The Fuchsia.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 September 1910, Page 2

The Fuchsia.

ITS HISTORY, DISTRIBUTE AND CULTIVATION.

SPECIALLY WRITTEN Foil THE HOROWHENUA CHRONICLE.

(By "Unit.")

CULTIVATION IN POTS,

(Continued.)

You know the old saying in the cookery hook, "first catch you) hare!" Well you should do something more than catch your plant if you wish to grow tie specimens. You've got to catch it in tho right way. It is not sufficient to get a rooted plant, it must be rootedi in tho right way, it makes all the difference. To make a good plant you must start .right. Suppose it is springtime, it is by the bye, and suppose you have a hot bed at work, with not too much heat in it.

Now if you have some Fuchsias growing in tho greenhouse, look foi some healthy but not too fleshy shoots, choose some that, you can cut off just below where two leaves arc opposite, if the cuttings are short you can leave the leaves 011, if about three inches long you can cut them off ; The purpose in choosing cuttings witu a pair of opposite leaves is, because such cuttings make more roots* than any others, and a big stock of roots is a mreat advantage in building up a strong growing plant. In aibout three weeks the cuttings will be rooted if they wore put ro'und the sides of a pot, and plunged iii the bed. Remember the cuttings strike more _ freely and quicker round the sides of a pot than in the middle. The young plants must be potted into four incihi pots as soon as they aro well rooted; almost any clean light soil with saml and a little old manure will do for this potting; the plants should be returned to the hotbed, but not plunged. The heat will he sure to i,e going by this time, but the ammonia charged' air is good for the plants, and sun-heat win he sufficient. From now oil growth should be rapid, and change of pots will soon be needed. The plant must never he pot-bound before shifting 011, hut .roots must be well throudi tho soil. When moving on you should skip a size in pots each time, a one size shift

is not enough, thus you move from a four inch to six inch, then eight inch, and so on. The soil must ba good after the first shift. Good loam should form the staple, the same stuff as described in the article on .Maiden Hair Ferns. A fair proportion of oldi manure, sand, a ■ little bone meal, and a. ,verv little soot. T also noveir omit a little wood ashes; leaf mould is not wanted. Potting should he moderately firm only. An eight inch not it large enough for the last shift, the first When the plant gets pot-hound liquid manure may be given, but never on any account in

earlier stages, or vou may sour the soil and sicken the plant. With this plant, as with all others, if

manure is given while there is already sufficient nlant food in the soil, harm must be done, therefore you wait till the roots have filled the pot tight, then you know that the soil is exhausted and food must bo cnvon_ as the roots can got no further in search of it. In the meantime vo'u should have decided as to future intentions. There are two principal forms of snecimons. and vou must early decide which

you intend to aim at. One form is the pyramid, or sugar-foal—in which the lower part is wider than the top. the other is the rounded hush, when he ton will be wider than the bottom. The latter foVm

is my favourite I think. really, ' niti not nuiot sure. However, i vou want n pyramid next year—

you cannot get it tin's year-'-the re is seldom any need to pinch tlie plants at till, 1)111 just let the .main stem -go up n centre stake, and branch out .11 its own way. But if vou wish tlie oilier form yon must pin eili from tlie very start, 'because in this case roil want 110 leader, but as many strong shoots as you can get, all leaders in fact. TREATMENT FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

Alter flowering is over, or the term of usefulness past, the plants arc put outside to ripen off. iDwrH'S March or April they are pruned " tor bush form, cut them down nearly to the pot; ji the pyramid you must use your own judgment, but 111 any case shorten the leader to some extent and prune back each tier of branches severely, the lowest tier is left- widest the upper cut close to the main stem. When the plants begin to grow take them out of the jjots, shake off all the soil, and out tlie roots well 'back, re-pot into smaller sized pots. - Vnv J™ work goes on as Wore, re-potting as required. The bush plant will require 110 pinching if you have enough shoots" to furnisli a plant, but each shoot may be allowed to extend. Later on, in the spring after the last shift, every stiong shoot will .require a stick All 8m pot with a plant of Arabella should require about forty sticks, and shou d make a. plant a yard high nearly as much through by tlie following Aovember, and be' furnished with foliage so as to almost completely conceal the sticks. The following season that plant should be large enough to be called a specimm ; ... an lliji not it rimoSZ the top '' U y 4ft t,l,w '£h at The pyramid will, during tho spring require frequent pinching, so as to increase the number of side shoots, but will require nothing more ni the way of training till thS following season. Tlie treatment after flowering will be the same as the_ previous season. Tho following spring training begins in earnest" for it will now attain specimen size. That will be the third season, and .you may get a. well furnished specibottom' o '' n ' U "' am)ss the

After the last shift you must fix the frame work to train to. Make a hoop of light- fencing wire 3ft in get two light sticks a. little longer than the hoop's diameter, lay them crossed on the top 0/ the pot fix them to it wire fastened round the pot below the rim, fasten the wire hoop 011 the sticks. I rom a centre stake of necessary height draw a few strings /fastened to its top, down to the wire hoop, 'four or five wiH do. This makes a skeleton pyramid to which all the shoots necessary are tied. It will not be needful to tie all, only a small pro-portion indeed, hut the plant will sfliow its own needs in that respect. At all times eti 011 g snoots must be checked by pinohinc: and all others also till enough are gained to make the plant a dense [ mass of foliage. Before flowering weak shoots may l>e pinched out, and at all times shoots may be removed when in places where they ai'e not wanted; by these means only can an even balance bo gained. During the growing ,period no flowers should be allowed, pinch them out as soon as they show. If the plants are intended far exhibition you will require as many flowers as possible at that time; to get them you must go over the whole plant and pincheverv shoot at the same time. This will cause most of them to flower at the same time; but it may cause too many shoots to appear, because every pinching generally doubles the number, if there are too many you can pinoh them out. Do the pinching mentioned aibout six weeks before you want tlio flowers, r