FLOWER POTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 6 (Supplement)

FLOWER POTS.

VERY UTILE IMPROVEMENT MADE. Amidst the inventive activity in the horticultural world at the present time, the flower-pot, with all its imperfections, remains practically dormant. Improved tools, new plants, and more scientific methods of culture are introduced to us every year, but the flowerpot of to-day was the pot of our grandparents, and we strongly suspect that Noah, assuming that interesting gentleman to have been a horticulturist, made use of pots very similar to those we use and abuse in this eventful century. From time to time various potters have made feeble attempts to produce pots more decorative in character than those in common use. The popularity ?w? f «£ roductitmß *»■' however, beei short-lived; we soon get back to the old familiar article. It is said that a vLtlr improved flower pot, likely to be W«f has lately been invented, and win beout on the market when toe necSaiy formabfaea have been completed, bu7unTil to t n ™ PPy « becomerS to torn some attention to the pots we iSSn™* a PPf a i" ailce - Cleanliness in greenhouses and hothouses is of paramount importance if we would haveour plants in presentable condition, and the pots as well as their contents require £L IF* 8 * and Sp ° nge to keep them sweet. It is better to spend an hour or two in pot washing than Sfta2, C f omba " n S * he f diseases and insect pests which will certainly appear and multiply rapidly if due precautions are not taken. The dull brick red of common pots does not harmonise with foliage so well as a red of brighter hue, and those who wash pots in a mixture of one gallon of warm water, half a gallon of sour milk and lib of Venetian red well stirred will be pleased with the harmonising tint that remains on the pots when dry. The colour remains bright for a long time, even if the pote are subjected to hosing, and no harm can result from the operation. Prejudice, like superstition dies hard, and the prejudice against the use of paint or colouring matter of any sort on flower pots seems almost unkillable in spite of evidence and the inspirations of common sense. The prevailing idea is that pots must be porous or plants cannot thrive therein. Do we not see palms, aspidistras, etc., growing and looking remarkably well in glazed bowls, which certainly are not porous, and to suppose that air in any appreciable quantity can pass through a pot is incompatible with common intelligence, while rapid evaporation, a condition always to be avoided, is more likely to occur in porous than in glazed pots. Years of experiment and observations have proved that most, if not all, plants delight in a painted pot, and, if proper drainage is given, tins make excellent pots. Glazed or painted pots are recommended by some of the highest authorities on horticulture. One standard work says: "It was formerly considered important to have pots made of a material as porous as possible, but a more miserable delusion was never handed down untested from one generation to another. Stoneware or chinaware are infinitely preferable, for thay keep the roots more uniformly moist and warm. Common flower pots if not plunged should be thickly painted. Paint or colour your pots as inclination dictates; neither the health of your plants nor your artistic sense will suffer in the least. The dullest of pots can be transformed into a work of art, fit for hall, dining or drawing room, by a simple embossing process, and the work itself is easy and interesting. Select an unsightly pot and smooth it with pumice stone. a design on paper, then cut it out, so forming a paper pattern. Place the pattern in position on the pot and mark the outlines by pencil. Roughen the spot where the design is to appear by scratching and scoring with an old file or something similar. Mix a little pure Portland cement and after wetting the roughened spot spread a patch of cement a quarter of an inch thick upon it. When this is half dry, place the pattern in position and, using it as a guide, cut out the design with a penknife. Lightly wash the edge with a camelhair brush to remove roughness. I Fill the pot with wet rags and set in shade in order that the cement may [harden as slowly as may be. When quite dry, smooth the design with pumice or sand paper, cover all the pot with a coat of size, then paint the pot mid-green and the design gold. To prevent peeling, allow the paint to become quite dry and hard before filling | the pot with soil; an occasional wash will keep the pot presentable for a very long time. Simple designs are more effective than complicated ones. The name of the plant growing in the pot done in f-inch letters is striking. Family crests may he attempted if not very intricate, or any bold design conveying a suggestion of something definite."

ROSE CUTTINGS

Many varieties of roses (ramblers particularly) strike readily from cuttings. They may be inserted now in beds of sandy soil. Shoots passed out of flower, with a heel attached, are the most suitable for this purpose.