34 HOUSE PLANTS 



plants will be over-watered and the soil 

 become sour. 



Pots may be obtained at almost any hard- 

 ware store. Buy the heavier ones, as the 

 very thin ones now manufactured by some 

 firms dry out too quickly. Soak new pots 

 in water until they get through "bubbling"; 

 otherwise, the soil of the newly potted plants 

 will dry out too quickly. If the pots are old 

 and green with algae, clean them by scrub- 

 bing them with sand and water, for the 

 "green" makes them less porous, and old 

 earth dried on the inside surface interferes 

 with the new root-growth. 



If potting is to be done with soil which 

 has been mixed for some time, determine 

 by the method described in the previous 

 chapter whether or not it has sufficient 

 moisture. If it has not, spread the soil out 

 thinly on the bench, water it, and then turn 

 it a couple of times to evenly distribute the 

 moisture as directed on page 26. 



