CHAPTER III 



Potting and Repotting 



When to repot — Why plants die — Feeding vs. 

 shifting — Winter disturbance — "Knocking out*' — ■ 

 Seedlings — Cuttings — The potting bench — Crocking 

 and drainage — Danger of large pots. 



The best time of the year to repot house 

 plants is in the spring (April or May), or 

 when new growths start. Only in very 

 exceptional cases do house plants need 

 repotting during the winter; this is particu- 

 larly true of palms, ferns, rubber plants, etc. 

 These plants are then resting or are making 

 very little growth, and meddling is positively 

 dangerous to their lives. The average 

 amateur gardener does not realize this, and, 

 although the plant is in a good, healthy 

 condition, he becomes very much worried 

 because it is not making new growth. Then 

 he will repot the plant, putting it in a larger 

 pot, and nine times out of ten the plant 

 becomes sickly and often dies in a few 

 weeks because of the shock received and the 



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