REPOTTING
Cuttings liable to decay, as are some of the Cacti, may often be saved by tying them to a bit of wood and inserting that in the ground so that the end of the cutting just rests on the surface. In this way the air will reach and harden it so that a callus can form. Without the formation of the callus the sap escapes and the branch withers or decays. When the callus forms the imprisoned sap goes to the formation of roots. Some plants form more pronounced calluses than others—particularly the Gloxinia and Rose.
Layering is another form of rooting cuttings, and is especially valuable for Carnations, Honeysuckles, and plants whose branches grow near the ground or are supple enough to be bent down below its level. A cut should be made in the under side of a branch just below a joint, the cut portion brought down below the ground to insure moisture, and bent sufficiently to spread the cut somewhat, or it may be laid on the surface and a stone placed at the point of the cut. From a long branch like the Honeysuckle a number of cuttings may be started at once by notching the branch in several places and pegging it down, making the ground higher between each notch that there may be sufficient bend to the branch to keep the cut open.
Chapter EIGHT
House-plants From Seeds
Raising house-plants from seed is a most fascinating work, and it is also the most economical way of obtaining a number of choice plants, as a packet of seeds may be purchased for the price of a single plant. A package of Geranium seed may give a dozen plants, while a packet of Gloxinias or Cinerarias may give a hundred or more—the fine seed germinating more freely than the large.
Mixed seeds also give a variety, no two plants being identical in bloom, and, what is most important, seedlings always bloom—while plants from cuttings are often stubborn in this respect and sometimes refuse to bloom at all, owing probably to the check received at propagation. A cutting taken from a vigorous plant, rooting quickly, and continuing to grow, is quite certain to bloom—while the reverse is the case with one slow to root and slow to start into growth after rooting. The seedling, meeting with no check, blossoms in the natural course, and it has the advantage of growing from the start in the same atmospheric conditions, and does not suffer the violent change from the moist, warm air of the greenhouse into the dryer, more uneven temperature of the living-room.
By sowing seed one obtains a number of plants with the same season of bloom, making a finer appearance than mixed plants blooming at different times. A half dozen Cinerarias or Calceolarias in full bloom is a sight to gladden the heart of the gardener.
In giving the following cultural details I have selected those seeds which are always carried in stock and may be depended upon to give good results in the hands of the amateur. Unless some one particular colour or marking is desired it is better to purchase the mixed seed—selecting always the finest, or “extra choice mixed,” which will also be the highest priced. Never buy cheap seed for house-plants. Exception may, perhaps, be made in the case of Primroses, which are more inclined to come true, and it is, for this reason, better to purchase any particular colours one may wish in separate packets. Some seedsmen now put up expensive seeds in whole and half-sized packets, and the half packets will usually give all the plants needed of one kind. The mystery of tint and colour, only to be revealed at blossom time, is one of the greatest charms of growing mixed seedlings.
The Abutilons, or Flowering Maples, if set going any time before April will flower the same season. Start in the house in flats, and when large enough to handle transplant into tiny pots in a hotbed or sunny window and grow on until time to plant in the open ground, shifting as required. They may also be started in the hotbed, or in a protected bed in the open ground when the trees are in bloom. Set from one to two feet apart, according as a close hedge or fine specimen plants are required. The new California Abutilons present a great diversity of form and colour—there are beautiful drooping bells, gay little parachutes, flowers crinkled like crape or shining like satin, some so full as to appear double. They should be cultivated frequently if grown in the open ground and potted before the nights become cold, as a chill is often as harmful as frost, and plants so exposed are likely to lose their foliage. Plants intended for winter blooming should be lifted while the days and nights are still warm.