POTTING

It is preferable always to use clean flowerpots. If old pots are reused, be sure that any soil adhering to the inside walls is entirely removed. Dirty containers make re-potting diffi­cult, as the ball of dirt does not slip out readily. Then, too, tender feeding roots resent ancient, caked residue. New clay pots must be soaked in water for at least hours, and a whole week is better; then dry them off before using. Otherwise the thirsty clay insists upon absorbing moisture which is essential in starting newly potted plants into healthy growth.

The condition and species of plant will determine the proper time for potting. The best time is just after a plant has started into growth. Then it is easier for the roots to withstand the shock of transplanting. When plants are rest­ing (during the winter, usually), and root action is correspondingly dormant, the vitality of a plant is often too low to supply the energy necessary for roots to take hold of the soil and establish the plant in its new home, so it is apt to languish and die. Most houseplants rest during the late autumn and early winter months, awakening into new growth in the spring. March, April, and May, then, are good potting or re-potting months for such plants. The end of a resting pe­riod may usually be determined by appearance of new green shoots and a general freshening in the whole appearance of the plant.

Plants potted in the spring should be plunged in the garden, where they enjoy a refreshing and invigorating season before taking up their duties in the house. Place some gravel under each pot and sink it to the brim. The additional drainage will dispose of overflow from exuberant summer showers, and it will also discourage earth worms from crawling into the pot through the bottom hole. The process of summering in the garden applies to most houseplants, as well as those just recently potted. A few temperamental species, like the African Violet (Saintpaulia), prefer to remain inside or on a protected porch. The finicky varieties will be discussed later. Cacti and succulents enjoy the sunniest place in the garden; other plants require light shade, and ferns need the cool dimness of rather heavy shade not, however, where they will en­counter drip from trees or bushes.

It is necessary to leave houseplants in their pots during the summer season in the garden.

A common tendency, when potting plants, is to use too large a container. This fault is provocative of over watering, sour soil, and an early demise of the plant. Plants that con­tinue to live under these circumstances just about hold their own; they seldom increase in size or show any signs of active growth. Also, many species stubbornly refuse to produce flowers unless their roots are somewhat pot bound. This is commonly the case with Amaryllis, Hippeastrum, Clivia, Agapanthus, snake plant (Sansetderia), and jade plant (Crassula portulacea). There is nothing to be gained by giving a plant more soil than its roots need or can use. Many varieties, which you will eventually want to grow in your house, may be seen in florists' windows or greenhouses. Look closely at them sometime when you are passing by. Note that four or five sizable cacti are thriving in a 3 inch 4 foot palms in 8 inch pots, and 6 foot rubber plants in 10-inch pots. Observation of the material in these windows will give you an excellent idea of the proper size in pots for various plants. If any doubt exists in your mind while in the process of potting, under pot, rather than over pot; it is much safer, and usually you will find that you really haven't used too small a container, after all.

Another planting "must" is firm soil about the roots. After placing the drainage layer in a pot, it should be filled about one quarter full with dampened soil, and the roots spread out on top of the earth in a natural positionnot bent or cramped. Then add more potting mixture to within an inch of the container's rim. The whole is firmly compressed about the roots. With small pots, soil may be pressed down with the thumbs. When large pots are used, a section of broom handle makes a good tamping stick. Firm soil does not mean earth pounded down to the consistency of a brick! Such a condition prevents circulation of water and air, and invites curtailment of normal, healthy growth. There is a happy medium, which your own sense of judgment will determine.

Water well after planting; if the specimen is other than a cactus, succulent, or downy leafed plant like Gloxinia or Saintpaulia, it will also appreciate having its foliage sprayed.

When plants are first brought into the house, they should be kept in dim light no sun, for several days or a while they adjust themselves. This also applies to newly potted or re-potted plants.

Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the importance of thorough drainage. More trouble has arisen through different attention to this detail than you can imagine. Water is most essential to plant life, of course, for it is through agency that food in the soil is made available to roots. Yet, without proper drainage, water becomes an enemy rather than a friend; it packs and sours soil, at the same time excluding all air, which is also a requisite for roots. Sweet, friable soil and healthy plants are boon companions. Although a drain­ age hole is incorporated in the bottom of most flowerpots, this alone is insufficient. If nothing but soil is placed in the container, water soon washes it into the hole where it forms an impenetrable plug and all drainage stops. The hole is assisted in the performance of its duties by guardian pieces of broken pot, over which is placed a layer of pebbles or gravel. This drainage stratum varies in thickness according to the size the pot; it is always deeper in glazed containers which ha no bottom holes.

The use of saucers or supplementary vessels is universal. They protect table and shelf tops and serve to catch surplus water vented through drainage holes. It is sound procedure to fill them partly with pebbles. Then no harm can come to the plant if some overflow remains in the saucer, as it very often does, for the bottom of the pot is held above the water. In fact, under these circumstances, surplus water is a decided asset, as it adds to the moisture content of surrounding air. A few pieces of charcoal mixed in with the pebbles will keep saucer and contents clean.