Sweet Alyssum sows itself, and the trouble is usually not to save but to get rid of it. Candytuft may be saved, but the fewer flowers allowed to seed the better for the continuation of bloom. Where one does not actually need the seed all flowers should be removed as fast as they fade. No one thing will add so much to the appearance of the garden as this, as nothing is more untidy than flowers gone to seed.
Perennials are greatly benefited by having the withered flowers removed; indeed so noticeable is the advantage that some, like the Monkshood, will give a second crop of flowers, and those that will not respond in this way will be more robust and bloom more freely the next year.
Vincas, too, and Hibiscus bloom more freely if not allowed to seed, while Coleus should not even be allowed to bloom. Sweet-peas must on no account be permitted to seed unless grown for the purpose. Seed may be gathered from the Thunbergia, Maurandya, Adlumia, common Morning-glory and Hollyhock without risk of deterioration or harm to the vine. Antirrhinums suffer severely from seed-bearing, while the Ricinus, Lantanas and Salvias may be allowed to seed freely. Ageratums look rusty when ripening seed, and it pays to go over them frequently with the shears; this will keep them fresh and full of bloom until frost. One flower-head will furnish all the seed one is likely to want.
All seeds should be gathered when ripe and the foliage dry. They should be exposed to the air in any convenient receptacle, except in the case of the Thunbergias, Balsams, and others having pods which snap open and expel the seeds to a distance. These should be saved in paper bags until perfectly dry, when they may be freed from their husks by sifting or winnowing, and stored in paper bags, envelopes, or boxes. It pays to save the florists’ envelopes for this purpose, as they are already labelled. Never put seeds away unlabelled, and it is a good idea to add to the label the date, period of germination, with the colour of the bloom, height, and other data of interest. It is still better to keep a book of such information to which one may refer from year to year. There are frequent doubts concerning some operation—the season of starting the hotbed, the time it took a certain class of bulbs to bloom after potting, and the like. In all such cases the note-book offers unimpeachable evidence.
Chapter SIX
Starting Seeds in Flats
There are many choice seeds, especially in the greenhouse varieties, that cannot be handled successfully in the hotbed—Begonias, Gloxinias, Cinerarias, and Primulas among them. All seeds too fine to be covered do better with house treatment. For starting these the shallow boxes or flats, as they are called, are used. Shallow cigar-boxes, or the larger ones sawed in two and the lid nailed on for the extra bottom, make convenient sizes for the finest seeds. They may be used from year to year if care is taken to store them away, at the end of the season, where they will keep dry and ready for use.
Holes for drainage should be bored in the bottom and covered with bits of glass or broken crockery. Fill with finely sifted leaf-mould to within an inch of the top and shake the earth smooth and even. A smooth piece of board, three inches wide and as long as the inside width of the flat, with a handle that can be easily grasped, is indispensable for pressing down the soil, both before and after sowing the seeds. It should be stored away with the flats at the end of the season.
Sow very fine seed broadcast, scattering it thinly and evenly over the surface and pressing it into the soil with the wood. It will be better to sow only part of a packet at a time. This will usually give all the plants of a kind wanted at one time, and if success does not follow this first trial there will be seed left for another sowing. Label plainly with the name and date of sowing, and, when known, the date of germination. Give the soil a thorough watering by setting the flat in lukewarm water until the water rises to the surface, but not above it. When the entire surface is wet, remove the box, draining off all surplus water by tipping on one corner, until the water ceases to run off. Cover the flat with a glass and sheet of white paper and place in a warm place—a shelf above a coal-stove or radiator is an excellent location, as it affords the bottom heat so essential in starting tender seeds. Seeds while germinating need but little light, and a box on a shelf in a living-room may be so screened as not to be unsightly. A shelf under another, having a light valance, is an ideal place, as the heat strikes more on the bottom of the box, leaving the top cool. Coarse seeds may be sown in rows and lightly covered, or enough fine white sand to merely cover may be sifted over them. Large seed, like the Asparagus Sprengeri may be pressed into the soil to twice their depth. Or the soil may first be covered with a thin layer of fine white sand, and the seeds sown on this and covered according to need. Sand counteracts the troublesome tendency to damping off caused by the presence of a minute fungus in the form of a fine moss or thread-like filaments covering the ground. Since this is the result of too much moisture, the remedy is to remove the glass, allowing the surplus moisture to pass off and the dry air to strike the soil for a short time. Care must be taken that the dryness does not extend below the surface. Drops of water on the glass indicate too much humidity. The glass should be removed, wiped, and aired. Where the plants are not too close together a crochet-hook or hat-pin may be used to scrape the moss or filament from the earth. This slight disturbance of the soil often serves to destroy the fungus. If the soil threatens to become dry, water carefully with a rubber sprinkler. If the dryness begins in the bottom, water as before by setting the flat in a pan of water.
When the plants have their second leaves give more air and remove the paper; in a day or two set in a light, warm window, screening from the hot sun by placing a piece of white paper between the box and the window glass. Leave the glass partly off the flat to admit air, and when the plants have their first true leaves remove it entirely for a part of the time.
