the plants back when moved. Many of our customers report first that plants are received 
in excellent to perfect condition and later that they are still flowering. 
Watering. Do not use cold water. The water should be near the room temperature 
and never over 10° lower or higher. Most of our watering is done by spraying with a 
hose. The plants need to have the foliage sprayed and it does not spot the foliage if no 
sun falls on the foliage before they dry off. If late in morning, cover plants with news- 
papers after watering, until dry. The interval between waterings should be long enough 
to permit the top soil to become slightly dry. 
Very many advise to set the pois in a pan of tepid water, and to remove when the 
surface becomes moist. This is an allowable practice but it requires supplementary pro- 
cedures. One must sometimes spray the foliage and also water from the top of pot part 
of the time. Culture advice for any house plant usually says, “Be sure the drainage is 
perfect.” But’ sub-irrigation does not result in perfect drainage. Not enough water is 
likely to drain away when removed from a pan of water. Most of us must use hard water 
containing soluble alkaline or other salts. When subirrigated these salts remain in the 
soil and are added to by each irrigation. Nearly all cultivated plants, particularly shade 
loving plants, require some leaching of the soil to remove excess soluble salts. Continued 
too long, subirrigation may raise the soil pH sufficiently to stop flowering. 
Good ventilation is needed by all plants but Saintpaulias do not like drafts. Slow 
movement of air currents are more ccnducive to their comfort. 
Soil formulae. Some growers sell prepared soils. Probably they are nearly all good. 
But the plants have a considerable tolerance and do well in a wide variety of soils. They 
should be at least mildly acid in reaction and a type that will drain easily and quickly. 
Heavy clay soils, therefore, are not good. 
We use about one half oak or redwood leaf mould and one half sandy loam or good 
loose garden loam. To this is added enough sponge rock or coarse sand to make the soil 
gritty and aid drainage. Fine screened peat is as good or better than leaf mould. It is not 
at all necessary to buy prepared soils. 
Fertilizers. We use only Spoonit and recommend it to be applied once a month, on 
a day following watering. See our listing under Garden Supplies. 
Sun exposure. Most of the advice one receives over-emphasizes shade. Lack of 
sufficient light intensity seems to us to be one of the most frequent causes of non- 
blooming. All shade plants need a certain amount of modified sunlight to make them 
flower. In the winter, the sun is at a low declination. Its rays must pass thru several times 
the thickness of atmosphere penetrated at noon in the summer when the sun is directly 
above or at “high declination.” Very little shading is needed on the greenhouse in winter. 
Treated thus, our plants bloom profusely all winter. Very likely, plants in a south window, 
anywhere in the north temperate zone, in winters, will be sufficiently shaded on the 
brightest days by a thin muslin curtain. It may not even be needed at all and on days 
of less than maximum intensity remove the shade. 
But summer sun is much stronger. One must give more shade. It should not, 
however, be too heavy. The plants need much light. The color of the foliage will tell you 
what they can endure. When healthy plants have light, yellowish foliage they probably 
receive too much sun. Medium green is about right. Very dark green foliage indicates 
insufficient light and lack of flowers corroborates it. 
If your Saintpaulias do not flower altho they grow well and appear to be healthy, 
you need to check on all points we have mentioned. Light intensity and duration are 
important. In the far north we have customers near the Arctic Circle where there is full 
daylight only in summer. Here the only possibility of winter flowers is the use of 
artificial light. They express interest in fluorescent lighting. Mrs. Rector, in How To 
Grow African Violets (which you should have,—see our book list), says that an 80 watt 
fixture, 18” above the soil, has been found to give good growth and free flowering. 
Greenhouse growers who force lilies for Easter are able to advance the blooming date 
by the use of electric light. Any kind of light will do provided the plants receive 15 to 
a 
