POTTING 63 



three inches should be set on gravel, cinders or other loose 

 material to insure drainage. 



92. Pot-bound plants, those which have been checked 

 by remaining too long in the same pots and have been 

 thus checked in growth, need special attention. Be- 

 fore knocking out, the surface soil should be scraped 

 clean to remove "moss" and some of the sour soil. After 

 knocking out, the hard ball of earth should be crushed 

 between the palms of the hands, perhaps broken by raps 

 of the closed hand. The plants may then be replaced in 

 the same pots with additional fresh soil. In most cases, 

 however, it is better to stand the plants, pots and all, in 

 water, say half an hour, and then wash and work out the 

 earth in water either in a tub or in a gentle stream. 

 After washing, the plants should be placed in pots one or 



FIG. 53 COMMON LAYERAGE 



to hasten root production. 



two sizes smaller than those they have been in. Shrub- 

 bery plants should be pruned back. Plenty of shade but 

 little water is needed until the roots "take hold" and 

 danger of wilting has passed. The appearance of new 

 growth is the favorable sign. 



93. Flat, a shallow box in which seeds are started and 

 seedlings grown until large enough for pricking out 

 (81) or transplanting, usually of a size easy to handle 

 when filled with two to four inches of soil. It is con- 

 venient to have flats of some standard size that will fit 

 the bench or hotbed space without waste. 



