Potted plant

“ All the indoor species grow best in good fibry loam and leaf mould, and require to be potted firmly. Cuttings should be secured in spring, struck in gentle heat, under a bell glass, and as soon as they are well rooted, potted into 60-size pots. A shift must be given as often as the pots become filled with roots, up to the time when the plant commences flowering. Seeds may be sown in pots in spring, pricked out singly when large enough, and then treated similarly to cuttings. ”

“ Good crowns potted in rich fibrous loam and plunged in sand, fully exposed, with an unstinted supply of water, is the substance of the simple treatment my plants receive the year round; they are still in the 3in. and 4in. pots in which they were placed three years ago, and during spring they are covered with flowers. When a pot is lifted out of the sand in which it is plunged, the fine long silky roots are seen to have made their way through the hole. Spring is the best time to plant. ”

“ Only about five buds should be matured by each plant, and these, of course, the finest. To prepare flowers for exhibition is in itself an art, and each cultivator must be guided by his own resources and experience.
Asters in pots make excellent decorative subjects. It is only necessary to lift them carefully from the borders with balls of earth surrounding the roots, and pot them just before the buds expand, or they may be potted up while in full flower without flagging. ”

“ In potting some plants will require to have the soil pressed much more firmly around the roots than 58others. Those which make a soft growth, such as Impatiens sultana, various Primulas, Cinerarias, and most tuberous plants, like Begonias and Gloxinias, may be potted rather loosely, that is, with the earth pressed down lightly. Geraniums should be potted much more firmly, while such hard-wooded plants as Roses, Hibiscus, Otaheite Orange and Fuchsias, should be potted very hard indeed. ”

“ Strong, healthy, pot-grown plants can be planted throughout the season in almost all areas. They transplant easily, with little disturbance and shock. In fact, whenever we acquire plants during the fall, we keep them in their pots or pot them up, and protect them in the cold frame during the winter. One of my favorite and most knowledgeable rock gardeners tells me that he always pots tender or difficult plants, and keeps them potted until their roots are fully developed, before he sets them out in the garden, no matter what the season. ”

“ 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. ”

“ After the cuttings are rooted, they must be put into small pots, and there remain during the winter. In the spring, shift into pots two sizes larger, and give them a little encouragement for a few weeks by placing them in a growing temperature, about ten degrees higher than that of the cold greenhouse. Directly the plants begin to make fresh roots into the new soil, nip the points off, and when the pots are full of roots, and the plants require a second shift, they can be either put singly into larger pots, or about three plants potted in one large one. ”

“ New varieties are often propagated throughout the season from plants which are highly fertilized, and which are not allowed to fruit. Very strong plants are obtained by growing them in pots. A 3-inch pot is sunk below the runner, and the joint is held upon it by a stone or clod. The runner is then pinched off, to prevent further growth, and to throw all its energy into the one plant. The pot should be filled with soft, rich earth. Shouldered pots are best, because they can be raised more easily than others, by catching the spade or trowel under the shoulder. ”

“ And the directions given in one of the most extensive works in Europe on the propagation of an extensive genus, varied in character and constitution, run thus: "Cuttings of most kinds will strike root. From the strongest growing kinds, take off large cuttings at a joint, and plunge them in a pot of sand under a hand-glass in the bark bed. Of the smaller kinds take younger kinds, and put them under a bell-glass, also plunged in heat. The sooner the plants are potted off after they are rooted the better." ”

“ The soil may have a little extra leaf-mould and should slope toward the edges of the pot, to prevent the possibility of any water collecting at the crown of the plant, which must be left well above the soil when potting.
The easiest way to get plants is to buy small ones from the florist every spring. They may be raised from seed successfully, however, if one will take care to give them a shaded, cool location during the hot summer months, such as a coldframe covered with protecting cloth, or any light material that will freely admit air. ”

“ 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. ”

“ When potted, a cool place must be found for them, and unless they go absolutely dry, they should not have a drop of water until they begin to grow freely and are in the enjoyment of full daylight. The pots may be stored in a dark, cool pit, or any out-of-the-way place where neither sun, nor frost, nor heavy rains will affect them; but it is advisable to plunge them in coal-ashes and also to cover them with a few inches of the ashes. ”

“ We always pot them afresh every year, since they lose all their roots. If requisite, several bulbs may be placed in a pot on the top of the soil. They must never be over-potted, indeed, we think they look better in small pots. ”

“ If you buy Roses in pots, you can put them out at any time except during a frost. In hot summer weather you would naturally watch them at first, and give them shade if they seemed to flag. When you put a plant out of a pot, you must be careful not to disturb its roots and to give it plenty of water. If necessary, break the pot, as that would disturb the Rose less than shaking and shoving it. Go to a good firm for your Roses, and, if possible, one that will sell you Roses on their own roots. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 ”

“ Fill the pots quite full of soil, and then press the bulb into it, and press the soil round the bulb to finish the operation. If potted loosely, they will not thrive; if potted too firmly, they will rise up as soon as the roots begin to grow, and be one-sided. In large pots the bulbs should be nearly covered with soil, but in small pots they must be only half covered, in order to afford them the largest possible amount of root-room. ”

“ Then remove all the matted fibres at the bottom, and all the earth, except that which adheres to the roots. From woody plants, like roses, shake off all the earth. Take the new pot, and put a piece of broken earthenware over the hole at the bottom, and then, holding the plant in the proper position, shake in the earth around it. Then pour in water to settle the earth, and heap on fresh soil till the pot is even full. Small pots are considered better than large ones, as the roots are not so likely to rot from excess of moisture. ”

“ The upper part holds the flower-pot, and the lower collects the water that trickles through the pot, and keeps it away from the roots of the flower, thus preventing the plant from standing in water and rotting. ”

“ If you turn the plant out of the pot, you will find that the roots form a tough fibrous mass that have touched the pot all round, and, at the bottom, are closely wound round some pieces of broken brick or flower pot that, in the first instance, were carefully packed so as to afford instant escape to every drop of water in excess of what the soil in the pot would retain without being actually wet. The leafy part of a plant must have light and air, and the roots must have air and moisture. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A generous layer of pebbles or broken crocks goes in the bottom of every pot. The potting soil is a house-plant mixture with a teaspoon of lime mixed in for a six-inch bulb pot. Bulbs are set so their tips are barely covered with soil; then pots are set in water up to the rims to make sure both soil and pots are thoroughly moist.
Before they can be forced into flower, bulbs need time to grow sound root systems. They need to be stored cool, and in the dark so that premature top growth won’t be encouraged. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Let them remain on the bed of ashes until the young shoots are about half an inch long, and then shake out, carefully prune the roots, and repot in six- or eight-inch pots, in which they will remain until the next year. When potted, they should be placed in a cold frame, and have the freest ventilation possible. The lights should only be put on in wet weather, and then they should be tilted back and front, the object being merely to protect the plants from becoming too wet at the roots. ”

“ In the case of forcing-houses, the water should be heated before being applied to the borders containing the roots of the trees.
In the watering of pot plants the utmost care is requisite if the plant be a shy-growing or valuable one, and yet it is almost impossible to give any intelligible instruction for performing the operation. The roots should never be suffered either to get thoroughly dry or to get sodden with excess of water. An adept will know by the ring of the pot on striking it with his knuckles whether water is wanted or not, according as it rings loud and clear or dull and heavy. ”

“ 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 ”

“ If the plants must be bought and transported from a distance during hot weather, I should not advise the purchase of any except those grown in pots. Nurserymen have made us familiar with pot-grown plants, for we fill our flowerbeds with them. In like manner strawberry plants are grown and sold. Little pots, three inches across at the top, are sunk in the earth along a strawberry row, and the runners so fastened down that they take root in these pots. In about two weeks the young plant will fill a pot with roots. ”

“ 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. ”