WATERING OF POT-PLANTS 127 



for scamping the work than watering through the plain spout 

 would. The best roses are those made of brass with fine regular 

 holes. The finest roses only should be used for watering seeds in 

 pans or beds. One of the first and most important lessons to teach 

 a garden cooly is that it is the roots, and not the leaves and flowers, 

 that require water, and that a mere wetting of the surface is in- 

 sufficient. All watering should, if possible, be done late in the 

 afternoon or in the early morning. Always use rain or pond water, 

 if procurable, in preference to well-water. Water mixed with a weak 

 solution of liquid-manure us of great benefit to plants, whether in 

 pots or beds, but it should not be applied when they are suffering 

 from drought, nor until they have their root system well-estab- 

 lished after potting. 



To test whether a pot-plant is dry at the roots, give the pot a 

 sharp tap ; if it gives a sound like that of an empty pot, the plant 

 is in need of water. If a plant has become very dry at the roots, 

 it should be left for a time in a bucket of water to become 

 thoroughly soaked. When the leaves droop, it is generally a sign 

 that the plant needs water. No water should be allowed to remain 

 in the saucer or vases in which flower-pots are standing, for this 

 will cause a stagnant condition of the soil, injure the young root- 

 lets, besides affording a breeding-ground for mosquitoes. 



Plants vary in their capacity for drawing moisture from the 

 soil, i.e., some have more rapid transpiration than others. Some 

 have a thin epidermis and take up a large amount of water ; while 

 others of a succulent nature, as Cactus, Agaves and Aloes, have a 

 thick cuticle and relatively take up very little water, being there- 

 fore able to thrive in dry arid regions. Vigorous-growing plants 

 require more water than slow-growing species ; while deciduous 

 plants, when they have shed their leaves, should be watered but 

 sparingly, as owing to their transpiration surface being then 

 reduced to a minimum, excessive moisture at this stage may prove 

 fatal to them. During wet weather there is less evaporation of 

 water from the leaves, therefore plants then take up less water by 

 their roots, while in dry weather the conditions are reversed. Plants 

 give off moisture more rapidly when exposed to wind or sunshine 

 than when growing in the shade, and therefore require more water. 

 When the roots are confined in a small area naturally there is a 

 great demand on the supply of water available, so that plants in 

 this condition require frequent and copious supplies of water. 



Syringing. The operation of syringing is very essential to 

 the health of plants growing under cover, where the natural rain 



