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