113 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, May 20, 1857. 
The first thing I would direct attention to is two 
modes of potting quite distinct. I do not say that 
there are but two ways, but, for the sake of simplicity in 
the affair, we may at once reduce them to two modes: 
all others are, in the main, modifications of them. One 
may be characterised as loose potting, the other as firm 
or close potting. The loose mode is applicable, in the 
main, to annuals and soft-wooded plants, and, I may 
add, to most plants of what may be called ephemeral 
character. The latter class are required to make their 
growth as speedily as possible, in conformity with their 
habits and the services they are qualified to render; the 
former class requires durability in the texture of the 
soil rather than rapid excitement. 
Now, plants of these two classes ought to be potted 
very differently; and, in order to illustrate the matter, let 
us take two plants, a Balsam and a Heath : these two 
everybody is familiar with, in potting the former a 
compost is generally used, and this, in the ordinary 
language of gardeners, means a mixture. When such 
is used it becomes necessary that, in order to have it 
uniformly mixed, the soil be passed through a riddle or 
sieve. This compost is filled in lightly round the 
Balsam plant, and a shake or two, with a very slight 
pressure, perhaps, in filling, makes all right; but in 
shifting a Heath this process will not answer so well by 
any means. Here the skilful cultivator, after procuring 
his sandy and fibrous heath soil in a dryish condition, 
breaks it up into lumpy fragments, and these he places 
around the ball, packing them somewhat tightly, some 
even thrusting fragments of stones amongst the turfy 
material. As for the finer particles which fall out in 
the handling, he uses little of this but to coat the 
surface over. 
As to watering newly-potted or shifted plants, I may 
just show that this differs as much with these two 
classes as the potting or shifting process. The Balsam 
alluded to would, in most cases, benefit by a good 
watering with a fine-rosed pot; but the Heath would 
require some extra caution. Most of our hard-wooded 
plants when repotted require that their ball of earth 
should be in a moist condition—not wet, but equally 
moist throughout. This secured, and the potting per¬ 
formed somewhat similarly to the Heath before alluded to, 
light waterings, not over frequent, with the spout of the 
pot will prove most suitable. When I pot Camellias 
I always make a point of so dressing up and pressing 
the surface of the new soil in the pot as to leave the 
stem in a small concavity. This induces the water when 
applied to penetrate the old ball, a thing I hold to be of 
much importance until the new soil is filled with 
roots, when the surface may be made perfectly level. 
Many a valuable hard-wooded plant is ruined by 
loose potting, the water in such cases rushing through 
the loose soil to the entire desertion of the old ball, 
the loose soil being speedily converted into a kind of 
mud. 
I have before alluded to the use of very fibrous soil 
as one of the chief improvements in modern potting; 
let me here caution the young beginner against potting 
with wet soil. If soil in a wet state must be used, then 
all my advice about firm potting falls to the ground. 
My practice is this:—Turfy or fibrous loam, having 
lain about six months in the compost yard, is chopped 
down when very dry with a sharp spade, leaving lumps 
the size of a large potato in it. This being well handled 
a considerable proportion of the more loose soil falls 
away, and this is put aside for ordinary purposes. 
The turfy material is now housed, no riddle being 
used; and this will lie for months in the potting-shed 
if in a body, and prove always in excellent order for 
potting. 
Heath soil, peat, &c., are served in a similar way ; and 
such materials in such a condition are qualified, either 
singly or in composts, to provide for every need in the 
plant way. 
I must now recur to drainage matters. Here, again, 
practical men make a difference. Annuals, and many 
soft-wooded plants which soon come to perfection, re¬ 
quire a very moderate amount of ceremony of this kind. 
A crock carefully placed over the hole, and over that a 
layer of the coarser materials of the compost, will gene¬ 
rally suffice, although I usually throw a little charred 
material over the crock, or a piece of moss. When, 
however, we take the more delicate of the hard-wooded 
class, specimens which have to remain a long time in 
their pots, and, indeed, plants of various kinds which 
are known to be somewhat shy rooters, the case is very 
different. Even in Camellia potting, for my part, I 
deem it expedient to be very particular; and strange it is 
that some of our continental neighbours think and act 
so differently, for I have lately read that they are in the 
habit of simply thrusting a lump of turfy peat in the 
bottom of the pot, and also pot their Camellias almost 
entirely in peat. But it must be remembered that to 
grow young stock into a smart, saleable appearance, and 
to sustain large specimens in high blooming condition 
for many years, are two very different affairs. There 
can be little doubt that much of the failure so frequently 
complained of in Camellias, when in the hands of 
amateurs and small cultivators, arises in no small 
degree from the mode of potting them. Razors made 
to sell and razors made to cut are two very different 
things. I find, also, that where liquid manure is fre¬ 
quently used there is the greater need of sound drainage, 
as, under the best of circumstances, it has a tendency to 
close the interstices of the soil, especially if fine soil be 
used. I, however, bid utter defiance to this tendency 
by the use of very turfy and lumpy soil. 
After all the care we can use in potting processes we 
may remember that it lies in the power of an ignorant 
and heedless waterer to nullify all our efforts in a very 
few weeks. This is a most serious consideration. The 
worst of it is that we scarcely know how to offer a rule 
to those who are careless or ignorant. A thoughtless 
person can never be relied on for watering; but the 
term “thoughtless” will scarcely express what I mean, 
for we have no cases of thorough mental inanition in those 
who labour with their hands. "What I really mean is 
this—that no person can water plants well unless he 
actually cares for their welfare. Absence of mind is, 
therefore, here an unfortunate affair. 
One piece of advice may here be given to the un¬ 
informed. When plants are established in their pots, 
and require water, let them have a thorough watering, 
unless some special reason exists for dealing otherwise 
with them. Plants growing fast or blossoming heavily 
generally require more water than at other times ; and 
plants sinking into a state of comparative rest, and 
possibly shedding a portion of their foliage, bulbs, &c., 
require a very moderate amount of-moisture; indeed, in 
many cases, none at all. 
One other great feature in modern plant culture is 
the constant war that is sustained against the insect 
enemies of plants. On this, however, it is no part of 
my present purpose to dwell; I merely point to it as 
dividing the honours attached to the high success of 
these times with good potting and watering. But I 
would observe that there is such a thing as predis¬ 
position in plants or families of plants to insects, and 
that one of the most fertile causes of this predisposition 
may be found in abuse of the root action through bad 
soils, bad potting, and bad watering. 
I would here beg the earnest attention of all inex¬ 
perienced plant cultivators to a close consideration of 
the before-named principles, and suggest to them that 
the general health of plants is more dependent on the 
soil, and, in consequence, the root action, than upon 
