Propagating houseplants, he says, is more successful if the rooting medium is kept warm. So he demonstrates how to build a wooden box containing a small light bulb. He covers the box with a metal cookie sheet that serves as a propagation tray. A hotplate gets into the act, too, hastening the rooting of leaf cuttings from favorite houseplants.
"Psychedelic" is one of the best words to describe the color of purple beautyberry. Hank Bruno at Callaway Gardens shows Reeves the different varieties-- even a white-berried form that isn't so likely to make your eyes pop when you see it.
Bromeliads
Bromeliads' centers are filled with water, but the roots like to be dry. Reeves shows how to use an apple to force a bromeliad to bloom. He adds a tip on breaking off a "pup" from the side of a mature plant and planting it in loose potting soil.Finally, Bob Westerfield of the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture points out a free publication, "Flowering Bulbs for Georgia Gardeners." You can get this publication from your county office of the University of Georgia Extension Service.
"Gardening in Georgia" (www.gardeningingeorgia.com) is produced by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and GPTV. It airs twice each Saturday, at noon and 7 p.m.
