POTTIXG. 



225 



POTTING. 



sides ; and these are to be prevented 

 from being closed by the soil by a 

 covering of potsherds, sbells, or small 

 stones, covered with turfy matter, 

 over which the soil in which the plant 

 is grown is to be placed. To prevent 

 the sides of the pot or vessel in which 

 the plant is grown fi om being scorched 

 or dried by the heat of the sun, the 

 pot is plunged in soil, or in moss, or 

 some other porous matter, or the pots 

 are placed sufficiently near together 

 to shade one another. Different kinds 

 of plants require different degrees of 

 drainage, and of protection from the 

 sides of the pot. For example, all 

 Orchidaceous plants, succulents, and 

 hair-rooted plants, such as the Erica- 

 cese, require a great deal of drainage ; 

 and all plants which require rich moist 

 soil, such as the Scitaminese, and 

 many of the most vigorous-growing 

 tropical herbaceous plants, require the 

 sides of the pot to be protected by 

 plunging it in tan, sand, ashes, soil, 

 moss, or some other nonconducting- 

 medium, which shall not be readily 

 permeable by drought or heat. 



With respect to the operation of 

 potting plants, when seedlings or plants 

 newly rooted by cuttings, layers, or 

 other means, are to be potted, a small 

 pot is chosen, either of the least size, 

 or of a size somewhat larger, according 

 to the bulk of the plant to be planted, 

 or its known vigour of growth. The 

 hole in the bottom of the pot being 

 covered with one or more potsherds, 

 and with some rough turfy, rooty, or 

 mossy matter, or with coarse gravel, 

 some soil is put in over it. On this 

 the roots of the young plants are 

 placed and spread out, and soil is 

 placed over them till the pot is filled, 

 as before mentioned under the article 

 planting. The soil in the pot is then 

 consolidated by shaking, and lifting it 

 up, and setting it down once or twice 

 with a jar, the soil round the edge of 

 the pot being rendered firm by the 



thumb, or by a stick as already men- 

 tioned. Plants of larger size without 

 balls of earth attached to the roots are 

 planted exactly in the same manner, 

 excepting that the pots chosen are 

 larger, in proportion to the size of the 

 plant. Plants which have grown in 

 the free soil during summer, such as 

 Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Myrtles, and 

 such other plants as are turned out of 

 pots into the open garden in the begin- 

 ning of summer, and taken up and 

 repotted about the latter end of au- 

 tumn, are commonly taken up with 

 balls ; and, when this is the case, the 

 pot chosen must be of sufficient size 

 to admit of the ball of earth without 

 breaking it. Previously to the taking 

 up of these plants, more especially 

 when they have grown with great 

 vigour, it is found advantageous to cut 

 the roots all round about the same 

 distance from the main stem, as the 

 size of the ball was when put into the 

 ground, by which means the plant 

 receives a check before it is taken up, 

 and is prepared to endure the still 

 greater check which it will unavoid- 

 ably receive when potted. This pre- 

 caution is more especially requisite for 

 such strong growing plants astbeBrug- 

 mansias, Fuchsia fulgens, Scarlet Pe- 

 largoniums, Stocks, "Wallflowers, &c. 

 All plants after being newly potted 

 should receive a sufficient quantity of 

 water to moisten the whole of the soil 

 in the pot ; and all of them require 

 to be shaded, to prevent excessive 

 transpiration till they have begun to 

 grow. 



Plants in pots which are to be 

 transplanted into other pots with the 

 ball entire, require comparatively 

 little care. The new pot should be 

 at least one size larger than the old 

 one out of which the plant is to be 

 taken, and, being properly drained, 

 and some mould put over the drain- 

 age, the plant to be changed is turned 

 out of the first pot by turning it up- 

 Q 



