Evening star., 1948-03-19
TIPS FOR HOUSE PLANTS.


Iron, Mrs. C. E. w., Washington.
Light: Few people can control
this so plants must be selected to
suit your indoor conditions.
Humidity: Supplied by watering
soil and by frequent Swinging of
the foliage. Do at least once week
Temperature: Average is 10 de-
grees F. Cover plants if tempera-
ture drops below 10 degrees F. If
plants are next to window, slip a
newspaper between glass and plants.
Most plants resent draft but like
air.
Sanitation: Keep plants clean.
Leaves should be washed off. Re
move all dead leaves promptly.
Food: Plants get their food
through well drained adequately
moist soil. Use a special mixture of
soil in repotting plants at home.
Soil: One bushel long grass root
loan, 3 gallons leaf mold and or
gallons peat moss, l four Inch pot
of sheep manure, three-inch pot
Of bonemeal, 1 three-inch pot of
hydrated lime, gallon of sand.
Potting: Soak new pots "a hours
before using. Scrub old pots until
entirely clean. Place a piece of
broken pot curved side down over
hole in bottom of pot. A covering
Of small pieces should be put over
this. Place decayed leaved next and
then soil mixture. Leave one half
to one inch between the soil and
rim of pot. Many plants grow
better If the roots are pot-bound.
Watering and Feeding: Keep
even balance in moisture at all
times. Water in morning and have
it at room temperature in mid
winter. Place small fiat stone on
top of soil to prevent holes in soil
Use commercial plant food once a
week. Stir soil with kitchen fork
toward plant not away from.
Pests: Main pests are Aphis,
White Fly. Red Spider, Mealy Bug
and Scale. Best possible prevention
of any pest is a humid atmosphere
Spray plants with nicotine sulphate
Zone quarter teaspoon to one quart
of water). A half teaspoonful of
good quality soap flakes dissolved in
the water makes the spray cling to
plant.
Geraniums: Requires sun, good
drainage, very sparse watering
(once every four days.. Have pot
slightly larger than root ball. Ere
quent spraying, occasional wetting
OF the leaves. Soil should never be
more than just moist. After first
flowers are showing, one-half Gun
OF liquid manure may be given once
a month.
For months I read the column to
find helpful tips on house plants,
Most of mine died in the meantime
so I proceeded to find out for my
self. I now have Ivy, Geraniums
Cacti and Philedendron growing
and they are all very healthy. T fol-
low these rules to the r.
Thanks to the lady in Hyattsville
Tor the remodeling hints. ANY other
suggestions are helpful. I ALWAYS
keep all the pictures in magazines
as she suggests. I never buy nv g.
year-pld boy anything. All his
clothes are made from Daddy's and
look like new.
FOR CLEANING WOOD,
QUILTED ROBES?
| (Fron Mrs. L. E. w., Hyattspi1e. }
In answer to P. T. M. asking how
to clean wood, I have found the
following formula of a friend o1
mine, very good, for any type Of
wooden furniture: One quart warm
water, 3 tablespoons linseed oil, !
tablespoon turpentine. Wash furni-
ture with soft cloth wrung out o1
this solution and dry with second
soft cloth. It will be cleaned ano
polished.
My two small daughters received
quilted chintz robes for Christmas
Does any one know If they can be
washed and how may I keep the
! sheen they now have?