POTTING 



pot should have just enough soil to secure its 

 best development. Where the pot is too large, 

 the amount of soil is too great and holds more 

 water than can be used by the plant. As a re- 

 sult, the soil remains wet for a long time and 

 becomes sour and where the soil becomes sour, 

 decay of the root soon follows and the plant, in- 

 stead of thriving, drops its leaves and soon dies. 

 It is much better to use smaller pots and as the 

 roots fill them, to shift the plants to larger pots. 

 In this manner the amount of soil is not too 

 great and the conditions are under better con- 

 trol. The growth is also more rapid and in the 

 same length of time a much greater size is at- 

 tained. On the other hand, pots which are too 

 small should not be used, as the amount of water 

 the soil will hold is soon exhausted and, unless 

 carefully watched, the roots will be killed by 

 becoming too dry. 



WHAT DETERMINES SIZE OF POT 



The size of the pot is determined by two 

 things — the size of the root system and the size 

 of the top. If the plants are already growing 



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