March, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



79 



Fig, 4 — The dracaena (Cordyline) is easily propa- 

 gated by cuttings of the stem 



leaves which eventually detaches itself and 

 becomes an independent plant. Offsets are 

 usually formed above ground near the 

 surface. The hen-and-chickens houseleek 

 is probably the most familiar example. 



One of the best house plants that is pro- 

 pagated by offsets is Pandanus Veitchii, a 

 favorite house plant with beautifully striped 

 leaves. If you have a fair-sized plant of this 

 kind, you will notice the little sprouts shoot- 

 ing out along the stalk. These are the 

 future plants. There are large and small 

 ones on the same plant. The very small 

 plants root very quickly, but the large-sized 

 offsets, though slower, are quite as sure. 

 Merely trim the stump of the offset by taking 

 off the ragged edges, and put it in a pot of 

 sand. Keep it in a warm place out of 

 draughts, with the sand moist, and you will 

 have no trouble in growing them. If you 

 examine the offsets after they have been in 

 the sand about a week, you will find that the 

 end has hardened and swelled a little; In 



from two to three weeks tiny roots will be 

 found in quantity. The plants are then 

 ready for potting. 



PROPAGATING BY RUNNERS 



The Boston fern is perhaps the best all- 

 round house plant there is, but it is most 

 satisfactory in the form of young plants. 

 When specimens get old and shabby, it is 

 better to use them for propagating purposes. 

 The old plants send out little string-like run- 

 ners that hang over the pot and grow to a 

 considerable length. Put these runners in 

 loamy soil and they will root and make little 

 plants which will make rapid growth. When 

 well established, they can be cut off from the 

 runners and potted. Young plants grown 

 in this manner always do well. 



PROPAGATING BY STEMS 



The dracaena is perhaps the commonest 

 house plant propagated by stem cuttings, as 

 shown in Figs. 4, 5. If you have an old 

 dracaena that has lost most of its lower leaves 

 and looks thoroughly disreputable, cut the 

 stem into small pieces, two to three inches 

 long. Barely cover these with coarse sand 

 and keep them damp. If you put them too 

 deep and keep them very wet, they are very 



Fig. 6- 



If the runners of the Boston fern are kept in 

 soil they will root 



Fig. 5 — Remove the new growths with & "heel" and 

 put in the sand to root 



likely to "damp off. " When the new growth 

 is about two or three inches high, you can put 

 the whole piece in a pot, cut off the new 

 growth and immediately put both the stem 

 and the new plant into the sand again. The 

 old stem will throw up more sprouts and the 

 little plant will make roots of its own. In 

 taking off the cuttings from the old stem, be 

 sure to get a small part of the hard wood. 



THE RUBBER PLANT PROBLEM 



What to do with a precious old rubber 

 plant, rich in personal associations is often a 

 distressing problem. The plain truth is that 

 rubber plants are always best when young. 

 It is their nature to grow lanky, make no 

 branches and lose their lower leaves as they 

 grow older. The best rubber plants are the 

 "branched" specimens, which have been 

 propagated in a special way for this purpose. 

 But if you have an old rubber plant, there are 

 only three things to do. 



The most sensible plan is to cut off the 

 tip of the plant, root it like any other cutting 

 and make a new plant of it. In this case, be 

 sure to make the cutting close to an eye. 

 Wrap a little moss about one end, tie it 

 lightly and put it into the sand. Many 



Fig. 7 — To make more umbrella plants, cut the bunch 

 of leaves off and put them in water 



prefer to make a split in the end of the cutting 

 and wedge in a piece of moss to keep it open. 



The second way preserves all of the plant 

 except the unsightly lower portion, but 

 requires more skill and care. If you value 

 your plant highly, pay a florist or gardener to 

 do it for you. However, amateurs who have 

 the knack of growing things need not be 

 afraid to try it. Bind a ball of moss about 

 the stem you want to shorten, forming it 

 about an eye, and at a distance from the end 

 of the branch to be determined by the size of 

 the plant you want, for you can have your 

 plants six inches long or two feet. The moss 

 must be kept moist and the plant kept in a 

 warm atmosphere. In time, according to 

 conditions, roots will form in the moss. The 

 new plant can be then taken off and potted. 



Now for the third possibility. If you have 

 treated the plants by either of the ways sug- 

 gested, they must naturally look in a rather 



Fig. 8 — Strawberry geranium (Saxifraga sarmentosa). 

 Easily grown window plant. Multiplies by runners 



