Keeping Plants Hale and Hearty 79 



room for its increasing roots. And so, if you 

 leave it too long where it is, it gets "pot-bound" 

 — and narrow-minded and cross, in general. 



When to Change to Larger Pots 



Never let the plants crowd. Better a half- 

 dozen good plants than four dozen poor, con- 

 sumptive looking, measly specimens, such as are 

 not infrequently seen. 



How can you tell when it is time to re-pot .^^ 

 By actual examination of the "ball," the mass of 

 roots and soil. To do this the plant is removed 

 from the pot by holding it inverted in the right 

 hand, with the first and middle fingers on either 

 side of the stem, and smartly rapping the rim 

 of the pot against the edge of the bench. (See 

 illustration, page 80.) If the soil is medium 

 moist the plant should come out readily. If it 

 has been growing in one pot so long that a net- 

 work of tough, yellowish, dead-looking roots 

 have formed around the inside of the pot, it is 

 time for a shift. If the roots are still white and 

 active looking, and the plant is making a good 

 growth, a shift is not yet needed. 



In re-potting proceed as follows: First of all, 

 prepare the soil in advance. 



Use a pot only one or two sizes larger than 

 that from which the plant is being transferred 



