January
Most of the cutting tubers are now underway and this prompted a decision
to box them up into new compost. This year I decided on Clover
Multipurpose for this task. It has meant getting the propagating house
back into action and I took the chance to add a twenty-foot cable to the
80-foot cable that was already in the misting bed. This done the tubers
were all boxed up and moved to the three propagating areas I use. The
cooler temperatures will slow down growth, but as most of these will not
be flowered until September this is fine.
I
had intended to start the adult tubers at the middle of the month, but
some inclement weather decided otherwise, and I had to spend the weekend
shovelling almost 18 inches of snow off the greenhouse roof. The dogs
certainly liked the weather better than both me and the begonias.
The main propagator was filled by the first weekend in February and the
season now well and truly underway. The starting mix is slightly
different, Clover Potting with the addition of some perlite, should
hopefully allow me to keep the tubers growing in the propagator for a
bit longer to make up for the late start. I had previously moved the
tubers into a warmer room for three weeks and as most of the tubers had
started to pip hopefully they will get away quickly. For the first two
weeks I keep the covers on top which keeps the warmth up.
On discovering that this year is the 70th Anniversary Show I
have looked through the archives to find a picture of my first exhibit
which was lucky enough to be a winning one. Hopefully entries will be
just as good this year. It does not seem twenty years since this took
place.
It is our first meeting in Scotland second week in February, I am
looking forward to meeting Michael, and the gang and as I am speaker no
doubt some revenge heckling will be in order. The friendly ribbing that
takes place helps to keep meetings fun.
