Evening star., 1949-06-19
Perennials From Seed Is Easy
Hard.to.Get Plants Can Be Acquired
During Summer by Early Planting
By Wilbur n. Younemon
Coedsn kditer

The growing of perennials from
seed LIS too often neglected by the
home gardener, who is prone to
assume that unless q plant Is
listed In q catalogue it Is not
worthy of culture. Often this Is
not the case.
The commercial plantsman is
trying to make money, and must
concentrate upon those plants for
which there is a most active de-
mand. He cannot afford the time
or the space for slow-moving
kinds.
Secondly, there are many worth
while perennials which do not
transport easily. Also, some re-
sent disturbance after given
stage of maturity. Plants in
either category are usually avoided
by the commercial grower. Again,
the commercial plant grower may
never have tried the kind that you
need because there was no occa-
sion to test it. Most nurserymen
are too busy to do much exploring
Some gardeners may wish plants
who cannot afford them in suffi-
cient number. Good perennial
plants may cost from Is cents to
81 each and II a dozen or more
are needed the investment may be
more than the gardener cares to
spend. In such case q packet
of seed costing from Is to 35 cents
may be the answer.
Early Planting Is Best.
Perennials may be started from
seed any time from May until
August. The earlier the sowing,
however, the more likely the
plants will be large enough to
transplant to the border by mid
September. Some plants do not
react favorably to hot muggy
weather such as we may expect IN
July and August and they are best
sown early in June. Some seeds
require freezing and so they are
best sown in early winter.
Since few gardeners are inter-
ested In growing a substantial
number of plants of a given kind
or variety, they will hardly need a
special seed bed. A shallow box.
commonly called fiat" Is not
recommended since seeds do not
all germinate at the same time
and the lifting and transplanting
of a row here and row there is
likely to be inconvenient. Also, a
fiat is comparatively heavy.
Use shallow flower pots, COM
monty called bulb pans" Four
to six-inch bulb pans will hold q
sufficient quantity of seed to meet
most gardeners needs. The larger
sized bulb pan may be marked oil
In halves. thirds. or quarters and
will hold two to four kinds Of seed.
The bulb pans are easily handed
and are better than cigar boxes
when 1t comes to watering.
That Important Top Layer.
Formerly gardeners DEPENDED
upon a special soil mixture for the
plant growing operations-b gar
den loan. "a sand and "a we'll
rotted compost or peat moss. This
mixture was usually treated In
various ways to kill the spores Of
the "damping off" fungus. COM
mon disease that attacks young
plants. To-day we partially I'LL
the pan or fiat with the soil mix
ture and then cover with an inch
layer Of bulverized spaghnum moss
or untreated vermiculite. Damp
ing-off seldom attacks seedlings
grown In these two materials.
Seedlings may be grown in either
material without soil although 1t
seems safer to use them on top OF
q good soil mixture in which the
roots can take hold II transplant
ing must be delayed beyond the
second pair of true leaves.
After the pan or fiat has been