be mailed postpaid for the price but be sure to add 3c for insurance to $5.00. California 
customers must add 241% Sales Tax. 
BULBS AS POT PLANTS 
Bulbs are easy to force in your window garden or your greenhouse. Much more 
food is stored in a bulb than can be stored in a seed or even a small plant and bulbs 
therefore bloom long before plants and seed, often even before the seeds come up. 
The following are the most desirable of all bulbs and plants for growing in pots, 
that can be potted in late winter or early spring: Amaryllis, Clivia, Haemanthus, 
Sprekelia, Tulbaghia, Marica, Orchid, Calla, Caladium, Begonia, Gloxinia, Anemone, 
Ranunculus and Billbergia. Many others in our list are desirable and do well in pots. 
In fact, one can grow nearly any plant in a pot if the plant is not too large and its 
conditions of growth are provided. 
POTTING DIRECTIONS 
Bulbs bloom better in pots that are not too large. A 24%” Amaryllis will do well 
in 6” or 7” pot. Many use a 5” size but I prefer to give as large a pot as will be 
favorable to flowering. Give larger or smaller bulbs of any sort, pots in proportion to 
this size, that is 2 or 3 times the diam. of bulb. Small bulbs may be planted 2” or 3” 
apart in any size pot. 
Most large bulbs, like Amaryllis, may have % of bulb above soil surface but small 
bulbs, especially Anemones and Ranunculus, should be covered about 1”. 
Use clean pots. It is advisable to boil and scrub the surface. Even new clay pots 
should be boiled. Cover the hole at bottom with a piece of broken pot, concave side 
down. Above this place small pieces of broken pot and gravel. This helps to drain 
away excess water. 
The drainage must be perfect and it is essential that the soil above this drainage 
material be of a friable texture that permits water to pass thru freely. I have seen bulbs 
potted in a heavy clay soil that appeared to be doing well, but such soil endangers them 
and the bulbs are unlikely to prosper for very long. 
The best soil is a rich sandy loam with the addition of plenty of humus. For humus 
one can combine rotted leaf mould and old rotted dairy manure well broken up and 
rubbed thru a screen of smallest gauge. For most plants the proportion can be 24 sandy 
loam, 4% humus. 
Fertilizers. Many advise the addition of fertilizer to potting soils. We never use 
any except the rotted dairy manure and leaf mould and sometimes a tablespoon of 
bone meal. If new roots come into contact with much fertilizer they are burned. 
Commercial fertilizer is especially a hazard. When the plants have become well rooted 
and have made a good top growth, most of them will be helped by using liquid manure. 
Cover manure with water and allow to settle. Pour off water and dilute further until 
it is a very light amber, the color of weak tea. This can be used about every two weeks 
but don’t use it on dry soil and thirsty plants. 
Sun exposure. Note requirements of plants under listings. For full sun, use a south 
window. For half sun use an east or west window and add a thin curtain if it proves 
too much. For Clivias and others requiring full shade or only a little filtered sunlight, 
use a north window or place on a stand at a distance from window, but always give 
plenty of light and good ventilation, especially in gas heated rooms. 
Temperature. Most bulbs root better in a cool room of 50° to 60°. There must not 
be too much water given while roots are starting as it may cause bulbs to rot even when 
cool. When a bud or foliage shows that growth has started, gradually bring the 
temperature to about 70° and water a little more. The best temperatures for plants 
vary. Some like more warmth than others. This is indicated in the special culture 
directions for these plants. 
After flowering, very few plants may be dried off. Early blooming plants, especially, 
must be kept growing for a long time, some of them, like Amaryllis, for all summer. 
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