To have happy house plants, it is necessary to know when and how to feed them. Even when a plant is growing in its proper compost, thought must also be given to the best fertilizer for extra feeding when nourishment in the pot is used up. This, however, will not be for several weeks after potting.
During November and December, when the sun is low and provides little energy for the manufacture of food, little if any, additional food should be given. When feeding in the winter, a fertilizer that is high in potash is recommended.
Avoid the use of organic fertilizers when the soil is cold because bacterial action cannot take place to break them down. Thus, as the soil warms up towards spring, there may be an over-accumulation of salts in the soil, which are harmful.
When feeding your plants, choose a bright, sunny day and never put fertilizer on dry soil. Feed vigorous plants about every 10 days, but keep away from any that are resting. When flowering is passed, force plants to rest by cutting down on water and the amount of light for a few weeks.
Use Fertilizer
Fertilizers with trade names are to be used according to manufacturers’ directions. Those which are organic are safer to use and have a more lasting effect. Refrain from buying anything without knowing what it contains.
Liquid cow manure, an organic plant food, is not recommended to the amateur. The number of nutrients it contains can be so uncertain that its use should be left to the experienced gardener who knows how to prepare it.
A good mixture to use, known as the John Innes Feed, is made up of:
- 15 parts by weight of ammonium sulfate
- 2.75 parts by weight of potassium nitrate
- 2.25 parts by weight of mono-ammonium phosphate
- Use 1/2 to 1 oz. per gallon of water. This is economical to prepare.
Adopt Soilless
Those who like may adopt the soilless method of growing plants. A book on soilless culture should be consulted since it is not possible to go into detail here. One must realize, however, that proper light, temperature, water, and air must be given as much attention as the media in which the plants are grown.
If any one factor is inadequate, growth is affected, no matter how good the nutrient solution is.
Wick-fed Flower Pots
Such as those recommended for African violets, may be used for house plants growing in the nutrient solution. A short section of glass wick leads from the reservoir beneath the pot through the hole in the bottom for a short distance. The end of the pot is unraveled and spread out. Plants are potted in vermiculite and are fed with a nutrient formula.
Aluminum Plant, A Recent Novelty
Tin cans painted a neutral color may be used in place of the rather expensive wick-fed pots. For example, tuna fish cans might be used for the reservoir, with larger ones balanced on them to hold the plants. Be certain to make a hole in the bottom of the larger can.
The matter of repotting will be greatly facilitated if the materials for potting are assembled well in advance so that they are readily available when a quick job has to be done.
A container of medium to largely broken crocks, one of the small ones, one of roughage, such as oak leaves, sphagnum or coarse siftings, plus a basket of small tools containing rammers of different sizes, libbers, trowel, small pruning shears, scissors, fertilizers, hormodin powders, twine, measuring spoons, measuring cup, quart measure, pencils, labels, plant stakes and the like should always be at hand.
In addition, stack clean flower pots, upside down according to size, to be ready as needed. A good supply of basic potting compost should be mixed and stored in metal containers, with covers so the soil will not dry out. Clean ash barrels and garbage cans are suitable for this. Other smaller containers may be used for extra leaf mold peat and sand.
For a more complete picture, glass jars, with screw tops, can be used for John Innes base, or whatever your favorite organic fertilizer mixture, to be incorporated in the soil as needed. It is best not to prepare more than a bushel of compost, with added fertilizers, in advance, unless you are certain to use it.
Remember, also, to label every barrel, jar, or basket of ingredients. If small quantities of one thing or another are left unlabeled, you will surely forget what they are and be forced to discard them. This is needless waste.
With all the materials at hand, it is easy to do a professional job quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, you will be inclined to attend to the plotting needs of a plant immediately rather than put it off indefinitely, to the great detriment of the plant.
Points To Remember When Potting
For potting up seedlings and young plants in 3-inch pots, or smaller, a little roughage over the drainage bole, instead of broken crocks, is sufficient. For larger sizes, consider drainage. The larger the pot, the more drainage is required, while the soil mixture may be coarser.
Soil for seedlings and young plants should be put through a one-half-inch sieve. For larger plants, this is not necessary, unless the soil contains twigs and stones. Chunks of dead grass roots and other organic materials need only be broken up slightly.
When it comes to potting plants, here are the steps to follow:
1. Have ready pots that are a size larger, a size smaller, and the same size as that containing the plant to be potted. Clean pots are essential and new pots must be soaked in water for some time before use. If the pot is not clean and time is short, wipe out the inside with a piece of burlap or a stiff brush to remove old soil that may be clinging to the sides.
2. After you have decided on the size of the pot, place a piece of old window screening over the drainage bole. It keeps worms and bugs from crawling through, especially when pots arc sunk in the garden in summer. The use of the screening also seems to improve drainage.
3. Place a crock, concave side down, over the screening. Then arrange a few more pieces according to the size of the pot, around the first piece. A few small pieces of crock may be used to fill in the holes among the crocks. The next step is to add a layer of roughage (leaves, sphagnum, or siftings) over the crocks to keep the drainage from becoming clogged.
Completely dead witch-grass roots are excellent for this purpose. For a 6-inch pot, make the drainage about an inch deep, and accordingly for larger pots. For orchids and cacti, fill one-third of the pots with drainage material.
4. Place a small amount of the appropriate potting mixture on top of the drainage. For potting seedlings and small plants, fill the pots loosely with soil, make a hole with a (libber in the center of the pot, insert the plant, press the soil around it with the thumbs, and the job is done. Never screen the fibrous material out of potting compost. The larger the pot, the coarser the compost.
5. Gently knock the plant to be repotted from its pot by turning it upside down, holding the plant between the fingers of one hand, and giving the rim of the pot a quick tap against the edge of the potting bench. Several taps may be needed if the plant is very pot-bound. Old plants with many fibrous roots can be treated more roughly than those with fine, dark roots, such as azaleas.
The ball of roots in old plants can be hit with the closed list to dislodge old soil from the roots and to remove dead and unhealthy roots. Younger or less vigorous plants should have the old soil rubbed off with the fingers, a little at a time, to disturb the roots as little as possible. Cut off damaged roots with a sharp knife.
6. Hold the plant, with its diminished ball of roots in the center of the pot, so that the base of the stem is at least an inch below the rim of the pot. Fill in with soil around the plant to the top of the pot. Using a rammer of convenient size, firm the soil around the edge of the pot, pushing it down so that there are no air spaces around the roots.
Then add more soil and ram again, finishing with a thump of the pot on the bench to settle the soil. Remember to leave an inch of space below the rim to hold water.
It is usually advisable to keep house plants in the smallest pots possible. They bloom best when pot-bound, are not so readily water-logged, and are easier to handle. When repotting an unhealthy plant, consider placing it in a smaller pot to compensate for the loss of roots due to overwatering, clogged drainage by earthworms, or other vicissitudes.
Azalea Pots
Plants of azalea are often repotted in the same size pots. They make root growth slowly, and if moved to larger pots and perhaps overwatered they may soon die when the root hairs are destroyed. Repotting such specimens is a slow and difficult undertaking.
The soil must be worked around the roots with a thin plant label to avoid air spaces and only a little can be worked in at a time. Azalea pots, less shallow than bulb pans, are recommended for these plants.
Azaleas, geraniums, and chrysanthemums can withstand firm potting. On the other hand, begonias, annuals, primulas, and the like prefer medium-firm potting, while small seedlings do better with just enough pressure to make contact between the soil and the roots.
Sometimes, instead of repotting a plant, some of the topsoils can be removed and a dressing of fresh compost applied. If a plant was not repotted at the proper time, such n top-dressing makes a fair substitute. Repotting is not the answer to all plant ills and, more often than not, something else is to blame.
After Repotting
When the repotting is finished, water the plants well with a nutrient formula. Place plants in a shaded spot in a shed or elsewhere where there is little air to keep foliage from wilting excessively. Do not water again until the soil looks slightly dry, but keep it moist, though not water-soaked. Large specimens of abutilon, geranium, pineapple sage, and the like can be dug in the fall from the garden with little loss of leaves or flower buds when handled this way.
Plants are generally repotted when they start into active growth at the end of their resting period, which is usually in late winter. Repot young, actively growing plants when the roots become crowded and little soil is evident when specimens are knocked out of their pots.
Plants that are cut back drastically, like fuchsias, do not require repotting until new growth has started after branches have been cut back. The time for azaleas and camellias is just after flowering is past. Old plants can do without repotting for several years.
House plants can be grown in plastic or other types of non-porous pots. In these they do not dry out so quickly and, if not overwatered, do very well. Pots, however, must have an abundance of drainage and the potting compost must be well-aerated with sand or cinders.
If the oxygen supply is cut off, water absorption ceases because roots become functionless when respiration is prevented. Non-porous pots are clean and some are very attractive, though the gardener who is apt to overwater should not use them. If pots stand in jardinieres, water which collects in the bottom must be emptied frequently.
Tips on Watering
It is not easy to give plants the required amount of water if you are in a hurry. Allow enough time to look over the whole collection in a leisurely manner to judge carefully the ones that need some water. Often you end up watering them all, but if this occurs too many times, some pots will become water-logged and some plants die.
When watering a plant, give enough to run through the pot into the saucer. An excellent method is to hold the plant in a pail of water until no more air bubbles appear. After deciding that a plant is dry, put it in a pail of water, preferably at room temperature, and if violent bubbling follows, you will know the plant is dry.
Sonic gardeners prefer to tap the side of the pot with a wooden mallet or key as a test for watering. If the pot emits a hollow sound, water the plant. If the sound is dull, do not water.
Plants in large pots require less frequent watering than those in small ones, which usually need daily watering. It is a good idea to use water at room temperature. Syringe foliage as often as possible, since it helps the buds of woody plants to open, keeps foliage clean and the stomata, or breathing pores, open. An atomizer is convenient for this.
44659 by Kathryn S. Taylor