RYERSON EXPANSIBLE ORCHID FOLDER Page HE. 
LET'S TALK ABOUT SHIFTING SEEDLINGS 
From Community Pot to Individual 1g or 2-inch 
ADVANCE PREPARATIONS. Slip knife around edge of community pot so the block of 
seedlings will slide out. Untangle roots gently, with as little damage to them 
as possible. This may be done several hours, or even the afternoon before the 
re-potting. Heap the "bare root" seedlings lightly in a pot or bowl and cover 
with a cloth. 
2» PREPARING THE OSMUNDA. If available, choose the soft, light brown variety 
for seediings. Thoroughly soak it several hours or the day before the potting 
operations, and pile it lightly on a wire rack where it can drain freely. DO 
NOT TEAR OR SHRED IT, BUT LEAVE IN ITS ORIGINAL SHAPE. 
3. PREPARING THE POTS. Use CLEAN pots. If second-hand, scrub thoroughly, or 
even BOIL them the day before using. Break clean crock in small pieces and 
fill each pot half-full. Chareoal chunks may be mixed with the crock 1f desired. 
Test drainage by dipping pot in water. If water does not run through immediately, 
a piece of crock is blocking drainage hole. Correct this. 
4. POTTING. With a sharp knife, slice dampened osmunda, cross-grain, in the 
proper thickness to finish filling the pot to one-fourth inch of the top. Cut 
slice. into strips, each of which is just long enough to wrap around a seedling and 
fit snugly into pot. Loosen each strip a bit. Wrap around seedling's roots and 
tuck lightly into a pot, level with the top, fibers running vertically. With 
sharp scissors, trim off any fibers that stick up above the others. Now, with 
your two thumbs, press osmunda, seedling and all, down into the pot so that the 
level is about one-fourth inch below the edge of the pot. It should be snug but 
not jammed into the pot. If not snug, tuck in a bit more osmunda in front of 
seedling. 
GREAT CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN that the seedling base be exactly level with the surface 
of the osmunda. Pot them too low, and they will dampen off. Pot them too high 
and they will climb out of the pot, roots humping up awkwardly. Make a fresh 
community pot of those seedlings too small for individual pots. 
5. HUDDLE NEWLY POTTED seedlings cheek by jowl and they will help each other re= 
tain humidity. If too much space is left between the pots they will dry out rap- 
idly. Since your osmunda was damp,.it should not be necessary to WET newly potted 
seedlings for about a week. Spray the foliage lightly with fog-like spray when 
necessary. 
It is impossible to answer the stock question, "How often shall I water?" without 
knowledge of your greenhouse conditions. But observation will soon show you what 
is needed. If fuzzy mold begins to grow on the osmunda, you are keeping them too 
wet. If the osmunda starts shrinking away from the sides of the pots, and the 
pots themselves are bright red, like dry bricks, you are keeping them too dry. 
Best of luck and if there's something I've missed, don't hesitate to ask. 
