| Whether you are using the greenhouse or are | | | | and turn them into plant-growing spaces. |
| growing plants in a special room or area in | | | | Basements, attics, closets, windowless walls, |
| the home, regular attention is essential to | | | | utility rooms-all become propagation areas |
| success with artificially lighted plants just | | | | when supplied with fluorescent lighting. |
| as with sun-lighted plants. | | | | |
| | | | These lights work on ordinary household |
| Try to keep daytime temperatures between 70 | | | | current. However, before installing more than |
| and 75 degrees with the usual 10 degree drop | | | | a pair or two of them it would be wise to |
| during the night. Increase humidity by | | | | check with your electrical company to find |
| setting the pots on moistened pea rock. Grow | | | | out if your present electrical wiring can |
| the plants in sterilized soil. Water them | | | | stand the additional load. |
| regularly, according to the needs of each | | | | |
| plant. Spray plants with insecticide every | | | | If you need only a small additional |
| second week, as a preventive. As plants grow, | | | | propagation area, you may find it |
| shift them to the next larger sized pot. | | | | advantageous to buy one of the commercial |
| Leave the lights on flowering plants 12 to 16 | | | | fluorescent light stands with two to four |
| hours each day; 4 to 8 hours per day for | | | | shelves. A model with three shelves holds two |
| foliage plants. | | | | hundred 3-inch pots. There are models |
| | | | available with or without wheels. |
| If the plants produce long willowy foliage, | | | | |
| they are too far from the lights. Set them on | | | | PROPAGATION UNDER MIST |
| boxes or inverted flower pots to boost them | | | | |
| closer. If leaves turn yellow and hug the | | | | Plant physiologists have discovered that a |
| pot, plants are probably getting too much | | | | mist like fog of water keeps tender softwood |
| light. Move them farther from the lights. | | | | cuttings (cuttings from new growth) in such |
| | | | excellent shape they "just have to root!" |
| With stationary fixtures, aim for 18 inches | | | | Under these conditions of either constant or |
| between light tube and plant table to allow | | | | intermittent mist the cuttings don't wilt and |
| head room for plants in 4-inch pots. If you | | | | there is a minimum of trouble from fungus and |
| grow larger plants, fasten the lights a | | | | rot. |
| greater distance from the table or, better | | | | |
| still, operate them on a pulley so you can | | | | There is a mist unit on the market that has |
| regulate distances to suit plants. | | | | been adapted from a larger commercial |
| | | | mist-maker system. It's called the Mistic |
| As you experiment, you will find the proper | | | | Bubble and is an excellent greenhouse space |
| distances. Here ' is a rather general rule to | | | | stretcher. This is a system for rooting soft |
| guide you. Light-loving plants, such as | | | | cuttings outdoors, in sand under plastic with |
| gloxinias and many other tuberous gesneriads, | | | | the use of electronically controlled mist. |
| cacti, coleus, and wax begonias grow best | | | | Harvey M. Templeton, Jr., Winchester, |
| with about 8 inches between light fixture and | | | | Tennessee, is the inventor of the system and |
| pot rim. African violets, rex begonias, and | | | | the control known as the Electronic Leaf. |
| episcias, among others, thrive when space is | | | | With this portable system the plants get |
| about 11 inches. Foliage plants, | | | | water automatically, as they need it, until |
| philodendron, ivy, and cissus can be set 18 | | | | rooting takes place. Then the temporary |
| to 24 inches from the source of light. | | | | greenhouse cover is gradually removed and the |
| | | | plants are thus hardened to growing outside |
| PROPAGATION UNDER LIGHTS | | | | in the full sunlight. |
| | | | |
| The most popular plants for propagating under | | | | The hemispherical shape of the Mistic Bubble |
| lights are the gesneriads. Leaf cuttings or | | | | is designed to let in light evenly all around |
| plant divisions can be rooted by inserting | | | | as long as the sun hits the cover. The |
| them in your favorite rooting | | | | plastic covering has a pigment cast into it |
| media-vermiculite, peatmoss, sand, sphagnum | | | | to protect the cuttings from excessive summer |
| moss, or a mixture of these. You can speed | | | | heat. The low capacity mist nozzle, using |
| rooting by putting a transparent plastic | | | | 1½ gallons of water per hour, keeps |
| "tent" over the pots or flats and placing | | | | the leaves of the cuttings wet at all times, |
| them about 6 to 8 inches from the lights. | | | | promoting very rapid rooting. |
| Transplant the small plants as they appear, | | | | |
| which sometimes is but a matter of 3 or 4 | | | | The Mistic Bubble is 4 feet in diameter and |
| weeks. | | | | has 12½ square feet of planting |
| | | | space-it will hold 1000 cuttings at a time. |
| Tubers and rhizomes can be rooted by placing | | | | After they root the cuttings can be sold or |
| them on peatmoss, sphagnum moss, or | | | | planted out to grow to maturity. In the |
| vermiculite. Keep the medium moist and place | | | | South, the Bubble can be used throughout the |
| the planting about 4 to 6 inches from the | | | | year. |
| lights. As soon as sprouts show, transplant | | | | |
| the tubers to individual pots. | | | | We are installing one of these units to use |
| | | | for propagation of herbaceous plants and |
| Start any of the gesneriads from seed by | | | | conifer cuttings, which we will plant out as |
| sprinkling the seed over sterilized, milled | | | | a basis of a profit-making nursery. We'll |
| sphagnum moss, sand, or vermiculite. Cover | | | | start by lining out several hundred daylilies |
| the planting with a pane of glass or slip it | | | | and iris plus a few rows of evergreens. Later |
| into a transparent plastic bag. Seeds will | | | | we may include chrysanthemums (these too can |
| sprout in a dark, warm area (70 to 75 | | | | be rooted in the Mistic Bubble), and a few |
| degrees). As soon as you see the green flecks | | | | Azalea mollis, the hardy species, which |
| of new plants, place the planting as close as | | | | several dealers now carry and which can stand |
| 3 inches from the light tubes. Here the | | | | our hard Minnesota winters. |
| seedlings will grow with amazing rapidity. By | | | | |
| careful timing as to fertilizing and | | | | I have described this system not only because |
| transplanting, you can have flowering | | | | I've had experience with it but also because |
| gloxinias in 3 to 5 months and African | | | | its basic principles apply generally to mist |
| violets in 4 to 6 months. | | | | propagation in the greenhouse as well as in a |
| | | | purchased or homemade propagating case. Fog |
| ADDITIONAL GROWING SPACE | | | | nozzles for water lines are available for |
| | | | those who wish to make their own setups. |
| If you want still more room, add fluorescent | | | | Complete mist propagation kits are on the |
| light setups to the dark areas of your house | | | | market too. |