REPOTTING 



kind is always to be avoided, because it means 

 interrupted development. If a plant turned 

 out of an old pot shows a solid network of 

 roots about the mass of earth containing it, it 

 may be well to set it in a tub of water for a 

 short time, to loosen the interlaced root- 

 fibers, but beyond this I would not go. Too 

 great interference with the roots of plants 

 explains frequent failures in potting and 

 repotting. 



Old plants become root-bound. If they 

 have been in the same pot for a long time, and 

 seem inclined to stand still, or cannot be made 

 to grow vigorously by good care, it is well to 

 examine their roots with a view to finding 

 out the cause of the difficulty. Turn the plant 

 out of its pot, by proceeding as advised on a 

 preceding page. If you find the roots matted 

 thickly on the outside of the soil, and many 

 are brown, and some dead, you may be sure 

 that a larger pot is needed. The plant should 

 be repotted at once. Many fine plants are 

 lost or seriously injured by not attending to 

 them at the proper time. In every instance 

 good drainage should be arranged for before 

 the plants go into their new pots. 



If new pots are used, they should always 



35 



