POT-PLANT CARE

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31094, 24 June 1966, Page 6

POT-PLANT CARE

Watering Rules The commonest cause of failure with house plants is bad watering. Plants are either watered too little or too much. At this time of the year the latter is more common.

It takes considerable experience to know when a plant needs water so don’t get into the habit of watering daily, every second Monday or when you remember. Water when the plant needs it The following are a few points to help you:— A rap on the pot will give a ringing sound if dry, but a dull ope if wet. (Rapping, is a guide with clay pots only, not plastic.) Weighing the plant pot in the hand can .be a guide as a dry pot will naturally be lighter than a wet one. Feeling the soil will give an indication as to whether it is dry. A moist soil tends to hold together and also feels pliable to touch, whilst a dry soil is harder and tends to crumble.

The surface soil of a dry pot is lighter in colour than one which is wet. Remember also that plastic pots dry out more slowly than clays. Plants growing in a hot dry room will need more water. During the winter the majority of plants make little growth whilst many are dormant, so very little water is needed. Most plants benefit from these drier conditions, for in this condition they are better able to withstand lower temperatures.

Watering must, however, be more liberal with plants that are in active growth, such as bulbs in pots or plants that are flowering. When cyclamen become dry, even for a short while, their leaves turn yellow even though the flowers remain in good condition. Never have plants standing permanently in saucers of water. This causes waterlogging of the soil in the bottom of the pot which eventually kills the roots. It is a common mistake and must be avoided, especially at this time of the year. Either pour away the water when the plant has drained or fill the saucer with sand or fine gravel and stand the plant on that.