Kitchen-Klatter v. 05, n. 01, 1940

              KITCHEN - KLATTER MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 194 0
THE CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS
House plants require the same care
that children need if they are to do
well. First of all there must be real
love, and like children they need fresh
air, clean faces, sunshine, nourishing
food and good living conditions.
When caring for plants it is best to
have a regular period each morning
for giving them .attention. Make it a
point to give your plants a good water­ing
when needed and not just a little
every day. Sometimes a good soaking
in .a pail of lukewarm soft w.ater is
very beneficial.
Plants such as the geranium, succu­lents,
begonias and jade plant can be
easily over-watered since they u s e
their water supply very slowly; on the
other hand, petunias, flowering maples
and the Jerusalem Cherry are greedy
for water and show the effects of dry­ness
very quickly. Over-watering of
any oLant tends to make the soil sour
which results in the hatching out of
little black flies that come from small
white worms in the soil
Not only do the roots in the soil need
water, but the plant itself needs wateY­in
the form of a bath or a shower to
wash off dust and insects from its
leaves. Place the plant in a large pan
or tub and spriay very thoroug-hly with
clean water, or submerge the ·entire
plant in the water for a few minutes.
Although we are warned not to get
water on the leaves of the African
Violet I give mine a good washing off
twice a year. This nl.ant seems to col­'
ect dust very readily on its thid1.
:ather fleshy leaves, and it is very
hard to remove. In this case I use a
snray and see that the water is spray­ed
over the entire surface of the
leaves. The plant is then set out of thP
sun for the entire day, or until it If':
completely dry.
There must be proper drainage if the
water is to pass through the soil in
the pot. This can be done by adding
fine sand to the soil so that it does
not pack, by placing coarse grave;,
cinders, or pieces of broken pots in
the bottom of the container, or by
making drain.age holes to permit th'e
water to pass on through. However,
1o not let water stand in the bottom of
the saucers in which the plant stands.
Moisture evaporation from tea kettles
•r pans of water set on the radiators
~ good for plants, and they almost al­vays
thrive beautifully in kitchen win­dows
because of the steam from cook­ing.
Almost all plants need some sunlight,
especially if they are to bloom, al­though
ferns, African Violets, and cer­tain
begonias may be set in north win­dows
or back from the sun. However,
the geranium, maple, and petunfa
need plenty of sunshine.
The house pl.ant has two dangerous
enemies: worms and the fumes from
gas stoves. The latter ar.e hard to
avoid, but we can control the former.
Certainly house plants are well
worth the time and loving care that we
may give them, for their giallant blos­soms
do worlds towards brightening
some of our dark, northern days.-Mrs.
R. J. Duncomb, Luverne, Minn.
A PRIZE "CIDCKEN"
I can't even remember where I got
my start of this tender succulant, but
for many years it has attracted much
attention in the background of my
shaded rock garden where it stood
three feet tall with 12 inch green
rosettes at the tip of each branch .
Each fall I lift it and carry it over
in the house where it is blooming this
year for the first time.
The flowers showed that it was of
the same family as our hardy "Hen
and Chickens," the Sempervivum fam­ily.
I located it in the catalog of the
Knickerbocker Cactus Gardens San
Diego, Ca 1 i f o r n i a as Semper~ivum
Arb ore s c ens. It is native to the
Mediterranean regions and gets its
niame from its habit of branching like
a tree. The flowers are yellow.
I am looking forward happily to late
February when I will be having
blooms from six varieties of dwarf
pumila iris plants which I have dug
and placed in flats outdoors to get a
good freezing before I bring them in.
Their bfooms may not look so aristo­cratic
as those of the Hyacinths and
Daffodils, but there is something about
them that seems to bring more surely
the promise of spring to a sick room.
They multiply so mpidly in the gar­den
that we ht.ave no excuse for not
having plenty for winter use.
Kitchen-Klatter Cook Books have
the very best recipes selected from
letters received from the homemakers
of the farms of the middle west.
P&GE S
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q.-What shall I do with my potted
Chrysanthemums that are through
bloomingt
A.-Cut the top to within an inch of
the ground and set the pot in a place
cold enough to prevent growth. This
may be a cave or a cold light room. In
April divide severely. One root-sucker
well c.ared for and cut back to pr.o­duce
branching will make a better
plant by fall than an undivided clump.
Q.-Why do the buds drop from •my
Christmas cactus?
A.-The Christmas Cactus is native
to the jungles of South America where
it lives in the tree tops and gets its
moisture and food from the air. This
clearly indicates that it cannot thrive
in the dry atmosphere of the av.erage
living room. The remedy is to increase
the moisture in the air. Too much
water at the root of any cactus merely
causes it to fill its cells to the bursting
point and beyond. Mine seem:; to do
best if kept below 70 degrees.
Q.-What time of day is best for
watering floowers?
A.-Water your flowers early in the
day and, except for the most severe
wea~her, open the window~ a crack at
the top from 10 a. m. t.J J'.00 ;>. m.
The fresh, moist air will be wholesome
f.or the humans as weli as for flowers,
and will repay the loss of heat.
Q. - IIow soon shall I bring mu
Hyacinths and Daffodils to the light f
A.-After the middle of January..,.!
bring a few pots from cold darkness
to warm darkness, and when they have
made two inches of growth I place
them in the sunny window.
Q.-WJiat shall I do with my Paper
White Narcissus after blooming?
A.-Throw it away. But keep your
I:fyacinths, D a ff o d i 1 s, Tulips and
Freesias growing until leaves mature
and ripen, for they are bulbs that can
be used a second time.
Q.-How can I best start plants of
Bittersweet and Wahoo r
A.-Plant the berries now in a box
o.f sandy soil, water well and sink the
box in a shaded part of the yard to
freeze. Little plants may be reset
next fall. Iris and peony seeds may be
handled the same way.
We have had such a warm sunny
f.all that the pansies planted in August
are now blooming until their nursery
plot looks like a rainbow. Close beside
the bed the men have placed piles of
dry loose straw which they will throw
over the plants as soon as the ground
freezes solidly. Of course they have
watered the pansies frequently.
Helen Fischer,
Shenandoah, Iowa