How To Grow Violets In A Greenhouse By Mazliza Othman At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

If the plants are to be grown in the beds in the house they should be in place by the middle of May, if not before. The soil for this purpose should be even richer than is required for field-grown plants when they are set in the house, and in addition to the rich compost a liberal quantity of ground bone can be used to advantage. If an old solid bed is to be used, the surface should be taken off and three or four inches of compost, composed of three parts of rotten sods and one part of decomposed cow manure, added.

While one strong plant in a place will generally make a good clump, some growers use two or three. About once a week or ten days the surface of the bed should be loosened and all runners should be pinched off. In four or five months after the plants were set, strong plants will be formed and flowers will show. As the weather gets colder, and before severe frosts come, the sash should be placed on the house, but the arrangements for thorough ventilation should be ample, and it should at no time be neglected.

Care should be taken to regulate the time of watering, to permit the plants to dry off before night. If they are syringed, it should be only early in the morning of bright days, and, so far as possible, the water should not be allowed to fall upon the leaves when it is applied to the soil. As sub-irrigation not only admits of applying the water without wetting the surface soil, but aids in keeping the foliage dry, it is especially desirable for this crop.

For several years many growers have experienced considerable loss from what is known as the "violet disease." Really, there are a half dozen diseases that attack the violet, any one of which may practically ruin the crop. The "eel-worms" (Nematodes) also work havoc, particularly in poorly drained soil, by causing galls upon the roots.

The violet diseases are, undoubtedly, one and all, invited by unfavorable conditions of growth or surroundings. A superabundance of fresh stable manure might cause a soft watery growth ; a high temperature and long continued forcing would also weaken their vitality and render them easy victims. The real cause is that the spores (seeds) of the different diseases find conditions favorable to their propagation and growth. Much can be done to hold them in check if the decayed leaves are frequently removed, and the germs destroyed.

With healthy plants to start with, and with proper care in watering and ventilating, the danger of the appearance of the various violet diseases will be greatly reduced, but if any of the plants show traces of any disease, the injured leaves should be pulled off and burned. The surface of the soil should also be occasionally stirred and all litter removed.

The violet is troubled by few insects, the most troublesome being the aphis and red spider; frequent fumigation for the former, and syringing for the latter, should hold them in check.

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