P L A 



P L A 



to the ball, with two handles at top, especially 

 if large, and generally Wotked rather open at the 

 sides, as sometimes the basket and ail is placed 

 in the ground, when the plant cariuot be readily 

 removed without danger of breaking the ball of 

 earth about it. 



In respect to the method of planting in pots 

 in general, having the pots and mould ready 

 for the reception of the plants, previous to 

 planting them place some pieces of tde, pot- 

 sherds, or oyster-shell, &c, over each hole at 

 the bottom of the pots, to prevent the holes be- 

 ing clogged and stopped with the earth, and the 

 earth from being washed out with occasional 

 watering; also to prevent the roots of the plants 

 getting out : then having secured the holes, put 

 some earth in the bottom of each pot, from two 

 or three to five or six inches or more in depth, 

 according to the size of the pot, and that of the 

 roots of the plant ; then insert the plant in the 

 middle of the pot upon the earth, in an upright 

 position, making its roots, if without a ball of 

 earth, spread equally every wav; directly adding 

 a quantity of fine mould about all the roots and 

 fibres, shaking the pot to cause the earth to set- 

 tle close thereto : at the same time, if the root 

 stand too low, shake it gently up ; and, having 

 filled the pot with earth, press it gently all 

 round with the hand, to settle it moderately 

 firm in every part, and to steady the upright 

 posture of the plant, raising the earth however 

 within about half an inch, or less, of the top of 

 the pot, as it will settle lower; for some void 

 space at top is necessaary to receive waterings 

 occasionally : as soon as the plant is thus potted, 

 give it directly a moderate watering to settle the 

 earth more effectually close about all the roots, 

 and promote their rooting more expeditiously in 

 the new earth ; repeating the waterings both be- 

 fore and after they have taken root, as occasion 

 may require. 



In transplanting plants in pots from one pot 

 to another, they may in general be shifted with 

 the whole ball of earth contained in the pot 

 about their roots entire, so as to preserve the 

 plant all along in its growing state, as scarcely 

 to shrink or retard its growth by the operation; 

 for plants growing singly in pots, and of 

 some standing, whose roois and fibres have 

 established themselves firmly in the earth, will 

 readily remove out of the pots with the entire 

 ball in one compact lump, surrounding all the 

 roots and fibres, retaining their growing state by 

 still drawing nourishment from the surrounding 

 ball of earth. 



The removing of plants from one pot to 

 another with hails, is in some cases to be 

 avoided; as where a plant appears diseased or in 



a bad state of growth, as it is most probable the 

 fault is in the root or earth ; therefore, it is eli- 

 gible to shake the whole entirely out of the earth, 

 in order to examine its roots, and trimotfall 

 decayed and other bad parts ; then, having a 

 fresh pot, and some entire new compost, re- 

 plant the tree, &c, therein. 



In potting plants from the full ground, or 

 beds of earth, &c., if they have been previously 

 pricked out at certain distances, and have stood 

 long enough to fix their roots firmly, many sorts 

 may be potted with balls, paiticularly most of 

 the herbaceous, fibrous-rooted kinds, and many 

 of the shrubby tribe, by taking them up care- 

 fully with the garden-trowel, or with a spade, 

 as may be convenient, according to the size of 

 the plants; and, if necessary, pare the balls 

 round to fit the pot. 



Seedling plants, or those raised from seed- 

 beds, by their growing so close together, rarelv 

 admit of potting with balls to their roots; so that 

 when it is intended to pot such,- they must be 

 drawn out of the earth with the root as entire as 

 possible, and be potted separately in small pots, 

 shifting them occasionally into larger. 



Sometimes in pot-planting, to save room, 

 and for other purposes, several small plants are 

 planted in each pot, especially when de- 

 signed as nursery-pots, to receive either small 

 seedlings, off-sets, slips, cuttings, &c, just to 

 strike them, and forward them a little at first, 

 either in hot-beds, or for removing them to dif- 

 ferent situations, such as occasional shade, 

 shelter, &c, and in which some sorts of small 

 slips and cuttings are sometimes planted many 

 together, in one or more wide pots, especially 

 where large supplies of some particular sorts are 

 required, such as myrtle cuttings and pipings of 

 pinks, ~fkc., sometimes to the amount of a hun- 

 dred or two of these small sets in one capacious 

 pot or wide store pan. The small seedlings, 

 slips, cuttings, off-sets, &c, when they are a 

 little forwarded, or properly rooted, and shoot a 

 little at top, should be all potted off, in pro- 

 per time, each in a separate pot, especially 

 if plants of any duration ; giving them small 

 pots at first, and as they increase in size shift- 



g them into larger ones. 



When any large growing plants, such as 

 orange- and lemon-trees, or any other kinds, are 

 become too large for pots, they should be shifted 

 into tubs: these tubs should be made of full- 

 inch thick staves, and adapted to the size of 

 the respective plants; each tub to be well hooped 

 with iron, and furnished with two hooked or 

 bow iron handles at top, by which to move 

 them, either by hand, or, when very large tubs, 

 to receive poles between two men for moving 



