Landscaping & Gardening Information | home | site map | contact us |
How to Raise House Plants from Seeds Easily
The principal house plants which are easy to raise by sowing seeds are Aloe (succulent plant), Asparagus species, Begonia semper-florensundB. rex, cacti (many kinds), Clivia, Cyclamen, Eucalyptus, Fuchsia (varieties), Grevillea robusta, Opuntia, Passijiora, Phoenix (palm), Primula malacoides and P. obconica, Ricinus, Rochea (succulent plant), Saintpaulia (hybrids) and Solatium capsicastrum. The most suitable compost It is best to sterilise the compost, and it should therefore be heated in a sterilising apparatus for 10 minutes at a temperature of 18o° F. After this partial sterilisation, the compost must be spread out on a bench to cool before use. Watering a seed pan by partial immersion A simple method of sterilising the compost is to water it with Cheshunt Compound steriliser. This chemical can be obtained from any seed store. It consists of a powder which, when dissolved in water, is sprinkled over the compost before or after the seeds have been sown. It is perfectly safe to use, and does not injure the smallest seedlings. Seed boxes and pots can be sterilised by this method and thereby made pest free. A satisfactory seed compost may be obtained by sterilising the loam only, and then adding the peat, sand and fertiliser. Preparing the seed compost The soil ingredients are sifted through a sieve having a |-mch mesh and thoroughly mixed. The pots or seed pans are given plenty of drainage crocks which are covered with rough siftings from the compost, and the receptacles are then filled with the compost. This is made moderately firm by pressing it with the fingers; it is then moistened by holding the receptacle in a pail of water.The water must not come above the rim of the pot because it is necessary that the moisture should rise up through the compost. As soon as the surface of the soil becomes damp, the pot is set aside to drain for a few hours before seed sowing is commenced. The depth to which the seeds are covered depends on their size. Very fine seeds, such as those of Begonia, require only a fine sprinkling of silver sand, whereas larger seeds should be covered to the depth of their greatest dimensions. When the seeds have been sown, the receptacles should be covered with panes of glass and shaded with sheets of paper. Each day the glass should be reversed to prevent the condensed moisture from dripping on to the soil, and setting up decay. As soon as the seedlings appear, however, the paper covering must he removed and ventilation of the receptacle begun. The glass covering should therefore be tilted slightly. This is conveniently done by means of the plant label, and the amount of air is increased in this way until the covering can be removed altogether. Pricking out the seedlings As soon as the seedlings have developed their first true leaves they are pricked out ½ inch apart in pots of fertile compost such as John Innes Potting Mixture No. 1, and immediately watered in. They are shaded from bright sunlight until they are established. This generally takes 7-14 days, after which they are given more light and air. The 'cuttings' are taken in the usual way, by severing them just below a node (where a leaf is inserted in the stem). They are then fixed in the mouths of small-necked bottles where they remain suspended. The bottles are filled to within a fraction of an inch of the top of the necks with water, preferably rain water. To prevent green scum (algae) forming in the water, it is best to place a few small lumps of charcoal in it. If this operation is done in the spring, the bottles of 'cuttings' can be set on the window-sill, and roots will form in a few weeks. Potting must be done immediately roots begin to form. Visit: http://www.realniches.com or http://www.realniches.com/archives/category/gardening/ for some useful tips on home indoor gardening. ** Attention Webmasters / Website Owners ** You can reprint this article on your website as long as you do not modify any of the content, and include our resource box as listed above with all links intact and hyperlinked properly.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Control Poison Ivy Poison ivy is found throughout southern Canada and most ofthe United States except Alaska and Hawaii. It is readilyfound along road sides, fences, railroads, and streams. Toxic Pollutants & Their Effect on Fish Health Once water temperatures increase in the summer months, fishbecome more active and produce increasing amounts of waste,leading to potential water pollution. Fish produce waste in theform of ammonia, which is broken down into nitrites then nitratesby beneficial bacteria. Water Ponds and Wildlife - How To Attract More Animals to Your Backyard Wildlife require water just as humans do. Water is essential for life. Sculpture Can Bring Life to Your Garden I should know: I've been a sculptor most of my life, and I have plenty of years behind me of experience. Most of my sculptures reside in the gardens and landscaped outdoors of residences. 10 Tips to Care for Your Antique Ceramics To care for your antique ceramics you need a gentle touch and they'll last you a long time. This month we'll give you some useful tips to help you care for them. Theme Gardens Flower gardens are for enjoyment. They provide you with visual beauty, the joy of working with soil and plants, and the pride of showing others what you have created. Nontoxic Pest Control for Your Home and Garden Pesticides are toxic and, while often effective against pests, can be dangerous for your family and pets. Outdoors, sprayed pesticides might drift on a breeze and dust your vegetable garden or your neighbor's yard. Gardening for Kids Children are continually bombarded with advertising for fast food and unhealthy treats. One of the most important lessons you can teach them is how to tend and grow their own food from the garden. Indoor Gardening Tips for Jerry Seinfeld "I have no plants in my house. They won't live for me. Dream Yard Do you ever dream about what your yard could look like some day? As you look through garden catalogs filled with beautiful trees, shrubs, flowers and pictures of beautifully landscaped yards--complete with ponds and garden sculptures--the choices seem endless. Before ordering hundreds of plants or giving up because you cannot decide what you really want, here are a few things to consider. Spice up Your Garden with Rare Flowering Bulbs Any experienced gardener knows the secret to a beautiful garden is in the bulbs. Flowering bulbs are usually quite hardy and undemanding and can provide the most amazing shower of spring and summertime colors. Here is Why You Should Use Gypsum in Gardening Do you have clay or layer of hard subsoil problems in your garden? Then gypsum may be the answer to help loosen the soil structure. It is not considered a miracle substance and you will find that it doesn't work right away, but a 3 year program of applications should help improve the poor soil conditions. Creativity with Ponds Here's where your creative instincts kick in. This is where you make your pond your own. Lawn Disease And What To Do About It Every lawn, whether new or established, is susceptible to a variety of lawn diseases. Most lawn disease starts with a fungus. Mulch Your Spring Bulbs In The Fall For A Beautiful Spring Display Flower bulbs need a good, long, winters sleep. Like some people we know, if they wake up before they are fully rested, they get kind of cranky, and then they don't bloom well at all. Hummingbirds Many individuals are fascinated by hummingbirds. So much so, that they will do anything in their power to attract these petite creatures to their yards. Teak Garden Furniture: A Natural Extension of the Home In the past, the garden has traditionally been a separate entity, with wrought iron or plastic furniture dotting the landscape in no particular design pattern. Seen as simply a place to have a picnic or, perhaps, read a book on a nice day, attention wasn't given to the fact that the garden is a natural extension of the home. Online Garden Seed Exchanges If you've been gardening for any length of time you have probably realized a couple of things.1: Gardening can be quite expensive2: Finding the plants you really want can be a daunting task. Do You Know About A Bamboo Orchid Bamboo Orchid PlantWhen you think of bamboo you really think of bamboo sticks, don't you?There is an orchid that grows wild in some of the warmer climates like Hawaii and Southeast Asia called the Bamboo Orchid Plant. This is a very pretty orchid plant that easily grows on the hillsides. Spurce Up Your Garden With Decorative Birdhouses Decorative Birdhouses are active garden ornamentation --the presence and movement of birds creates a fluid focal point for your garden. As such, placement is critical for you to earn maximum benefit from your birdhouses. |
home | site map | contact us |