110 Milady's House Plants 



trable wall that any young roots forming inside cannot 

 pass through and the plant might as well have re- 

 mained in its old pot. Lay the plant down on the 

 bench and hold it firmly with one hand; with the 

 other, take the carving fork or some such implement 

 and tear away the coils of roots that have formed 

 around the drainage. This calls for no gentle hand, 

 but a vigorous dissection and disentanglement of the 

 whole matted structure. Indeed, if this coil around 

 the drainage is very badly matted, it had better be 

 cut clean off with an old carving knife; in either event, 

 the broken roots should be cut off. After this, the 

 less matted roots around the upper part of the bole 

 may be more gently "pricked" loose with the fork. 



Repotting the Plant 



The plant is now ready to be potted. Try it in 

 the pot first to see if it sets too deeply, if so, fill in a 

 little soil until the top of the bole is about one inch 

 below the top of the pot. Fill in all around the bole 

 now with the new soil, until half the required quantity 

 is in. Then, after giving the whole thing a short, 

 vigorous shake to settle the plant and soil in position, 

 commence to firm down the latter with a potting 

 stick that will pass freely down between the bole and 

 the pot without injuring the roots. After ramming 

 this layer quite firmly, fill in some more, firming this 

 again and so on until the desired level is reached. The 

 soil should be so firm that it will resist any further 

 pressure by the fingers and thumbs. 



Water-logged Soil 

 So much for all the plants, regardless of name, 



