RE-POTTING

When to re-pot is always a troublesome question to an inexperienced gardener. Often re-potting is resorted to when other conjectures as to what is ailing a certain plant have proved erroneous. Under such conditions, the operation is seldom a success; the difficulty is more likely due to over watering or over-fertilizing. Generally speaking, house plants with exceptions which will be noted do not require larger containers oftener than every two or three years. All members of the amaryllis family and Sansevieria, for instance, should be left in the same pot until the roots actually break it; otherwise they will not bloom. Cacti are succulents with sparse root systems also prefer to remain in the same container for a long time; sometimes for years. It is a good plan, however, to renew the top inch of soil in the pot once a year.

Other plants, when plainly root bound, should be transplanted to another container one third larger. In common flower pots this means the next larger size. To find out if a plant is root bound, moisten the soil and gently knock out the earth ball. If the contents of the pot seem to be entirely a mass of tangled, tortuous roots, pushing against the clay walls in mute appeal for more room the plant is root bound. Un pot plants once a year and examine them, whether they need re potting or not. They will welcome having some of the old soil carefully scraped from around the roots and replaced with fresh earth. Also, the drainage layer may be examined at the same time and repairs made if necessary.

Seedlings, cuttings, and bulbs of rapid growth like Caladium progress at a rate, which necessitates more numerous shifts. They are like children growing out of there shoes every three or four months. Young plants will have to be watched individually there is no rule to govern their trans planting requirements. Roots extending through the drainage hole advise that a larger container is necessary.