Green Tree Flower Gardens 
that you do not allow the soil to dry out. A good 
plan is to set the pot on moist pebbles in a con¬ 
tainer and place water in the container about 
% of an inch to an inch above the bottom of the 
pot each morning. Endeavor to use rain water 
if possible, but distilled water, surely. 
Slips or cuttings can be made from any Be¬ 
gonia plant. Fill a container with sand or leaf 
mold, or the two combined, or peat moss. Be 
sure it is thoroughly moistened. Make your cut¬ 
tings preferably from green wood, about three 
inches is a good length. Your bottom cut should 
be directly below a joint, your top cut at least one- 
half inch or more above a joint. There should be 
at least two joints in the cutting and more if pos¬ 
sible. But remember to keep the cutting around 
the three inch length. Take olf most of the leaves, 
one or two seem to assist the cutting to start 
roots. Place your cuttings about one-half their 
length in the soil in the cutting bed, then press 
the soil around the cutting and apply a spray of 
water to settle the soil around it. Take your 
cuttings from healthy plants, they should be 
taken prior to the blooming period rather than 
after, because much substance is taken from the 
plant by the blossoms. In cutting up your corms, 
use at least two nodes or joints and press them 
in to about % of the cutting, leaving the top of 
the corm exposed. Keep the soil in the cutting 
bed moist at all times, but not soggy. A temp¬ 
erature of 65 to 70 degrees is best; in the late fall 
and winter months, bottom heat is very helpful. 
Pot the cutting as soon as it shows a nice ball 
of roots, being careful when you take it out to 
neither disturb the roots nor shake the soil from 
it. Don’t hesitate to nip the top of your rooted 
cuttings as soon as they have taken hold in their 
new home, the pot. This will make for more sub¬ 
stantial plants as well as more beautiful ones, 
more symmetrical in shape. Keep this practice 
up and you will win the approval of your friends 
who perhaps told you they were not so fond of 
Begonias. 
PROPAGATION 
Seeds 
January is a good month in which to plant 
Begonia seeds, but if you have never tried to 
grow Begonias from seed, be sure that you are 
endowed with patience and perseverance. Be¬ 
gonia seed is very fine and very fragile. Never 
roll it between you first finger and thumb when 
planting to make an even distribution, as this 
will crush it. If you are gathering Begonia seed, 
try not to crush the dried pod that has held it, but 
knock it out on a clean piece of white paper. 
A plan which seems to result in a fair percent¬ 
age of success is to take a brick, or half a brick, 
and place it in a container with sufficient water 
to come half way to the top of the brick, then 
spread a thin layer of soil on the top of the brick, 
<.6 
