February 25, 1892 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
189 
S uccess in the cultivation of plants in pots cannot be secured 
by the most assiduous attention to any particular operation 
unless their needful requirements in all other respects are equally 
well attended to. Not a few individuals connected with horticulture 
in some form seem to be possessed with the idea that, provided a 
plant is given suitable soil, the manner in which it is potted is of 
comparatively little consequence. A more erroneous impression 
could hardly be conceived, and a little practical observation would 
soon show that two plants potted in exactly the same soil and 
given the same treatment in other respects could be greatly 
varied in character by the manner in which the potting was 
performed. 
The three principal points to be considered are—the kind 
of roots the plants to be potted produce, the object for which 
they are grown, and the condition they are in at the time the 
operation is performed. As a rule all plants which produce 
small, fibry, and wiry looking roots should be potted very firmly. 
All cla'ises of hardwooded plants of course come under this 
definition, and the nearer the roots of any class of plants 
approach in character to those of Heaths and Azaleas the 
firmer should they be potted, while Anthuriums and Alocasias 
are among those which require the loosest kind of potting. But 
between the very firm potting necessary for Heaths and the 
opposite extreme which is beneficial for Alocasias there are 
many degrees of firmness specially adapted for various classes 
of plants. Tt might be argued that firm potting in all cases 
has a tendency to encourage the formation of fibry roots, and 
a corresponding firmness and solidity in the top growth made ; 
true, but it is not in all cases that these types of growth are 
desirable. Take for example such plants as some Anthuriums 
or Caladiums ; the larger and stronger the leaves the better, as 
they represent a bold type of vegetation grown for the beauty 
of the foliage alone. 
The same remark applies in a limited degree to many of the 
coarser kinds of Palms. If I wanted to grow a Kentia or a Latania 
to the largest possible size in a given time regardless of the size of 
the pot, I should pot rather loosely, and should thus secure more 
rapid and less compact growth, characteristics which would in 
reality enhance the beauty of these types of Palms. Another 
matter has, however, generally to be considered—viz., that as these 
plants are principally grown for decorative purposes it is necessary 
to have large plants in comparatively small pots. It therefore 
becomes necessary to pot more firmly in order to store as much 
food as possible into a limited space. In doing this we check 
rapidity of growth, but secure the object in view by the time the 
soil is thoroughly permeated with roots ; then, with the aid of 
artificial manures, such plants can be kept in the same sized pots 
for years. 
These remarks apply with equal force to the green-leaved 
Dracmnas, which can be grown very quickly ; but in dealing with 
the coloured leaved varieties another point has to be considered— 
that is, if we grow these very rapidly and pot loosely they fail to 
colour well. Firm potting is therefore absolutely necessary 
in this case. I think enough has now been written to show 
the principles upon which we ought to conduct our potting opera- 
No. 609.—VoL. XXIV., Third Seiies. 
tions when dealing with plants grown solely for the beauty of 
their foliage. 
In potting plants specially cultivated for the beauty of the 
flowers they produce it is in the majority of instances necessary to 
pot firmly in order to produce short-jointed growth, because the 
shorter jointed the growth, provided it also has the necessary 
strength, the greater will be the quantity of flowers produced. 
A few exceptions to this rule are Primulas, Cyclamen, Eucharis, 
and Glesneras, which I have found to succeed better with compara¬ 
tively loose potting. 
Having now shown according to my own experience the effect 
various methods of potting have on different classes of plants, we 
have to consider the condition the plants are in at the time of 
potting and the best course to adopt under various circumstances. 
When potting plants which showed a tendency to become unduly 
strong I have always made a point of potting them extra firm, and 
have generally found that strong plants potted very firmly 
invariably produce the best results, but when not given this special 
attention vigorous growth without a corresponding degree of 
floriferousness is the usual but not desirable result. On the other 
hand, any that have not made satisfactory progress, but are either 
weak or sickly, or perhaps both, if given small shifts and rather 
loose potting, are quickly started on the right road to health 
and vigour. Firm potting or planting in connection with things of 
the vegetable world seems to me to have a similar effect upon them 
that exercise has on human individuals. So long as either is in a 
healthy and robust state, the one is benefited by abundance of 
physical exercise, and the other by firm potting. When either is 
out of health or inclined to weakness rest must in the one case be 
resorted to, in the other less firm potting. 
In passing to the more practical part of this subject, I will 
first deal with those plants which are pruned annually, or occasion¬ 
ally, such as Pelargoniums, Marguerites, Fuchsias, and Allamandas. 
The best time to repot, in these and similar cases, is when the buds 
have burst and are just beginning to develop into leaves. When 
dealing with the first two named the loose soil should be shaken away 
and the roots cut back to the old ball. This cutting of the roots 
with a sharp knife is important, as when so treated fresh roots are 
quickly formed on either side of the shortened roots, and there 
are none left in positions where they are likely to get damaged as 
the work of potting proceeds. Plants that are shaken out in this 
way must have the soil about their roots in a dry state before 
they can be operated upon in a satisfactory way, but before 
being repotted the roots retained should be thoroughly moistened 
This is best done by immersing them in tepid water for a few 
minutes and then allowing them to drain, after which they are 
ready for potting, using pots a size smaller . than those they 
previously occupied, the soil being pressed firmly about the roots 
with a blunt stick, generally termed by the denizens of the 
potting shed a “ rammer.” Plants of this description will require 
a liberal shift as soon as young roots have reached the sides 
of the pots. Such plants as Fuchsias and Allamandas are better 
shifted at once into the pots they are to occupy the entire 
season. 
Intimately, and indeed necessarily, associated with the work 
of potting plants is that of watering them afterwards. The effects 
of the best of soil and methods in using it may be nullified by an 
error in watering. In transferring plants to larger pots it is a 
matter of paramount importance that the mass of soil in which 
the roots are established is not in the least dry, neither must it 
be excessively wet ; and the soil to be used must be moist also, 
but only moist enough for free compression. These conditions 
provided, an occasional skiff with the syringe and shading, 
the pots, if not the plants, will prevent the evaporation of 
moisture, and root action will be much more satisfactory than 
if the soil were made too wet, as is not infrequently the 
No. 2265,— VOL. LXXXVL, Old Series. 
