during the winter if needed. Often a plant will have outgrown its
pot, thus making immediate repotting necessary in order to continue
the healthy condition of it, but if there is no good soil at hand it
will be obliged to do the best it can until spring comes, and by that
time it will have received a check from which it will be a long time
in recovering, and quite often it will die as the result of failure
to give it proper attention when it was in most need of it. If you
have a supply of potting-soil in stock there will be no excuse for not
caring for your plants promptly when the advisability of repotting is
indicated.
A very satisfactory potting-soil is composed of garden loam, two
parts; leaf-mold or its substitute, one part; and clean, coarse sand,
one part. To this should be added some well-rotted cow manure, if
obtainable. Work the compost over until all its ingredients are
thoroughly mixed. The quantity of manure required to make the compost
sufficiently rich to suit all kinds of plants will depend on the
quality of the loam used. If that is quite rich, do not add much manure
to it. If only of moderate richness, more can be used. This is a matter
which will have to be decided largely by results. If the plants you
put into the compost make a strong, healthy growth, the soil is rich
enough. If the growth does not seem strong, more plant food is required.
A good substitute for cow manure is fine bone-meal in the proportion
of a pound to a bushel of soil. A good substitute for leaf-mold will
be found in that portion of old sward from pasture or roadside which
contains fine grass roots. Turn the sward over and cut away this part
of it, to mix with the loam and sand. These roots will be found almost
as rich in vegetable matter as pure leaf-mold.
Some persons may wonder why I advise the liberal use of sand, which is
not supposed to contain much nutriment. I do it because I have found
from long experience in growing plants that sand not only facilitates
good drainage, but enables air to get to the roots of the plants as
it never can do when the soil is not light and porous. And sand is a
sweetener of soil, as is charcoal. Of course not all plants are alike
in their requirements. Roses, for instance, like a rather heavy,
compact soil. In growing them use the loam without sand. If I had to
choose between sand and manure in making potting-soil for nearly all
plants adapted to window culture, I would take the sand.
It is not too late to set out seedling plants of such perennials as
phlox and hollyhock if care is taken to lift enough soil with them to
insure against disturbance of their roots. Work of this kind can be
done to better advantage now than in spring.
Now is a good time to go over the shrubs and give such pruning as may
seem necessary. As a general thing, the less pruning given a shrub
the better, for if left to itself it will do a much better job of
training than we are capable of doing for it. But it is advisable that
all shrubs should have the old, weak wood cut away each season. This
is pruning for health--not for symmetry. Nature has a keener eye for
the symmetrical than we have, therefore we are justified in leaving
the training of our shrubs to her, or to the shrubs, acting under her
advice.
Oleanders, fuchsias, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums--in fact, all
hard-wooded plants that are summer and autumn bloomers--should be
wintered in the cellar. Here, if the temperature is kept low, they
will be practically dormant for several months, thus getting the same
kind of a resting-spell that comes to deciduous plants out of doors
during winter. Give just enough water to prevent the soil from becoming
dust-dry. Do not be frightened if some of them shed their foliage while
in cold storage; outdoor plants do that. If the place in which they are
kept can be made dark, all the better.
Dahlia roots should be spread out on swinging-shelves of wire netting
when stored away. Never heap them together, and never put them on the
cellar-bottom, for it is likely to be too damp there. Mold, which is
largely the result of dampness, must be guarded against, hence the
advantage of hanging-shelves which will allow a free circulation of
air about the roots spread out on them. Look them over at least every
week. If you find any that show signs of mold or decay, separate them
immediately from the healthy ones. If allowed to remain, the diseased
condition will surely be communicated to the entire mass of roots.
All plants that seem to need repotting should be attended to before
winter sets in. This will give them plenty of time to become thoroughly
re-established before the winter campaign is on, and it will not be
necessary to disturb them in the middle of the busy season.
All the windows at which plants are kept should be looked over before
cold weather comes, and made proof against cracks and crevices that
will let in cold air. It is a good plan to provide these windows with
storm-sash. If this is done, the plants can be allowed to stand with
their leaves against the glass, as the air space between window and
storm-sash will prevent frost from forming on the inner panes.
Gladiolus roots should be stored in boxes of perfectly dry sawdust or
buckwheat hulls and kept in a dry and rather cool place. Never put them
in the cellar. Be careful to see that no frost gets to them. Or they
can be wrapped in paper and put into paper bags and hung in a closet.
If kept in a very warm place over winter they frequently become so dry
that there is little vitality left in them by spring.
Tuberous begonias and gloxinias will most likely have ended their
flowering season by this time. Allow the soil in their pots to
become dry. Then set them away in a dark closet without in any way
disturbing the tubers. Treated in this manner, they winter much more
satisfactorily than when the roots are taken out of the soil. In
spring, when the plants are brought to the light and water is given,
they will soon send up new sprouts. Then the roots should be shaken out
of the old soil and supplied with fresh earth.
In covering roses do not make use of leaves if there happens to be
anything else at hand that will afford the necessary protection. Leaves
would make an ideal covering were it not for the fact that it is almost
impossible to keep mice from working in them. Last season I lost every
rose-bush that was covered with leaves. The mice had gnawed all the
bark from them. Covering the bushes with dry earth is preferable.
XIII
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERING
Whenever any one writes me that she is fond of flowers, and would be
delighted if she could have some in winter, but that she fails to get
satisfaction from the ordinary house-plant, I always advise her to try
bulbs. For I know that one is reasonably sure of getting fine flowers
from this class of plants, provided we are willing to give them the
right kind of treatment. One will get more flowers from them than she
can expect from the ordinary collection found in the average window
garden--we can have them through the entire winter if we plan for a
succession--and we have few flowers that equal those of the bulbs in
beauty. And, last but not least, they require really less care than is
demanded by the majority of house-plants.
Three things are essential to success in the culture of bulbs in the
house:
_First_--Good stock.
_Second_--Good soil.
_Third_--Root development before top growth takes place.
The first essential is readily met if you order your bulbs from
reliable dealers--dealers who have established a reputation for honesty
and the handling of bulbs of the best quality only. Each season we
see advertisements in which large collections of bulbs are offered at
very low prices. Beware of them. As a general thing the wonderfully
cheap ones are as cheap in quality as they are in price, and from such
a grade of bulbs you cannot expect fine flowers. The best bulbs are
imported ones, grown largely in Holland, where both soil and climate
are admirably adapted to the production of first-class stock, and
where the matter of bulb-growing has been reduced to almost a science.
These will cost a little more than American-grown ones, but they are
well worth the difference in price. Inferior stock will give inferior
flowers every time, and what one wants in forcing bulbs in winter is
the best flowers possible.
The item of good soil is a most important one. Bulbs can be grown,
after a fashion, in almost any kind of soil, but they can only be
grown to perfection in a soil whose basis is a sandy loam made quite
rich with some good fertilizer. Heavy soils can be made lighter by
mixing sharp, coarse sand with them until the mixture, after being
squeezed tightly in the hand, will readily fall apart after pressure is
relaxed.
The ideal fertilizer for all bulbs is old, thoroughly rotted cow
manure. On no account should fresh manure of any kind be used. But it
is not always possible to procure manure from the cow-yard, and those
who are unable to do so will find fine bone meal a good substitute. Use
this in the proportion of a pound to a half-bushel of soil. Whatever
fertilizer is used should be thoroughly mixed with the soil. Be very
sure that the latter is free from lumps.
In potting bulbs for winter use I would advise putting several in the
same pot. Fill the pot loosely with soil, then press such bulbs as
those of the hyacinth, tulip, and narcissus down into it just their
depth. As many can be used in a pot as can be set on the surface of
the soil in it so that they just touch one another. Do not attempt to
make the soil firm about them or beneath them. If this is done their
tender roots will often fail to penetrate it, and the consequence will
be that the bulbs are hoisted upward as the roots develop. This should
be guarded against by having the soil so light that the young roots
will find no difficulty in making their way into it. I advise the use
of several bulbs in the same pot because it gives a greater amount of
bloom in a limited space, and greatly economizes in soil, pots, and
labor.
When you have put your bulbs into the soil, water them well, and then
set the pots away in a place that is _cool_ and _dark_. Some persons
consider this unnecessary, and put their plants in the window as soon
as potted. This is all wrong. Storage in a cool, dark room until roots
have formed is absolutely necessary to success. The reason for it is
plain if we stop to think that the bulbs must have roots before they
can make a satisfactory growth of top. Roots first, flowers afterward.
As a general thing bulbs will have to remain in cold storage at least
six weeks before it will be safe to bring them to the windows in which
they are to bloom. But no definite time can be assigned. One must
examine the plants from time to time, and on no account should they be
taken to the light until the pot is filled with roots and indications
of top growth are seen.
It may sometimes be necessary to water them while in the dark
room, but as a general thing one watering--the one given at
potting-time--will be sufficient. Too much water while in the dark
may cause serious trouble. But this, like the length of time allowed
for root formation, is a matter that must be left largely to the good
judgment of the grower.
When plants have been brought from the cellar, or wherever they have
been placed while roots were forming, they should not be put into very
warm rooms. Too much heat, combined with the effects of light and
water, will result in rapid growth, which is not a healthy one. In warm
rooms the flowers will be short-lived.
I have spoken of planting for a succession of bloom. This is important
if you want flowers throughout the winter. Pot a few at intervals of
ten days or two weeks, beginning the middle of September or first
of October. If this is done it is an easy matter to keep the window
supplied with flowers from the holidays to the advent of spring. A
little calculation will enable one to plant enough to meet the demand
and to regulate the planting intervals in such a manner as to bring
about the succession necessary to cover the season.
What has been said above may seem so elaborate to the person who has
never grown bulbs for winter flowering that it may give the impression
that what is really a simple matter is too difficult for the amateur.
But if what I have written is read over carefully and given a little
thought you will readily see, I think, that most of what I have said
has been devoted to giving reasons for the treatment outlined, so
that the "whys and wherefores" may be understood. And it will be seen
that it all resolves itself into a very simple proposition--_viz._,
good stock, good soil, and cold storage until roots have formed--the
three essentials spoken of at the beginning of this chapter. Nothing
is required that the beginner in floriculture is not equal to. Potting
the bulbs is a much simpler matter than potting a plant, and the
preparation of soil for them involves no more labor or skill than the
preparation of a soil for a geranium to grow in.
Now as to kinds to grow. I advise the Holland hyacinth, preferably the
single varieties; the Roman hyacinth, the white variety only; early
tulips; and five varieties of the narcissus--Van Sion, Horsfeildii,
empress, trumpet-major, and paper-white--and the Bermuda, or, as it is
more commonly called, Easter lily.
The double Holland hyacinths are too double to be pleasing to a person
who likes individuality in a flower. The Roman hyacinth is more
graceful than any other member of the family. The early tulip is much
surer to bloom well than any of the others described in the florist's
catalogue.
The Easter lily requires a treatment somewhat different from that
advised for the other bulbs. It sends forth two sets of roots, one from
the base of the bulb and one from the stalk sent up from the bulb. In
order to give each set of roots a chance we have to set the bulb deep
down in the soil. Let the pot be only half filled with earth when the
lily is put into it, press it down as directed for the other bulbs, and
add no more soil until growth begins. Then, as the stalk reaches up,
put more soil into the pot, and continue to do this until it is full.
In this way give the two sets of roots the support they need.
If bone meal is used as a fertilizer, be sure to get the finely ground
article. Coarse bone meal is not what you need, as it does not give an
immediate effect.
XIV
THE WINTER WINDOW-GARDEN
In fall, when we bring in the plants that have been growing out of
doors during the summer, they usually look healthy, and we congratulate
ourselves that we are likely to have a fine crop of flowers from
them later on. But soon we see some of their leaves turning yellow
and falling off, and though they may make considerable growth, it is
unsatisfactory because it is spindling and weak. If buds form, they are
pretty sure to blight before reaching maturity, and, instead of having
the fine, floriferous plants we had counted on, we have a window-garden
that is more noticeable for its discouraged look than for anything else.
The owner of such a garden too often aims to remedy the unfavorable
conditions which exist in it by applying some kind of fertilizer to her
plants. By doing this she simply makes a bad matter worse, for the
application of any kind of plant food to weak and debilitated plants is
on a par with giving rich food to a person whose stomach is not in a
condition to make proper use of it. No fertilizer should ever be given
to a plant that is not in healthy condition; neither should it be given
to dormant plants. When active growth begins, then, and then only,
should they be stimulated to stronger growth by feeding them well. But
care must be taken to not overfeed them. Give only enough to bring
about a vigorous growth, but not a rapid one, for that is pretty sure
to be a weak one from which there will be a reaction by and by, from
which your over-stimulated plants will suffer severely. Most growers
of house plants are too kind to them. In this respect they are like a
good many mothers who injure their children by over-indulgence through
mistaken ideas of kindness.
In applying fertilizers, begin by giving them in small quantities.
Watch their effect upon the plants. If their leaves increase in size
and take on a rich color, be satisfied that you are feeding your plants
quite enough for their good.
The impression prevails to a considerable extent that by fertilizing
plants we secure more flowers from them than we would be likely to do
if no fertilizer was used. Such is not the case. Feed a plant rich food
and it will be likely to make a vigorous growth of branches and foliage
at the expense of flowers. The aim should be to simply keep the plants
growing well. If this is done, whatever flowers they produce will
share in the general benefit of the application, but they will not be
increased in quantity by it.
One reason why the plants in the winter window-garden fail at the time
when we think they ought to be doing their best is lack of fresh air.
If one stops to think about it one will not wonder that her plants have
a sickly look. We keep our windows closed tightly, thus keeping out the
air that the plants need, and we put storm-doors on every entrance.
In fact, we do everything in our power, seemingly, to prevent fresh
air from getting to them, and then we wonder why our plants do not
flourish. We lose sight of the fact that plants breathe, the same as
human beings do. A little intelligent consideration of the conditions
under which we undertake to grow them ought to convince us of the
mistake we make in expecting them to do well without a regular supply
of fresh air. While it is well to make the windows at which plants are
kept tight enough to prevent draughts of cold air from coming in upon
them, it is not only advisable but absolutely necessary, if we would
grow healthy plants, to give them a liberal supply of fresh air every
day, and preferably several times a day. This can be done by opening a
door or a window at some distance from them, and letting fresh, pure
air rush into and fill the room. If possible, let down a window a few
inches from the top on the side of the room opposite from where the
air comes in, to allow the vitiated air of the room to readily escape
before the onrush of outdoor air. In this way it is an easy matter to
completely change the character of the air in a room in a few minutes,
and in doing it we benefit the human occupants of the room quite as
much as we do the plants in it. If the owner of every window-garden
would make it a daily practice to give her plants an air-bath she would
be surprised at the speedy improvement that would be noticeable in them.
We weaken our plants, as we do ourselves, by keeping the temperature
of our rooms too high. We are not satisfied with a comfortable warmth.
We want heat enough to keep us constantly conscious of it by its
intensity. This is all wrong from the health point of view. What ought
to be done is to install a thermometer in every room, and so regulate
the amount of heat that all are kept at summer warmth by arranging
for a system of ventilation that will act automatically when the
thermometer goes above a certain point. This system is speedily coming
into general use, and gives most excellent satisfaction. Where it is
not in use, the temperature can be kept somewhere near where it ought
to be by opening doors or windows from time to time, as already spoken
of. Keep in mind that too much heat and too little fresh air will kill
almost any plant in time, and the two, working together, will, nine
times out of ten, make any window-garden a comparative failure.
Care must be taken in watering plants in winter. Those which are
dormant, or are making but little growth, will require very little
water. Those in active growth will need more. The only way to tell how
much to give is to watch your plants closely, and observe the effect
of the applications given. When the surface of the soil takes on a dry
look it is safe to conclude that the roots of the plant in the pot have
made use of most of the moisture in it, and that more water should
be given. Then give enough to make the soil moist all through, and
withhold further applications until the dry look appears again. Never
form the habit of watering your plants every time you happen to think
about it, and then apply just enough to make the soil look wet on its
surface. If this is done you will never grow good plants, for only the
surface roots will get the moisture they need. Have a stated time for
watering, and let the appearance of the soil govern the amount used.
XV
THE INSECT ENEMIES OF PLANTS
Every woman who attempts to grow flowers in the house will sooner or
later have to wage warfare against insects.
Perhaps the first battle will have to be fought with the aphis,
or plant-louse. This insect sucks the sap--the life-blood of the
plant--from stalk and leaf, and soon, if let alone, it will exhaust
the vitality of the plant to a degree that is wholly incompatible with
health. In fact, if allowed to have its way, it will kill your plants,
for it propagates its species with such rapidity that a plant will
soon be literally covered with them. We used to kill off these insects
by fumigating the plants infested with them with tobacco smoke, and
in doing it we made ourselves about as sick as the insects were, and
the nauseating fumes of it clung to everything in and about the house
for days. Nowadays we make use of the nicotine principle of tobacco
in our warfare against the aphis, but in a manner that leaves out
the objectionable features of fumigation. Tobacco manufacturers have
prepared an extract of the nicotine in the plant, and put it on the
market under the name of nicoticide. All we have to do when we want
to make use of it is to put a small quantity in water, and spray our
plants with the mixture. Every aphis that it touches will die, and
those that it fails to reach will take the hint that they are not
wanted and that their presence will not long be tolerated, and the
first you know they will have disappeared.
Instead of waiting for the attack of the enemy I consider it good
policy to anticipate it by frequent applications of the tobacco-bath.
It will be found easier to keep the enemy away than to rout it after it
has established itself on your plants.
The red spider is another insect that does deadly work in the
window-garden, especially in rooms where the temperature is high
and there is little moisture in the air--a condition that generally
prevails in the ordinary living-room. This pest is so small that its
presence is seldom suspected until considerable injury has been done to
the plants it works on. If you notice that leaves are turning yellow
and dropping off, and that more and more of them fall each day, you
had better look into the matter. Examine some of the fallen leaves.
If you find tiny webs on the under side of them you may be quite sure
that the spider is responsible for the condition your plants are in.
Look at some of the leaves that are yellowing, but have not yet let go
their hold, and you will be quite likely to find little red specks on
them. These specks resemble grains of fine Cayenne pepper more than
anything else. Watch them for a while and you will find that they are
living organisms. It seems hardly possible that such tiny creatures can
do much harm to a strong plant, but the fact is that there is no more
voracious enemy of plant life in existence. Here the tobacco-bath does
not come in play. Cold water is all the insecticide we need. Spray it
over every portion of the infested plants daily, until they again take
on a healthy look and begin to grow. The spider will not stay long in
a moist atmosphere. Make it moist and keep it so by the liberal use of
water sprayed upon your plants, and you will have very little trouble
with this dangerous pest. But if you neglect to use water regularly and
freely the probabilities are that your window-garden will look rather
sickly by spring.