Pot (planting)

“ Plant cauliflower, cabbages, sea-kale, lettuce; and finish the planting of the main crops of potatoes; divide and replant globe-artichokes. Propagate all sorts of pot-herbs, and attend to the hoeing and thinning of spinach, onions, turnips, carrots, beet, &c. Earth up cabbages, cauliflower, peas, beans and early potatoes. Stake up peas; blanch sea-kale and rhubarb in the open air by covering with straw or leaves.
Fruit Garden.—If vines have been neglected to be pruned, rub off the buds that are not wanted; this is safer than pruning now. Protect the finer sorts of fruit trees on the walls. ”

“ The soil is next consolidated by shaking the pot, and then lifting it up and setting it down again with a jerk; and is rendered firm and neat round the rim by means of a broad smooth piece of stick shaped somewhat like a table-knife, and called a potting-stick. When a plant has been in a pot before, and is repotted or shifted, as it is called, into a pot a size larger, the plant is turned out of its old pot by putting the hand upon the earth and turning the pot upside down ”

“ All the conditions which answer for border work are applicable to pots, and a limited number of plants brought forward in succession will supply the requirements of a small household from early spring until near Christmas. The pot system is conducive to free setting and to early ripening, and for these reasons it is worth attention. The plants should be kept short in the joint by frequent shifts until the twelve-inch pot is reached, and this size will accommodate two cordons or one plant having two branches, each of which will require a separate stake for its support. ”

“ Don't make the mistake of putting small plants in large pots, thinking that they will be benefited by it. Wait for them to signify a desire for more room by filling all the soil of a small pot with roots. A plant with a small, weak root-system is often seriously injured by giving it a large pot to grow in, as it is not in a condition to make use of all the nutriment in a large amount of soil. ”

“ Occasionally, I give the pot a little shake, which settles the soil into crevices and crannies. But never do this jerkily or violently. When the soil is within a half inch of the top of the pot, press it down all about the plant stem; that is, firm the plant. You should be able to take up a potted plant by the plant stalk without uprooting it. The florist can do this with any of his potted plants. If the plant is loose in its new home it will not do well. ”

“ That is no way to pot plants. Come here, girls, and let us talk this point out. I will pot a plant for you. I guess this begonia would be a good one. See, it has quite a ball of earth of its own. Now look at Elizabeth's full pot. Trying to plant in a pot already full of soil is beginning entirely wrong. Hand over another pot, Josephine. Thank you. See, here is a pot with its drainage, and a very little bit of old sod over this. The soddy matter takes up only about a quarter inch. Give me a trowel full of the potting soil, or a little coarse soil first. ”

“ To lessen the attention of the gardener, therefore, to render the plant less dependent on his services, and, above all, to put a plant in a pot as far as possible on a footing with a plant in the unconfined soil, plunging the pot in a mass of earth, sand, dung, tan, or any such material, appears to us a most judicious part of culture, and one that never can be relinquished in fruit-bearing plants with impunity. ”

“ The earth should be very moist before it is put into the pot, and if the season be dry, it may be re-moistened from time to time. When the layer is supposed to have rooted, a cut or rather notch should be made in the branch below the pot, and afterwards it may be cut off, and the young plant transferred with its ball of earth entire to another pot or the open ground. ”

“ As long as they continue looking fresh, they are doing well; and as soon as they begin to grow they should be transplanted into small thumb pots, and supplied moderately, but regularly, with water; changing the pots for larger ones as the plants increase in size, and according to their nature. Sometimes the pots are sunk into a hot-bed, to induce the cuttings to take root, and this is called applying bottom heat; and sometimes one flower-pot is placed within another a size or two larger, and the outer one filled with water. ”

“ The pans specially sold for the purpose are the best, but pots will do very well. Fill them with fine moist soil, and press firmly down; then scatter the seed thinly on the top, and only cover with a slight layer of soil, afterwards placing in a dark corner. Where the seed is very small, do not cover with any mould at all, but, as an extra protection, place a piece of cardboard over the top of the pot, so that they shall not be blown away. Seeds like a still atmosphere, moisture, warmth, and darkness. ”

“ Lift the plant carefully so as not to break the ball of earth round the roots, and fill in with mould round the sides. In order to supply water readily the pots must not be filled up to the rim. Pot firmly, and in the case of hard-wooded plants ram the earth down with a blunt-pointed stick; soft-wooded ones may be left rather looser. Give shade till the plants have recovered themselves. The soil used for potting should be moist, but not clammy. A rather light, rich loam is most suitable for strong-growing plants; peat for slow-growing, hard-wooded ones, like Ericas, Camellias, etc. ”

“ I advise all who adopt the plan of plunging the plant in the pot in the open air during the summer, either to shift into a pot two sizes larger, or else to take it out of the pot and reduce the ball of earth nearly one-half, and repot it in fresh compost before removing it to the house. ”

“ We shake the soil away and cut off all the roots, and repot them, when, as soon as they begin to grow, they will send out their new roots into fresh soil. The material we use for potting is good rough fibrous loam and leaf mould, with a little rotten manure, mixing them well together, and giving good drainage with a layer of rough peat and moss on the top of it. In potting, fill the pot up with the soil and place the bulb on the top, just making it firm ”

“ Of late years the practice of growing plants in pots and sending them out as the florists do flowers has become very prevalent. These potted plants can be set out in July, August and September, and the ball of earth clinging to their roots prevents wilting, and, unless they are neglected, insures their living. Pot-grown plants are readily obtained by sinking two and a half or three inch pots up to their rims in the propagating-beds, and filling them with rich earth mingled with old, thoroughly rotted compost, leaf mould, decayed sods, etc., but never with fresh, unfermented manure. ”

“ The plants must be potted quite firm and watered with the utmost regularity; if dry for a day or two and then supplied with an extra dose to make up for lost time you will soon be rid of the trouble of keeping them. At every watering the whole body of the soil in the pot should be wetted, and there should be no more given until it is nearly dry again. In case you do find a pot dry and capable of music when struck with the knuckle, plunge it to the rim in a vessel of water until bubbles cease to rise from it, by which time it will be moistened throughout. ”

“ They thrive best in rich light soil, and are excellent subjects for pot culture; for which purpose use a compost of fibrous loam, leaf mould, or well-decayed manure, and coarse sand. The pots should be about 12in. across, well drained, and the plants potted just previous to, or so soon as, growth commences. During activity, plenty of water is needed, until the plants have finished flowering, when the quantity may be lessened; but never allow them to get dry. Propagated by division of the roots or seeds, sowing the latter, as early as possible after they are ripe, in a cold frame. ”

“ The fine specimens to be seen occasionally in cottagers’ windows in the Isle of Wight attest the ease with which it can be grown in a congenial atmosphere. The bulbs are exceedingly small in proportion to the flowers, and the rootlets are so fragile that potting on is to be avoided. A 48-sized pot will hold five or six bulbs, and the soil should consist largely of decaying vegetable fibre, such as peat, leaf-mould, and turfy loam. The pots can be stood in any sheltered position out of doors, under a covering of cocoa-nut fibre or other light material, until the foliage begins to grow. ”

“ Place the pots in a warm, moist position, carefully shading from the sun. A light sprinkling of water daily will be necessary. Immediately some plants are large enough for shifting, lift them tenderly from the seed-pot, so as scarcely to disturb the rest, and prick off into large 60-pots in which the soil has a convex surface. Follow this process as plants become ready until all the seedlings have been transferred. When potting on allow the leaves to rest on the soil, but avoid covering the hearts. ”

“ There is one sure way to tell whether a plant needs a new pot. Turn the old pot upside down, tap the contents loose, and examine the soil ball. If it is completely covered with a network of roots, get busy with a larger pot. ”

“ The seed may be sown at any time from March to July in a pot of two-year-old manure, leaf-mould, or fine, rich mould, but not covering it with the soil. Tie a sheet of paper over the pot and plunge it in a hotbed. Sufficient moisture will be communicated to the seed by keeping the paper damp. When the plants make their appearance remove the paper and place the pot in the shady part of the greenhouse. When they are strong enough to handle, pot off into 4-1/2 in. pots, and stand them near the glass. The roots may be divided as soon as the plants have done flowering. ”

“ If pots sufficiently large can be obtained they are to be preferred to tubs, and it will be well to remember that overpotting is no advantage, and the size of the pot, may, as a rule, be determined by its ability to carry the plant without toppling over. Large plants should be repotted every three years at least, and the simplest way to do is to tie the plant carefully and securely and then to cut it through just above the roots and then plant the top with its short stump in a well prepared pot of fresh soil one or two sizes smaller than the pot or tub it was taken out of. ”

“ When plunged in a pit or frame to preserve them from frost, watering is all the attention they will need, but of this there must be plenty, particularly when the plants begin to flower. Pot the roots between one and two inches deep, in rich soil, and with the eyes upwards. A large pot will accommodate several roots. ”

“ In a couple of weeks the young plants will appear, and should be exposed to the light as much as possible, but not to the direct rays of the sun. When they need watering, it is safer to give it by immersing the pot in tepid water, until the soil is sufficiently moistened, than to apply it with a watering pot, unless you have one with a very fine rose. ”

“ Some growers set the pots on shelves in cool, dark corners of the basement, but our cellars have always been much too warm. Soil should be kept moist, but not wet, during the rooting period.
When the pot is completely filled with roots, and a few stick out the drainage hole in the bottom, the potted bulbs are moved to a cool, shady spot in the house or greenhouse for just a few days. Then they are brought into the sun for growth and flowering. For the best and most lasting flowers, try to provide temperatures between 55 and 60 degrees by day, five degrees or more cooler by night. ”

“ When grown in pots throughout, the chief points are to shift them often in the early stages, to promote free growth in every reasonable way, and to cease shifting when they are in pots sufficiently large to sustain the strength of the plants. Generally speaking, eight-inch pots will suffice for very fine Balsams, but ten-inch pots may be used for plants from an early sowing. They will probably not show a flower-bud while increased pot room is allowed them; but as soon as their roots touch the sides of the pots the bloom will appear. ”

“ But it is desirable to sow in a stronger heat than is necessary for annuals that are to be planted out. It is also requisite to be in good time in pricking out the seedlings, for if they get much drawn they cannot make robust pot plants. A light, rich, perfectly sweet soil, containing a fair proportion of sharp sand, is necessary to insure plants worth having. It is also important to get them into separate small pots as soon as possible, and to shift them on to larger and larger pots, until they have sufficient pot room for flowering, after which shift no more. ”

“ Cuttings strike freely in sand under a bell glass, with a mild bottom heat. So soon as they have well rooted, pot off into very small pots in two-thirds good loam and one of peat. After having made a little headway, the leading shoots should be pinched off, to induce a lateral growth; they may be transferred to pots a size larger when the roots have filled the first pot. Continue growing throughout the summer in frames or in the greenhouse, near the glass, allowing plenty of air. Vigorous growth should be checked; thus encouraging bushy plants. ”

“ A potting soil ready prepared may be had for about a shilling a peck from any seedsman, which saves time and trouble in mixing. Be sure to put clean crocks in at the bottom, or the soil will become sour. Shake the pot every now and again as you fill it up, to ensure no crevices being left; loose potting has caused the death of many a fine plant. ”