Propagating from seeds and leaf cuttings

Advantages of Seed

Gloxinias can be propagated from seed, leaf or plant cuttings, or tuber divisions. You get the best return for your money as well as the best-formed tubers when you grow from seed. Species come true to form from seed; varieties do not, and you get a wide range of colors from a packet of seeds.

The seeds are very fine. Sown in February and grown under optimum conditions, they produce flowers by late May or June; those given only general care will not flower until August or September. Sow the seeds on light soil or in vermiculite or milled sphagnum and peatmoss. Sprinkle on top of the moistened medium, press down lightly, but do not cover with soil. Put glass over them and set in a warm house. If seeds are reasonably fresh, germination takes place in 7 to 10 days. As seedlings grow, plant them 2 inches apart in a flat of light soil or the soil recommended for tubers. When leaves touch, shift into 3-inch pots. Another shift-to 5-inchers-is advisable before blooming time. Liquid fertilizer applied at 2-week intervals will bring on a good quantity of flower buds.

Gloxinias from, Leaf Cuttings

Should you want more of some named hybrids, propagate by leaf cuttings. Cut the petiole about an inch long and insert it in any sterilized growing medium. Roots form in 4 to 6 weeks. Sometimes the old leaf dies after forming a new tuber, or it

70. This array of geranium leaves is merely representative of the clan’s

fascinatingly wide range of foliage forms and colors, not to mention

fragrances. Fancy-leaved geraniums sell well at any season, for they

are often purchased just for their foliage. (Photograph by Roche)

may send up a new plant or two before bowing out. If new plants show, cut off and pot up in 4-inch pots and give the same culture as for potted tubers. Otherwise, keep the tubers in the flat, giving them an occasional watering, until they sprout; then move to 4-inch pots.

71. Handsome, long-lasting flower heads, easily produced in the greenhouse, are the major attraction of Martha Washington. (Courtesy, Wilson Bros.)

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