POTTING 



Many plants spend their entire lives grown in pots ; 

 others are kept in pots until they reach such an age that 

 they are able to withstand the rigours of the open air. 

 Pots are made of many sizes, from so-called "thimbles," 

 which have a diameter at their tops of two inches, to 

 those known as " twos," the diameter of which is eighteen 

 inches. These various sizes meet the differing require- 

 ments of plants and bulbs from the miniature cacti and 

 small seedlings to fruit trees and camellias. Perhaps the 

 most generally useful size is that known as "48's," 

 the diameter of which is four and a half inches. Porous 

 pots only should be used for ordinary purposes, as in 

 glazed pots the soil soon becomes sour, and efficient 

 drainage and ventilation is impossible. New pots should 

 be soaked in water for three or four hours before being 

 used, otherwise they will absorb all the moisture from 

 the soil at the expense of the young plant. Pots that 

 have been previously used should be soaked in hot water 

 and thoroughly scrubbed with a brush inside and out 

 before being again employed. This is necessary, not 

 only for the purpose of opening the pores of the pot, but 

 also for the purpose of getting rid of fungoid growths 

 and spores whose presence would certainly give rise to 

 trouble. 



In preparing the pots for the reception of plants the 

 first thing to do is to place at the bottom a piece of pot- 

 sherd over the central hole, with its convex side upwards. 

 In the case of other than the smallest pots a few additional 

 potsherds should also be placed at the bottom of the pot. 



