POTTING 



17 



This is for the purpose of affording adequate drainage. 

 On the top of the crocks it is a good plan to place a thin 

 layer of moss, which prevents the soil from being washed 

 away or from blocking up the drainage. On the moss is 

 placed the soil, in which the plant is to be rooted. The 

 finest soil should be kept for the top inch. The soil or 

 compost must of course vary with individual requirements. 

 For ordinary plants a mixture of three parts of light 

 garden soil or fibrous loam, one part silver sand, and 

 one part leaf-mould forms a good compost. The whole 

 mixture should be passed through a sieve. Potting should 

 generally be effected by placing the plant in the pot with 

 its stem upright in the centre, so that it just rests on soil 

 and stands at the desired height. Add the compost a 

 little at a time, and ram it well down by means of a 

 piece of wood, leaving a depth of at least half an inch 

 between the top of the soil and the top of the pot. The 

 top half-inch of soil should be left loose and not rammed 

 down. Most plants require to be watered immediately 

 after being potted, and plants requiring to be moved from 

 one pot to another should be thoroughly watered half an 

 hour before being removed from the pot. In potting, as 

 in every other kind of planting, it is not sufficient merely 

 to push the root into a hole. The more the roots are 

 spread and arranged the more likely is success to follow. 



B 



