THE POTTIXG OF PLANTS. 83 



CHAPTER XVII. 

 THE POTTING OF PLANTS. 



This naturally follows the preceding chapter, and I 

 will briefly state a few of the most important points. First 

 of all is soil, or potting mold, often rather a troublesome 

 thing to get by those who have only a few dozen plants 

 to repot. The soil used by us, and by most florists, for 

 nearly every plant we grow, is one combining freshness, 

 richness, and what is called '•' friableness " of texture. This 

 condition we get by paring off the sod from the roadside, 

 mixing it with one-third of well-rotted stable manure, 

 throwing it in heaps until it rots, and turning it over 

 two or three times until the whole is well mixed. If the 

 plants are small, we run it through a fine sieve before 

 using it ; if large, we use it rough, without sifting. Bat 

 it may not always be convenient to get this material, and 

 it is by no means indispensable to success. Leaf mold 

 from the woods, mixed with any fresh field loam, and a 

 littla rotted stable manure, will answer nearly as well ; 

 or city folks can get sweepings from the pavements, and 

 these, mixed in equal bulk with any good fresh soil — that 

 from an old cultivated garden is not usually so good — 

 will make a potting soil in which almost any plant will 

 grow vigorously. Small lots of potting soil had best be 

 got from the nearest florist. 



Now, having the soil in proper condition, the next 

 thing is the pots, which, if they are not new, should be 

 thoroughly washed, so that the evaporation of moisture 

 will take place freely through the porous sides. One of 

 the most common errors among amateur cultivators is to 

 put their plants in too large pots. H a plant such as a 

 Rose or Geranium is lifted up out of the ground to be 

 potted, it should be placed in a pot only large enough to 

 allow an inch or so of soil to be placed below and around 



