The Eastern Exposure Provides Some Sun Cineraria Growth Habitats
Friday, April 30th, 2010 | Great Sites
The florist’ Cineraria (actually, Senecio cruentus) definitely dislikes dryness and warmth, insists on cool air (40 to 60 degrees) and more moisture than you would dare provide for most pot plants. Mine seem to like my make-shift hotbed which is warmed only by air coming out through a cellar window, and must be protected from freezing on coldest nights by a thick layer of old blankets.
The eastern exposure provides some sun, but not too much; and the damp earth on which the pots are set keeps the air humid, prevents soil in the pots from drying out rapidly. Closed-in but unheated porches, cool attic windows - and, of course, cool greenhouses - also provide fine growing conditions.
I buy one packet of mixed-color seeds each year, preferably of the dwarf or “nana” varieties, which stay under eight inches tall but spread to ten inches across. Flowers are smaller than the giant exhibition hybrids but equally profuse; and the compact plants are more suitable for use as table centerpieces and gifts. Scanty but successive monthly sowings of these seeds from May through October supply us with blooming plants continuously from Christmas through latest spring, and even some for early summer color in outdoor window boxes.
Seeds are planted one-eighth inch deep in sterilized sandy-textured soil with some humus or leaf mold added, in a plastic refrigerator dish or cake pan which can be covered with sheet plastic to keep the medium moist. Sometimes I set the containers on top of our new oil-burning furnace, sometimes on the warmest spot atop the refrigerator or TV set. With this slight warmth, germination occurs in ten days to two weeks. Then, the containers are uncovered and set in a warm and light but not sunny spot until the plants are large enough to transplant easily.
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