564 



[June 1908. 



HORTICULTURE. 



HINTS ON WATERING POT PLANTS. 



There is perhaps more art in watering pot 

 plants than in any other phase of their cul- 

 ture, hence it is not surprising that amateurs, 

 and even some professionals, often go astray 

 in this seemingly simple operation. Al- 

 though hard and fast rules cannot be laid 

 down for the watering of pot plants, the con- 

 sideration of some of the most dangerous points 

 may perhaps be of profit. At the outset I 

 would impress upon the cultivator the abso- 

 lute necessity for knowing his plants. By 

 this merely knowing their names is not 

 meant ; what is required is a knowledge of 

 their rooting system, their leaf system, the 

 kind of soil in which they are growing, and 

 also the temperature of the atmosphere that 

 surrounds them. We must, above every- 

 thing else, always keep the fact prominently 

 before us that plants growing in pots, even 

 under the most favourable conditions, are 

 existing under artificial treatment. Armed 

 with an intimate knowledge of his plants, 

 and bearing in mind that they are existing 

 under artificial conditions, the cultivator is 

 well on the road to success in watering them. 



Before the plants are put into their pots 

 the careful grower will see that ample 

 drainage is provided by placing broken pots 

 or cinders over the drainage hole. This will 

 go a long way towards the mitigation of 

 over-watering. In applying water always 

 give sufficient to soak the ball of soil from 

 top to bottom, nothing being worse than 

 serving it in driblets. If a plant requires 

 water at all it needs enough to thoroughly 

 soak the whole of the soil in the pot, and to 

 this end enough space should be left when 

 potting to enable sufficient to be given. 

 Many amateurs make the mistake when 

 potting of filling the pots right to their brims 

 with soil. 



If a plant has become so dry as to cause 

 the leaves to flag the best course to adopt is 

 to immerse the pot in a bucket or tank of 

 water for an hour or two, because it will be 



almost impossible to soak the ball of roots 

 and soil by watering it in the usual way, 

 owing to the soil having shrunk away from 

 the sides of pot. The amateur, especially 

 during the dull days of winter, is far more 

 likely to over than to under water his 

 plants, and the former is the most fatal of 

 the two, because its ill effects only reveal 

 themselves gradually. In the winter months, 

 therefore, only give water when there is a 

 likelihood of the plant suffering for the 

 want of it. 



Newly-potted plants often suffer much at 

 the hands of a careless or ignorant wielder of 

 the water-pot. After they have had one 

 watering to settle the soil about them great 

 care should be taken not to apply more before 

 it is actually required. Remember that the 

 plant has had a check, and that roots will 

 permeate the new soil much more readily 

 when the latter is moderately moist than 

 they will when it is saturated. If the leaves 

 hang down at all this does not necessarily 

 mean that the soil is dry, but rather that 

 the atmosphere is arid;, and a light syringing 

 overhead under these circumstances will put 

 matters right. The same remarks apply 

 even more forcibly to cuttings. Keep the soil 

 moist, not sodden, if you desire them to root, 

 preventing evaporation of moisture from the 

 leaves and soil by plunging the pots in Coco- 

 nut fibre refuse and placing a glass case or 

 frame over them. 



Many amateurs have an idea that when a 

 plant begins to assume a sickly appearance it 

 needs water, and accordingly supply it in 

 large quantities, never thinking that they 

 are making matters worse. In all proba- 

 bility the mischief was first caused by super- 

 fluous moistiire in the soil, and the proper 

 course to take will be to examine the drainage 

 hole and see that it is clear, then withhold 

 water until it is quite evident that the plant 

 will suffer if it is kept longer without it. 

 The life of a valuable plant that has become 

 sickly may often be saved by keeping the 

 soil in the pot on the dry side for a time.— 

 The Garden 25th April, 1908. 



