 

 Shade them only in bright sunshine, from 

 about 9:30 a. m. until 3 p. m. Sprinkle 

 them at least once or twice a day. Keep 

 the bottom heat at about 70 to 80 de- 

 grees. Gradually give more ventilation 

 and maintain a temperature of about 55 

 to 65 degrees; any warmer will make 

 spindly p&nts and much cooler will give 

 them a backset. Shift whenever the pot- 

 ball is fairly well rooted; do not let 

 them get potbound. Give them only a 

 fair sized pot, with one-fifth drainage, 

 for which washed coal ashes or coarse 

 gravel is the best material. 



Cyclamens, more than any other plants, 

 enjoy clean pots. They also like a mild 

 hotbed after every shift, but this is not 

 necessary during the warm season. 

 Should you use hotbeds or bottom heat 

 during the summer, do not make the mis- 

 take of keeping the bed too close, as the 

 bulbs would get soft and the plants 

 would be liable to suffer. It is not the 

 heat in the bed, but it is the bottom heat 

 you Want for quick root action, to give 

 the plant a good start 



In the Larger Pots. 



In shifting into larger pots, set the 

 plants so that the bulb is about covered 

 with soil; the first watering will "then 



Cyclament as Grown by M. Bloy, Detroit, Mich. 



settle the soil, so as to show about one- 

 fourth of the bulb. If the bulb is planted 

 too high, it will get hard too soon and 

 may burst or set on the buds too early. 

 On the other hand, when planted too 

 deep the plants get spindly, fall over and 

 the flower stems rot easily. Most of the 

 mistakes are made in watering and keep- 

 ing the plants too wet and soggy. Let 

 the plants dry out fairly well before you 

 give another watering; this will keep 

 the soil sweet, which is of th^ utmost im- 

 portance for cyclamens. 



The shade should not be too dense. We 

 used thin burlap or sashes made out of 

 plaster strips for shading, to good ad- 

 vantage. Last season we used shades 

 made of bamboo sticks, which are easy 

 to handle and quite durable. 



Usually we make the last shift in Au- 

 gust or September. It is now advisable 

 to plant so the bulb comes to stand 

 about one-half in the soil. This is very 

 important to the setting of the buds and 

 the plant comes to bloom with more 

 flowers at one time; also the buds are 

 not so liable to rot off and the plants 

 are ^asier to keep clean. 



During the warm nights in August and 

 September the sashes can be removed 

 from; the plants; the dew will -freshen 

 up the plants, keep them short and help 

 to ret the buds. 



Always give the plants plenty of room, 

 so they will not grow high and spindly. 

 Separate the foliage, so the younger 

 leaves and buds can develop more easily. 

 This keeps the plants from growing one- 

 sided. About the end of June, we set 

 our sashes on a ratling, so the space 

 between the lower part of the sash and 

 the hotbed frame is about six to eight 

 inches, while the upper part of the sash 

 is raised or lowered according to the 

 amount of ventilation that is wanted on 

 the plants. On windy days let the venti- 

 lation down in the direction of the wind. 



Housing the Plants. 



In the latter part of October we com- 

 mence to house the plants. Up to this 

 time we have the beds covered with 

 blankets during cold nights; this is a 

 good way of holding your plants in the 

 very best condition until the early mums 

 will make room. In setting the plants 

 on the greenhouse benches, give them 

 plenty of space, as now is the time when 

 cyclamens make the best and quickest 

 growth and should have the chance to 

 grow into shapely specimens. No shade 

 should be required any more. Should 

 the sun make it disagreeable for the 

 plants, give them a fine sprinkling to 

 keep them from wilting, and you had bet- 

 ter get the plants gradually used to the 

 bright weather while they are outside. 



Keep a free circulation of fresh air on 

 them nearly all the time. Water care- 

 fully and be particular not to drop the 

 water right in the head of the plant, as 

 it would rot the buds and leaves at the 

 bulb. Space the plants about every two 

 weeks, so the foliage will not crowd. 

 The better the plants are shaped, the bet- 

 ter they will sell, and shapely plants can 

 only be secured by spacing them well 

 apart. Old flowers and leaves should be 

 pulled; never cut them off, as they may 

 rot down to the bulb and spoil the whole 

 plant. 



Do not try to force a cyclamen by rais- 

 ing the temperature, for if this is done 

 the plants will get a sleepy appearance 

 and the flowers will be small and poorly 

 colored. We should tell our customers to 

 set the cyclamens in a moderately cool 

 place, in a temperature not to exceed 65 

 degrees, in order to have the plants last 

 longer and give better satisfaction to the 

 ' customers as well as to the florist. 



For Easter Flowering. 



Should you want some cyclamens for 

 (Concluded on page 74.) 



