LATE SHOWERS & EARLY FLOWERS 



growing in small pots, which are tightly packed with April 

 roots. In case of doubt, the grower can always settle 10-30 

 the point by rapping the pot, and noting whether the 

 sound emitted is hollow and ringing (water wanted) or 

 dull and heavy (water not wanted). 



The present is a good period to repot room plants 

 that need what gardeners call " a shift," Repotting for 

 the sake of repotting should be avoided, because it is 

 not convenient to have large, heavy pots in rooms ; but 

 when the pots get very full of roots one of three things 

 should be done : (i) the plant given a larger pot ; (2) the 

 plant turned out of the pot, part of the ball of roots 

 and soil crumbled away, and the plant replaced with 

 fresh soil rammed tightly all around it ; (3) the plant 

 left in the pot, some of the top soil scooped out, and 

 a top-dressing of fresh given. Plan No i had better be 

 adopted if the soil is thoroughly permeated with, and 

 surrounded by, roots. If things have not gone quite so 

 far as that, either of the other two methods may be 

 resorted to — No. 2 for preference. Fresh loam, with 

 about a quarter of decayed manure and some coarse 

 sand, will form a suitable compost. While the plants 

 are out of the pots the drainage should be rearranged, 

 one large crock being placed over the hole, smaller 

 pieces lapped over it, and the whole surfaced with moss. 

 It is better to get an increased quantity of soil into the 

 pots by hard ramming than by filling up so near the top 

 that less than an inch of space is left for water. The 

 water space cannot be stinted without grave risk of the 

 plants suffering far more than they would from a slight 

 loss of soil. 



Room plants are as much benefited by fresh air 

 as human beings, but they soon suffer if they stand in a 

 draught. A steady, diffused flow of air is the desideratum, 

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