FREAKS OF THE PLANT WORLD

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 32, 30 April 1927, Page 22 (Supplement)

FREAKS OF THE PLANT WORLD

Perhaps no group of plants is more remarkable than the cacti, a few specimens of which are often to be seen in cottage windows. Both leaves and branches are often absent in these strange desert-dwellers. Some look like prickly balls others resemble solitary pillars. Yet others take the shape of brushes, cones or flattened discs. In size they vary from tiny spheres of lin. to 60ft. The names of some of the best varieties are as follows:—Cereus giganteus (height 60ft.), cephalo cereus (old man, 25ft), opuntia (prickly pear), mammalaria (prickly balls, 6in), epiphyllium (chain cactus. lOin), gasteria 15in; aloe cactus. The thick leaves of these succulent plants are remarkable for the presence within their interior of water-storing tissues which suck up any available moisture from the soil or keep it until required by the plant. Thus it enables plants of the varieties named to grow

and flourish in the most torrid and arid regions. A great many varieties can be grown outside in corners of the garden in soil composed of half-sand and stone and kept fairly dry during the winter months. HOW TO TRANSPLANT SEEDLINGS One of the most common mistakes made by the amateur is to sow seed too thickly. Spindly and weakly plants are the inevitable result. Should you have erred in this respect you should take immediate measures to remedy matters by carefully thinning out your seedling patch, and thus give the remainder an opportunity to establish themselves, before the pricking out is performed. Spindly plants rarely do any good; in fact, we describe them as useless, Select only strong, stubby plants with a well-developed root system. In many cases, particularly with the more delicate subjects, double handling is a decided advantage—and a necessity.

This operation should be performed carefully, and each seedling removed with a small clod of earth so as to guard against any possibility of injury to the roots. Never, under any circumstances, pull the seedlings from their pots or boxes. Take a small flat stick with the end cut out as shown, and after having loosned the earth, lift it out carefully into its new position. Have the permanent bed ready for the final transplanting by carefully forking over and breaking up the surface to a fine tilth and then levelling off. We presume, of course, that the bed has been previously trenched and well enriched. Before the actual operation of transplanting, give the bed a thorough saturation. Select only the strongest and most promising of your seedlings, giving a care to uniformity of size, discarding any weakly or mis-shapen plants. Make your holes with a dibble, place the seedling into position with the left hand, and water it in with the right, care being taken to see that the roots touch the bottom of the hole. Over-deep planting is also a mistake. Adopt the happy medium, which is to insert your plant to about the same depth it occupied in the box or bed previous to transplanting. RE-POTTING ASPIDISTRA Many of our readers are uncertain as to the time and method for the repotting of aspidistras and other ferns. Through long experience we find September an ideal month for this work. Most ferns and pot-plants are dormant in their growth throughout the winter months and can be handled quite successfully by the amateur. In the warmer weather the plants will throw out new growth. A mixture of sandy soil and leaf-mould as rich as possible is best for transplanting work. The pot should be upturned and the rim knocked against the side of a table or bench. If this is done carefully the soil and roots should come out intact.

With a sharp knife carefully cut through the centre, care being taken not to destroy any more of the risomes or roots than possible. The pots should be soaked for an hour or so before being used, s© that they may suck up any moisture required and so not rob the plants of their nourishment. Six-inch pots are large enough to take eight or nine good leaves, and should not need transplanting for at least nine months. The bottom of the pot should be filled with four or five pieces of broken pot or small stones to provide the necessary drainage, and so keep the soil fresh and sweet. Halffill the pots with potting soil as described and insert the leaves, spreading out the risomes. Then cover the roots with the necessary soil, pressing the earth firmly round the roots, care being taken to keep the leaves in a perpendicular position. The pots should be soaked in a pail of water and then placed in a cool, shady place Lintil they are established. DISEASES OF FLOWERING PLANTS

Mildew, especially among roses, is often troublesome. A dusting of sulphur applied to the soil in the winter is very effective, and the plants should be sprayed with lime and sulphur in spring and summer. Black spot causes brownish black blotches on the leaves, which often fall off, and will weaken the flowering ability of the plants. Pests in the greenhouse, such as aphides or green fly, should be destroyed by spraying with black leaf <0 or kerosene emulsion while they are few in number. A white, meal-like pest known as mealy bug. may infest greenhouse plants and fruit trees grown under glass, particularly the vines. It should be destroyed by means of a brush dipped in methylated spirits whenever seen. One of the simplest ways of keeping the greenhouse clean is to fumigate occasionally with McDougall's or I.X.L. fumigator. CYCAS REVOLUTA These ornamental palms are entitled to a place among the garden shrubs. They are survivors of a very ancient race of plants. Cycas is the Greek name for a palm, but it is in close affinity with Conifers. SILVER BEET This will prove a useful substitute for spinach, its thick, fleshy mid-rib is delicious, but good rich soil is necessary for its cultivation. The growth is much more vigorous than that of the spinach family. The plants should be 12in apart and ISin between the rows. Watered freely in the dry weather the plants will provide a mid-rib from two to three inches in width. Well-rotted stable manure or blood and bone are good fertilisers. Soaking the seed for 24 hours before planting will produce quicker germination. BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND KALE Brussels sprouts and borecole are highly esteemed for boiling during late fall and winter months. . The sprouts resemble miniature cabbages growing closely on the stalk of the plant, produced in abundance from tip to ground level. The plants are hardy and improve with the cold weather and frosts in the winter. Borecole, or Scotch kale, is a popular boiling green for winter and early spring use, tasting like spinach. The plants are cut off for use when the leaves are six inches or more in length. These also improve with winter frosts. Both should be watered and hoed well during growing season. Any varieties growing extra tall should be firmly staked to prevent being blown over by the winds.