214 



The Dictionary of Gardening, 



Pots and Potting — continued. 

 with roots. In order to supply plants with an amount of 

 soil and root space somewhat in proportion to their several 

 requirements, numerous sizes of Pots are indispensable. 

 There are various sorts and shapes made, the most being 

 of the ordinary description : while special ones are made 

 for Orchids, and for other purposes, such as forcing Rhu- 

 barb and Seakale. Ordinary Pots are always provided with 

 a hole at the bottom, for the escape of water ; in some of 

 the larger sizes, two or three in addition are made at 

 the side, near the bottom. A rim is generally made round 

 the top, but, in some potteries, small sizes are made 

 without; one of the objects being that a larger quantity 

 may be stood in a given space after they are filled with 

 plants — the absence of rims allowing them to be arranged 

 in a smaller compass. Orchid-pots are of greater width, 

 in proportion to depth, than others of ordinary make ; 

 they are also much perforated at the bottom and sides, 

 to insure the porosity and perfect drainage which 

 these plants require, and to allow spaces for their roots 

 to grow through and attach themselves to the outside 

 surface. Blanching-pots used for forcing Rhubarb and 

 Seakale are large and deep, and are provided with a 

 movable top, for affording access to the interior without 

 lifting off the whole. They are inverted over the plants 

 in the reserve ground, or elsewhere in the open garden, 

 and covered with leaves or fermenting material. These 

 Pots are specially useful where forcing or forwarding is 

 only requisite in spring, and not throughout the winter. 

 Some few cultivators favour glazed Pots in preference 

 to those of the usual description, which are unglazed ; but 

 they are much higher priced, and, for several reasons, are 

 not to be generally recommended. Glazed Pots do not 

 need much attention to keep them clean, and plants 

 grown in them require less water than in the others ; but 

 there is not the same degree of cohesion between the 

 soil and Pot, which is most desirable for success in plant 

 culture. 



Besides the sorts of Pots already referred to, there are 

 others known as the Alpine or Double-sided, and the 

 Double-rimmed. The Alpine Pot is virtually two, one 

 inside the other, a narrow space being allowed between 

 them for filling with water, damp sand, or moss, for the 

 purpose of preventing evaporation from the soil in which 

 the plant grows. This end may be gained, to a certain 

 extent, by the use of moss and two ordinary Pots of 

 different sizes, one inside the other ; but, if water is 

 intended for filling the space between, only the best 

 ware, as used for the Alpine Pot, would suit : the 

 ordinary sort would be too porous. Double-rimmed 

 Pots are used for propagating, when bell glasses are 

 employed ; an extra rim being made for the reception of 

 the glass, which admits of all the space inside being 

 occupied with cuttings. These Pots have few practical 

 advantages, and are not extensively used. Shallow Pots 

 are now in great demand, especially for Orchids : they 

 may be suspended like baskets, and, being shallow, are 

 often called pans. 



Potting forms a most important part of the routine work 

 of gardening ; it has to be practised more or less almost 

 daily in all extensive establishments. The work varies 

 infinitely with the nnmei-ous subjects grown, as do also 

 the requirements of different plants. Some need very firm, 

 and others only moderately firm. Potting ; and, again, one 

 sort of plant will bear frequent, and what is termed large, 

 shifts, while certain death would result with another were 

 it similarly treated. A few general remarks may be given 

 on this subject here ; but it will be unnecessary to enter 

 far into details, since these are given elsewhere under 

 the several plants which specially require them, and the 

 practice is one which can only be fully learned by long 

 experience and close observation. The provision of 

 proper and eflScient drainage is always of great im- 

 portance, and forms the first part of the Potting 



Pots and Potting — continued. 

 process, except the preparation of soil and Pots. These 

 latter should always be used clean and dry ; they 

 are best if washed ; but when this is impracticable, a 

 thorough rubbing-out is most essential. It may not be 

 generally known that plants never turn out properly 

 from Pots that are wet or dirty at the time they are used ; 

 sometimes, it is impossible to separate balls of earth 

 without breaking them all to pieces, and so destroying, 

 or at least injuring, the roots. Dry, clean Pots, and good 

 drainage, are, therefore, important preparations for Potting. 

 The proper soil will, of course, vary with the numerous 

 plants about to be inserted therein, but a rule of general 

 application is that of having it just snSiciently moist at 

 the time of using. Wet soil cannot be properly worked 

 in around the roots, and plants never succeed so well 

 when placed in it ; while a soil too dry cannot be rightly 

 solidified in Potting, and is difiicnlt to moisten through 

 afterwards by watering. Soft-wooded plants may in- 

 variably have more soil added to their roots at one time 

 than those of a hard-wooded nature : where Pots nearly 

 as large again may be safely used with the one, the other 

 would only require the least additional space. Spring 

 is the season when Potting operations are naturally most 

 active, as the period when new growth commences 

 in so many plants, after comparative inactivity, is 

 a good time to provide them with additional root-space 



Fig. 269. Potting-ue.nch. 



or whatever other attention they may require. In 

 Potting hard-wooded plants of any description, the old 

 ball should never be placed lower in the soil than 

 it has previously been ; if the stems are buried, certain 

 death will, in most cases, be the result. These remarks 

 apply more particularly to Heaths and numerous 

 subjects of a like tender nature that are natives of 

 Australia, the Cape, &c. In contrast to the class of 

 plants just referred to, there are others which may 

 have their stems buried at the time of Potting without 

 the least fear of injury; these are mostly of the soft- 

 wooded class, and need not be severally mentioned. 

 Another point for reference is that of properly fiUing- 

 in the space all round the old ball of earth. It is not 

 an unfrequent occurrence, on turning a plant out after 

 it has been shifted, to find the space round the lower part 

 of the old ball only partly filled ; this shows very 

 inferior workmanship. If a plant is potted as it 

 should be, all the additional soil given will have been 

 rendered equally firm with the hand or hand-rammer, as 

 the case may be, and thus the old and new soil will unite. 

 Plants should never be Potted when the balls are dry 

 or approaching dryness : they seldom get soaked after- 

 wards when surrounded with soil of a moist nature, 

 through which the water, when given, will pass readily, 

 and leave the dry part to remain as before. The balls 

 of earth and the soil used should, therefore, be as near 



