The Culture of Greenhouse Orchids 



I have heard an enthusiastic advocate declare that 

 if sufficient depth of chopped moss be provided, 

 they never rise above it, so attractive is the leaf- 

 mould to their appetite. He exaggerated, but it 

 is true that the roots are much more inclined to 

 keep within the pot and this is clearly an 

 advantage if they draw sustenance from the mould ; 

 even if they do not, it is a convenience. For 

 straggling roots get broken, dry up, fall a prey to 

 slugs if there be any about. On this last point I 

 had evidence a day or two ago. A monstrous slug 

 found its way to my Odontoglots somehow. Had 

 they been potted as formerly, it was big enough to 

 do much mischief. But before I caught a glimpse 

 of its slimy track, at midnight, it had passed from 

 plant to plant over half a shelf, seeking what it 

 could devour and found scarcely a bite, for all 

 the roots were covered up. Another curious fact 

 asserted is that roots do not cling to the earthen- 

 ware inside, and so do not get broken in repotting 

 an enormous advantage. Personal experience 

 inclines me to believe that they do not cling so 

 often or so strongly. 



We return to our cool orchids. The leaf-mould 

 treatment is quite as effective with them as with 

 warm species ; and all that has been said above 

 applies, except the rule for watering. Odontoglots 



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