GARDEN-POTS AND POTTING. 



117 



shells, smashed bones or charcoal, hoof or horn 

 shavings, or other hard substances more or less rich 

 in manurial properties. By using such substances 

 for drainage, the whole contents of the pots become 

 available for feeding the plants. 



Over this harder and more durable drainage ma- 

 terial, there is mostly placed a layer of sub-drainage 

 of softer matters, such as moss, partially decomposed 

 bones, cocoa-fibre refuse, hard dry manure, the rough 

 fibre of peat and loam, half decomposed and semi- 

 baked turf, &c. The main use of these is to keep the 

 drainage clean and efficient, by preventing it from 

 being silted up by the finer soil. They form a wall 

 of separation between the compost and the drainage, 

 and so preserve the qualit}', and minister to the per- 

 formance of the proper functions of both. 



As these intermediary drainage materials decom- 

 pose they also become good food for the roots. But 

 before they are wholly consumed, or their powers 

 broken by the latter, the plant will probably have 

 been shifted into a fresh pot ; or, if not, the roots will 

 have increased to such an extent as to form a perfect 

 barrier between the compost and the drainage. 



Compost. — The matter of co:nposts is a vital one 

 to perfect potting. The bases of all composts are sound 

 turfy loam and fibrous peat^ with slight additions of 

 leaf -mould, cocoa- fibre refuse^ charcoal, and sharp 

 gritty sand. Silver sand is preferred for nearly all 

 plants, inasmuch as it is almost pure silica, whereas 

 most of the coloured sands are largely impregnated 

 with oxide of iron, loam, or clay, all of which are in- 

 jurious to delicate roots. Some of these impurities 

 can be got rid of by washing, but others enter almost 

 into the very substance of the sand. Hence, where 

 silver sand cannot be obtained, smashed Bath-stone 

 or sandstone is probably the best substitute. But 

 silver sand has now become such an important 

 article of commerce that it can be had everywhere, 

 and no better horticultural investment can be made 

 than that in a ton or more of pure sand before 

 wanted, as more poison probably enters into com- 

 posts through the sands added to them than by any 

 other way. A few sacks or tons of Norwood loam, 

 and as many or more of peat, from those experts 

 who make a speciality of the selection and supply of 

 these, will answer the purpose of every grower of 

 choice plants. 



The ignorant will say loam is loam, and peat is 

 peat, and what is the nse of having either from a 

 distance ? But the difference between these is often 

 so great that one kills, and the other grows plants to 

 perfection. Many years ago the writer had half a 

 dozen loads of peat presented to him ; it looked good, 

 and handlea and smelt well, but within less than 

 three years a promising collection of Heaths were 



dead, and scores of Azaleas, which are far less parti- 

 cular, in a bad way. The peat was killing the latter, 

 and had killed the former, though the cause of its 

 doing so remains a mystery to this day. 



For general potting purposes, half and half of 

 peat and loam, with from a sixth to a twelfth portion 

 of pure silver sand, forms the orthodox compost. 

 Of course. Heaths and other hard-wooded jplants 

 with hair-like roots should have peat and sand only. 

 There are also peats and peats, and the harder and 

 more gritty the peat, the better for these. But here 

 only genei'al principles can be laid down and 

 general rules given, as under the heads of special 

 culture of different genera, such mixtures as that of 

 white sjahagnum crocks and charcoal, which suit the 

 growth of Orchids, and other special combinations 

 that form the most suitable composts for particular 

 species, will be adverted to. Some of these plants 

 are not potted at all in the ordinary meaning of the 

 word. The fleshy roots of Orchids push through, or 

 overrun their composts, rather than live upon or out 

 of them, absorbing little more from the compost than 

 they do out of the atmosphere. 



After all that can be said on the subject of pot- 

 ting or shifting, the time, manner, and extent of 

 it must be mainly determined by the state of the 

 roots. Returning for a moment to our plantlet 

 potted off for the first time, so soon as the roots 

 reach and begin to run round the sides of its first 

 pot, it ought to be shifted into a larger one, and so 

 on in succession through all its future-sized pots. 

 This would prevent one of the greatest dangers and 

 difiiculties that plants in pots have to contend with, 

 that of the matting of the roots. 



This phrase explains itself : the roots get crammed 

 together so tightly, and interlaced so much, as to re- 

 semble a plaited straw or other mat. Once plants 

 become badly matted, the roots are diflficult to deal 

 with. It was this difiiculty that suggested the 

 barbarous practice once so common, of cutting off 

 most of the lower portion of the roots at every suc- 

 cessive shift or potting. The stronger and more 

 iron-like the roots, the more it was resorted to, un- 

 til the disrooting of such plants as Pines and Palms, 

 and not a few vigorous-rooting Ferns, became about 

 as common and as orthodox as their shifting into 

 larger pots. 



It is now, however, generally recognised that 

 prevention is better than cure, and the only sure 

 and certain prevention of root-matting is timely 

 potting. This will check that spiral course of the 

 roots which exaggerates so greatly all the evils of 

 matting. For if once roots are permitted to over- 

 lap and interlace each other in this way, there is 

 hardly any possibility of unwinding without break- 

 ing them. 



