Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 34, 30 January 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes

POT PLANTS AND HOLIDAYS.

Before the householder departs for. his annual holiday he is mud perturbed regarding his few room plants, and what ihe ought to do with them so that they may not suffer during this absence. He may seriously think of asking a friend to look . after them but this friend may not relish the job, nor has he the experience, perhaps, that is necessary to keep tiie plants in good condition for from a fortnight to'a.

month.

The whole dim-eulty^ of course, is to ensure a supply of water for. the plants whenever they need it, and one or two simple methods of securing this desideratum ,afe within. tKe reach, of .all. Dig a hole in the border deep enough to hold the" pot, place a layer of rough, sand or ashes in the bottom, the pot on top of this, and ,then pack soil tightly round it; correctly placed, the rim of the pot will be on a level ,witn the' soil, or even a little below it. Now scatter ashes or gritty matter1 over the top. of the pot, and the surrounding soil, in order .that no peats may approach tie plant, and soak the soil all rourfd with plenty of water

i. If no garden border is available, adopt a similar plan inside. Get a box deep enough to hold the pot, place it in that and pack it round tightly with any stuff that will absorb water,- such ias loam, sand, peat, sawdust eocoanut- | iibre, moss,' old felt, sponges, cloth, or even paper. • Soak everything with,water before leaving1 on holiday, and the soil in the pot will remain moist for a very long time; don't place such a box ' in strong sunshine, or, the evaporation will be, accelerated. Pots kept in or-' namental vases may simply have the intervening space .filled with the material, - ; •..-.:- •■■■-; I . One plan frequently adopted I must | strongly disparage, viz.> that of standing t>he pot to the rim, or near it, in a [basin of water. This quickly sours the soil and ruins the plant, for soil must have air, and the water excludes all from the soil in the pots. .If the holiday be- but a short one, it is possible po- tide plants over the time by watering, t-hem. thoroughly, andthen filling a deep saucer, in. which the pot stands, full of water; but at most ten days is long enough for this. ■; .

The übiquitioiis aspidistra palihs, fe-rns, and such like, may he placed in the box amid moist: packing, as advised above or plunged in the garden^ taking care naturally to choose some shady spot for these plants, which do not agree with strong sunshine. Flowering plants may-* be placed anywhere, almost, and, indeed, it may toe found on returning that they have enjoyed the change, and are ready for replacement in the rooms. Vigorous and healthy 'hanging plants are best plunged in boxes *or. ot«her pots, because the trailing stems are then clear of anything that might injure them. Window boxes may be removed and placed on the ground with a lot of moist .stuff all round them to keep the soil damp, for, if left high and probably in tie sun, they will soon dry up and kill all t"he plants growing in them. Other methods of dealing with plants have often proved successful, but as tie.re is always a certain, element of chance about them, we refrain front mentioning .any in op;L position to the above sure and certain methods.