VETTERLE & REINELT — HYBRIDIZING GARDENS 
CAPITOLA, CALIFORNIA 
CULTURE OF GLOXINIAS 
Native of South America requiring warm moist temperatures; flowering season from 
March to November. 
SEED 
Gloxinias can be easily grown from seed. Sown from January to August, according to 
when the flowering is desired. If well handled they will produce good specimens from five to 
six months. The culture is exactly the same as growing Begonias from seed. For good results 
they should be grown under glass all year around with slightly higher temperature than 
Begonias. The soil should be very light. Three-fourths coarse leafmold and one-fourth peat 
will produce very quick growth. Bone meal mixed with soil before planting and additional 
Feeding with liquid manure as for Begonias when buds begin to develop will give good results. 
TUBERS 
For developing large show specimens, tubers should be used, as seedlings will form only 
few flowers the first year. They can be started in the same way as described for Begonias. 
Warm and moist temperature should be maintained in the greenhouse during the younger 
stage of the growth, somewhat cooler and well ventilated when in bloom. If kept in dry 
temperature they are subject to aphis and thrip which destroy the young buds entirely. 
Occasional fumigating with nicotine before the pests are too noticeable will prevent them 
from doing too much damage. 
After the blooming period the foliage turns yellow, they should be dried up gradually and 
handled the same as Begonias. Storing room for tubers should be frostless. 
CULTURE OP TICRIDIAS 
Tigridias are natives of Mexico and Central America, requiring moist warm temperature 
during growth. Plant in well enriched soil from February to May about two inches deep. 
Always plant several bulbs of one variety to make a nice flowering clump. The flowers 
appear in succession each lastng only a day over a period of two months. 
In warmer regions without heavy frost they can be left undisturbed in the ground for 
years. In cold regions they should be dug up before the ground freezes and dried perfectly 
before storing. Cool airy and frostless storage is necessary. The best way is to take the plants, 
tie up the dry stems, and hang them up or cut the stems off and cover the bulbs with 
ashes. If not properly dried, any slight moisture during storage will permit forming of a mold 
which will destroy the bulbs. 
CULTURE OF MONTBRETIAS 
The new strain of Earlham Montbretias requires somewhat richer cultivation than the old 
small flowered types of Montbretias. The bulbs are distributed from December to March and 
should not be kept in a dry state longer than necessary. As a rule, under California conditions 
if transplanting is desired they can be dug up in Autumn and replanted immediately. In 
a region where deep frosts prevail, it is advisable to lift them after the frost has cut down the 
foilage leaving the soil adhering to the roots and store them in the basement where they can 
be kept thoroughly dry until Spring when planting is again possible. For good results, the soil 
should be dug up quite deeply, well enriched with bone meal and old well rotted manure before 
planting. Fresh manures if used are often more harmful than beneficial. No additional feeding is 
required during the growth, but a continuous supply of moisture is necessary until the flowering 
season is over, after which time they can be kept on the dry side so the tubers will be well 
ripened when the time for lifting comes in. They multiply very rapidly if grown in light 
soil; in heavy soils they will produce strong shoots but the increase is much slower. 
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