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