You can then easily tell if the plant needs potting on. If the plant has just a mass of roots, or if the roots are not so thick but evenly spread over the surface of the root ball, then the plant needs a new home. You have to inspect plants this way – very carefully of course – because the root ball may not be showing a mass of roots and if you are too rough it will disintegrate and you’ll have to pot it all over again.
What is the right size of pot? you might ask. When I started getting interested in plants, pot sizes were determined by the diameter of the top of the pot measured at the centre. So a 3″ pot meant that it was 3″ across the top from side to side.
The most commonly used sizes were 3″, 32″, 4″, 5″, 6″, 7″ and so on up to 12″ pots. Bigger sizes were available, and so were pots smaller than 3″, but they were unusual. Nowadays they will have their metric equivalent no doubt. The golden rule of thumb is that you miss the next size out when potting on, so that ideally plants in 3″ pots are moved into 5″ pots; plants in 5″ pots are moved into 7″ pots, and so on. Unfortunately there is not a wide range of pots available in Guyana, and we generally have to make do with what we can get hold of.
The thing to bear in mind is that there should be sufficient space for new compost to be put around the plant once you have put drainage in the new pot, and sufficient compost to bring the original soil surface of the plant up to about an inch or so from the top of its new home Having placed the plant centrally in the pot, feed new compost around the root ball, firming it with the fingers (but not your thumbs which can apply too much pressure) as you go, and finally banging the base of the pot a couple of times sharply on the potting bench when it is full of compost, which will settle it in nicely. Don’t forget to water in the plants when you’ve finished.
Use of chemicals
Finally, I want to make a very important point about spraying plants against pests and diseases. Do not, whatever you do, get into the habit of spraying plants routinely to control pests and diseases you may not have, or get. Only spray or treat when you have something to control, otherwise you will end up with very serious problems when any insect and disease populations you have become resistant to every chemical you use. If you notice only a few insects just rub them off rather than waste chemicals on them. Also it may be easier to cut off infected shoots. On this note may your God go with you wherever you are in this great country of ours. Take care of your plants as well as yourselves and your families.
