POTTING AND REPOTTING. 261 



of soil will not remove much of the water by trans- 

 piration, so that, unless great care is taken in watering, 

 the soil will remain saturated most of the time and, the 

 air being thus kept out, will become sour, and as a result 

 only a weak, unhealthy growth can be secured. When a 

 plant is found to be in this condition, it should be take') 

 out, as much of the soil shaken off as is possible without 

 seriously injuring the roots, and repotted in rich sandy 

 compost, using a pot as small as will take in the roots 

 without cramping them. 



For the starting of cuttings, the saucer system, or 

 the use of water alone, will generally be found better 

 than the sand cutting-pan, as, if the latter is used, many 

 plants will fail to root readily unless bottom heat is used. 



POTTING AND REPOTTING. 



While the florist uses pots not over two inches in 

 diameter for his cuttings and his seedlings, a slightly 

 larger size will be preferable for house plants, unless they 

 are grown in a conservatory, as they will be less likely to 

 be injured from drying out. 



In potting off seedlings, or rooted cuttings, the pot 

 is loosely filled with sifted soil, and a hole made in the 

 center with the finger, in which the young plant is 

 placed. The soil should then be pressed firmly into 

 place and thoroughly watered. As soon as the roots 

 begin to form a mat around the sides of the pot, they 

 should be transferred to larger ones, using rich but light 

 soil, in which a liberal amount of ground bone will be of 

 value. To remove the plants from the pots, invert them 

 in the palm of the hand, so that the stems of the plant 

 will be between the second and third fingers, the pot 

 being held by the thumb and fore-finger of the same 

 hand. The edge of the pot can then be thumped against 

 the table, and the plant will slip out. It is always well 

 before repotting to remove from one-fourth to one-half 



