THE GARDEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 631, 6 April 1929, Page 28

THE GARDEN

By

LEONARD A. GRIFFITHS F.R.H.S.,

INDOOR BULB CULTURE This article and the illustrations will help you to achieve success with bulbs in bowls of fibre. You need some prepared fibre (obtainable at all florists and nurserymen) and, of course, really good bulbs. See that the bowl is perfectly clean inside and place some absorbent material at the bottom of the bowl—anything that will hold moisture —so that the roots do not suffer. Ordinary cinders, pieces of soft sandstone, brick, or even pot • rocks are all useful for this purpose; .just a few* can be put in each howl. Then put in the fibre. This must contain charcoal or the mass may turn sour. About half-fill the bowl and then moisten the fibre, without making it sodden, by pouring in small

quantities of water and waiting for the fibre to absorb it. After this the bulbs may be planted; the number will vary according to the size of bulb and howl. Push thenf down into the fibre and then cover with more moist fibre \intil the tops of the bulb only protrude. Now' get a piece of stiff paper or • ardboard, a little larger tkon the circumference of the bowl, ar-u place it on top to exclude all light; put the bowl in some Clark room and leave it there. There should be no necessity

cd in flowers.-' —JAMBS ELL l

to touch the bowl after this for some time. After three or four weeks the bowl should be examined for any signs of sprouting bulbs. When this happens remove the cardboard and keep strict watch upon the growth; by the time the shoots are nearing an inch in height the bowl Is ready to be brought out into the light. The shoots should be white, or yellowish-white, when taken from the darkness. Place the bowl as near the glass as possible, and in a good light—the shelf of a greenhouse under the sloping glass roof is an ideal place, although the bowl may go in a sunny window, under a skylight, or even in a frame. Here attention must be paid to watering; do not give too much water, always just sufficient and no more. Soon the white shoots will begin to change colour to a light green, which will get deeper. One of the greatest dangers of failure occurs now—the leaves are apt to become drawn and weak. Do no attempt to force growth; it is better to put the bowl out of doors all day in fine weather and house it at night. This will result in short, thick, dark green leaves, and soon .the sturdy flower spikes will begin to push up. GET READY FOR PRUNING SOME IMPORTANT DETAILS Do we ever stop to think why fruit trees tended and cared for are those that yield heavily? A fruit tree does really pay for attention. It responds to feeding, for instance, to washing and cleansing, and last, but by no means least, to pruning. By pruning, more light, sun and air reach the branches and buds. Useless branches are taken away, allowing more plant food to be used by ,the remainder. Before we describe the actual pruning, let us deal with the important preliminaries. All the cuts must be clean, not bruised, jagged or torn. The wood may die back if not cleanly cut and diseases and pests enter. Sharp and efficient tools are necessary. Secateurs may be sharpened as shown in one of the pictures. A fine file should be used, taking care to keep the correct slope of the bevel. As most secateur steel is fairly soft, only light pressure is needed, and one should never tile until the metal becomes hot, or it may lose its “temper.” Saws are necessary for removing large branches which may have died, or spoil the shape of the tree. Saws can be sharpened by using a small, triangular saw file. Each tooth of a saw is “leaning” in an opposite direction, and this must be maintained by levering over carefully with a sawsetting tool. Each tooth is then filed to a point and an edge. You will soon see which direction it takes. You will also need some Stockholm tar for covering rather open cut surfaces to prevent entry of disease.