Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-10-29
Growing Miscellaneous Plants in the House

wife, ii she cares to take the neces-
sary trouble, may have compensation
for the lack of her outdoor garden by
growing various plants in window
boxes or pots in the house. For the
most part she will have to content
herself with foliage, though she may
be able to coax a few flowers to
bloom. The following suggestions
for preparations for the indoor gar
den and for caring for it later are
made by specialists of the United
States department of agriculture.
| Window Boxes.
If an indoor window box is decid-
ed upon, a good depth for it is about
inches. The bottom of the box
should be covered with stones and
broken pottery for drainage. This
should be covered with layer OF
moss to prevent the soil from work
ing down and clogging the drainage
space, The drainage and moss should
take up together about inches. The
greater the body Of soil above the
moss the more uniformly moist it
may be kept. The soil should fail to
fill the box by from 1-2 to 2 inches
The indoor window box should be
as long as the window is wide, and
to get as mu0ll light as possible
it should be level with the window
sill. 1t may be placed either on
brackets, table, or legs permanent
| ly fastened to it. A hole or holes
II nf
the box and a drip pan should be
placed beneath to catch drainage
water.
The top of the soil should be al
lowed to become dry occasionally.
| The results of watering should be
closely observed and the supply regu-
lated adcording to needs. Watering
may be necessary in sunshiny
weather, especially toward spring,
every day or at least every other day.
In cloudy and midwinter weather It
will not be necessary to water more
often than oncN week. In general
it is better to water lightly and fire.
quently than heavily and infrequent-
lyfi although just the reverse is con-
,sidered best when watering is done
out of doors in summer.
/ Only plants of the same general
character should be planted in win
dow boxes, since plants of different
kinds require different treatment.
Begonias are about the only plants
that may be expected to flower in a
window box. For the most part FOIL
age alone must be depended upon as
the contribution of the indoor plants
| to the attractiveness of the room.
Among the plants which may be
grown for foliage for window boxes
are ferns, geraniums, Kenilworth ivy,
smilax, and aspidistra. The Layer
plant is especially valuable as win
dow box plant as it will thrive in
spie of considerable neglect. drought,
and dust. Direct sunlight also is not
required by this adaptable plant.
POtted Plants.
An advantage in growing plants III
| pots instead of in boxes is that a
larger variety can be grown since dill
| ferent treatment may be given. In
addition to the plants already men
toned for growing in window boxes
palms. rubber plants, and cacti may
be grown in pots. 1t is advisable IN
growing all these plants to make use
of regular florists potting soil, made
up of one part comport. one part good
loan. and one part sand. 1t is well
to add one-twentieth part bone meal
to the mixture.
| Care Of Potted Plants.
| From time to time examinations
should be given to see whether the
plants require reporting. This is
done when the soil is moist by in
verting the plants and tapping the
pot until it can be lifted off. II the
surface of the ball of earth is entire
! ly covered with roots, the plants
should be pladed in a larger pot, soil
being firmed into the spaces.
1t is possible sometimes to force
! potted geraniums to bloom indoors
during the winter. To accomplish this
| it is necessary to pot them in way 70
restrict root growth ami to keep them
fairly dry.
Potted ferns require close care.
They should be kept slightly moist lat
4 all times. but should not be over
watered. Occasionally the potted
ferns should be placed in tub and
given bath with weak suds made
from good grade Of soap. Besides
removing acGmulations of dust from
p, the fronds the baths removes minute
insect parasites. The suds must be
srinsed off Immediately.
pntted Mains shOuld he regularly