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Bugs and worms feeding on foliage make ugly holes in them, which interfere with the food-making function of the leaves. If foliage is badly eaten plants will be weakened or may even die.
This, of course, is a very abbreviated explanation. You can enlarge upon it as time goes on.
INDOOR SEED STARTING
If the youngster has decided upon something that he cannot buy already started from a nurseryman, he will have to grow it from seed himself, and sometimes an early, inside start is essential. A limited windowsill operation is not too much for the average child if he masters a few simple rules of procedure and is given proper equipment. But certainly he must be forewarned of the hazards inherent in this kind of gardening.
Failure on the windowsill is usually a result of one of the following errors: Planting too much; starting too early; sowing seeds too thickly; using a non-sterile planting medium; or improper watering.
Strict attention to the following step-by-step routine should eliminate these dangers:
1.Put a little drainage material in the bottom of the
planting receptacle. Broken bits of flowerpots do very well.
2.Fill with sterile planting medium. If using soil, sterilize
it by pouring boiling water through it, or bake it in the oven
at about 180° for a couple of hours. Both milled spaghnum moss
and fine vermiculite (sold under various trade names) are also
good sterile planting mediums. Pots may be filled with either
of these. Or just an inch of them may be put on top of sterilized
soil. Both of these materials cling to tiny roots when they are
lifted for transplanting, thus softening the shock of moving.
3.Moisten soil before planting. If you get it too wet at
first, let it stand for a day or two before planting, or until it is just crumbly moist.
4.Distribute seeds rather sparsely. Large seeds, where
only a few plants are wanted, may be planted in small individ
ual pots, which makes later transplanting to the garden very
simple.
5.Cover seeds to depth directed on seed packet. Very fine
seeds need just a sifting of the planting medium as a cover.
Others are covered to a depth of about four times their
diameter.
6.Now, gently moisten top soil with a fine spray, taking
care not to wash soil off seeds.
7.Cover pots with a piece of glass or a polyethylene bag.
The latter material is ideal since it "breathes," and while
retarding evaporation, it does not prevent air circulation.
Should it cloud up inside, prick a few holes in it. If a glass
cover is used be sure to leave a little space uncovered for
ventilation.
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