garden-flowers.net

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, & in addition to the rich compost a liberal quantity of ground bone can be often used to advantage. If an old solid bed is to be used, the surface should be taken off & three or four inches of compost, composed of three parts of rotten sods & 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 & all runners should be pinched off. In four or five months after the plants were set, strong plants will be formed & flowers will show. As the weather gets colder, & before severe frosts come, the sash should be placed on the house, but the arrangements for thorough ventilation should be ample, & 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 actually 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 many years many growers have experienced considerable loss from what’s known as the “violet disease.” Really, there’re a ½ 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 & all, invited by unfavorable conditions of growth or surroundings. A superabundance of fresh stable manure might cause a soft watery growth ; a high temperature & long continued forcing would also weaken their vitality & render them easy victims. There is more. There is more. The real cause is that the spores (seeds) of the different diseases find conditions favorable to their propagation & growth. Much can be done to hold them in check if the decayed leaves are frequently removed, & the germs destroyed.

With healthy plants to start with, & with proper care in watering & 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 & burned. The surface of the soil should also be occasionally stirred & all litter removed.

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

For more information on this topic, go straight to http://GreenHouse.FunHowToBooks.com