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CULTURE OF TUBEROUS BEGONIAS 
Seed... Sow from January to March. Place 
one or two inches of gravel in flats or seed 
pans, to insure good drainage, over which 
place a fairly coarse, well decayed mixture of 
leaf mold, about one inch deep. Smooth the 
surface with the same mixture, finely sifted, 
not more than one-eighth inch deep but do 
not press it down. It is necessary for the sur- 
face to be of a spongy character, so that when 
the seed germinates, the young roots can get 
into it. If surface is too fine and packed, the 
seedlings will often fall over, as the young 
roots are unable to get in. . . Place the pans 
in shallow water until thoroughly soaked up 
from below, then broadcast the seed. Cover 
with glass and a sheet of paper or keep it in 
the dark until germination takes place. Night 
temperature of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit 
is necessary for quick germination. Lower 
temperature than 65 degrees will consider- 
ably slow up germination, with poorer results 
. . . As soon as germination takes place, take 
the paper off and in three or four days lift 
the glass also, otherwise the little seedlings 
will get too spindly. Warm temperature, pro- 
tection from direct sunlight, and uniform 
moisture, are absolutely necessary. Even a 
slight drying out of the surface will be fatal 
to the delicate young plants. Very gentle 
overhead watering should be used when nec- 
essary . . . Dampening off will occur only if 
flats are kept too wet in greenhouse without 
proper ventilation. 
Transplanting... When the third leaves 
are developed, transplant one inch apart in 
flats containing the same mixture as for sow- 
ing. No finely-sifted surface is necessary any 
more. Do not put more than one to one and 
one-half inches deep of soil in your flats. Deep 
flats filled with several inches of soil are not 
necessary. Usually they do not drain well, soi] 
will get sour, and checking of the growth will 
be the result. Before they get too crowded, 
transplant in the same manner again farther 
apart, until strong enough to be planted out 
in the open, or, if desired, potted up. If plant- 
ing in open ground, enrich the soil liberally 
with well-rotted cow or sheep manure and a 
sprinkling of bone meal. If soil is heavy, add 
plenty of either leaf mold, peat or sand or a 
mixture of all, so that the ground will be light 
and porous. Plant in a shaded position, such 
as under the trees or north side of the house, 
where direct sunlight cannot reach them. 
Keep well watered; fine, overhead sprinkling 
preferred. 
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Tubers.. . if early flowering is desired place 
tubers during January and February in a 
warm place in open trays. Moisten slightly 
once in a while until they come to life. As 
they begin sprouting, plant in flats in a mix- 
ture of peat and sand, leaf mold and sand, or 
peat alone, all of which are good media for 
developing a root system. Plant tubers 3 to 4 
in. apart, so that they are 14 in. below the 
surface. Keep uniformly moist but not too 
wet, in a warm place, well lighted, until 3 or 
4 in. of growth develops. Then plant in a per- 
manent location or in pots, as desired. The 
front of the plant is always where the tips of 
the leaves are pointing. Often if dormant tu- 
bers are planted in open ground, especially if 
it is too cold or wet, a number of them may 
rot and the planting will be uneven, with some 
coming earlier and some later, with the plants 
facing in haphazard ways. Started first in 
flats, they will develop a splendid root system 
which is necessary for the forming of fine 
specimen plants. 
Transplanting. . . Before the plants be- 
come too large and crowded in flats, trans- 
plant in open ground or pots, taking care not 
to disturb the root system too much. Outdoors 
any light soil containing a lot of humus will 
grow good begonias. Heavy soils should have 
a strong application of well-rotted manure, 
leaf mold or sand to lighten them. Light, 
gravelly or sandy soils will benefit greatly by 
the application of peat, leaf mold or well- 
rotted manure. If planting in pots, soil should 
be much lighter than that used outdoors; two- 
thirds coarse leaf mold and one-third sand or 
sandy loam will give excellent results. 
Feeding . . . If well-grown specimens are 
desired, additional feeding will be required, 
either with fish or cottonseed meals, both of 
which give fine results. The best method of 
using these fertilizers is to mix them with the 
soil that goes into the lower half of the pot, so 
that the roots will gradually reach into this 
area. If planting outdoors, a heaping table- 
spoonful for small plants and two for large 
plants will be sufficient when placed in the 
lower half of the planting hole. In pots a table- 
spoonful for a 6-in. pot or a small handful for 
an 8-in. pot will be enough to carry the plants 
through the season. See that the fertilizer 
does not come into contact with the stem or 
leaves of the plant, as both form a mold in 
the early stage of fermenting which would at- 
tack the growing tissues and destroy the plant. 
Watering. . . After transplanting, gentle 
overhead watering is best until the plants are 
well established. Too heavy watering during 
the young stage may pack the soil, keeping it 
too wet, thereby causing the soil to go sour. 
Later, when the plants are in full growth, they 
will require a steady supply of moisture as 
the root system is shallow and any drying out 
will give a set-back to normal development. 
