MAKING CUTTINGS ROOT

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 192, 10 May 1940, Page 14

MAKING CUTTINGS ROOT

Honey Finds A New Use Great advances in garden chemistry have been made in the past two years, the discovery of growth hormones and vitamin Bl being outstanding because in some instances the results have been so apparent. Growth hormones are substances which encourage the rooting of cuttings, and it is claimed that through their agency cuttings of rhododendrons and other “diflicult-to-strike” subjects have been induced to form roots. There are, however, many failures, and the process is still far from perfected. There are several chemical proprietary lines on the market which will interest the experimenter, but the kitchen shelf also provides a useful growth substance — honey. Experiments have proved that chrysanthemum and evergreen cuttings treated with one part of honey diluted in three parts of water root much more readily than untreated wood. The method is simple: Prepare a small quantity of the diluted honey (a jamjar half-full will be ample), then select 18 to 20 cuttings trimmed to a nodule, and remove most of the foliage. Stand the cuttings in the liquid for 24 hours, then shake off superfluous liquid and plant out in rows in the garden. If coarse sand is used to line the bottom and sides of each row the percentage of successes will be greater than with ordinary garden loam. One naturally would not experiment with frost-tender plants in May.

THE NEW HOME Planning The Garden The new garden usually consists of unbroken land on the surface of which is a collection of builder’s refuse, and this must be cleared before starting digging operations. Having cleared the heaps of brickbats, cement, mortar and other material, the next task is to make the ground level. One of the greatest mistakes made in levelling is to take the soil from the highest point and spread it over the lowest; this results in the subsoil being left exposed in one part with a double depth of good top-spit soil in' another Remove the top spit first, then level off the subsoil. The top spit can afterward be evenly spread all over. If this is done in strips it. is not such a big job as it sounds. The average level can easily be ascertained by means of a spirit level and straight edge.