Everyone will have come across the term ‘old crock’; it is generally applied in a disparaging way to a variety of conditions. I have been describing the England cricket team for the last few years as a load of old crocks, and have been described as an old crock myself! However, in gardening the term old crock has great significance, and is linked to drainage. I have mentioned on several occasions just how important drainage is for the successful growing of plants, except of course those which grow naturally in damp conditions. Deep forking over the lawns during the rainy conditions, mulching borders and single specimen shrubs and trees, and incorporating composts into the soil at the base of holes before planting are a few important techniques. I have said nothing about good drainage in pot plants until now. Growers need to make good provision for drainage at the time of potting, and this is done by using old crocks. These are broken pieces of clay pots which the wise gardener never throws away, but saves in an old, bucket or box for this very purpose. So the wise gardener having made sure the pots about to be used are scrubbed clean, that the compost has been sterilized and mixed properly. we come to the ‘old crocks’ stage of the game. The very first thing to do is to find a good size piece of crock and place it over the hole at the bottom of the pot like an upside down saucer, so that it sheds the water filtering through the soil and doesn’t collect it. After this a small quantity of crocks the size of say, half an inch gravel, is placed around and on top of the large one. All of this is to facilitate the drainage of water, and to prevent compost washing out of the soil through the base of the pot.
Old time gardeners of the last century, being pioneers in the rapidly growing art and craft of growing plants for the table as well as for decorating the houses of the wealthy, always used to put a little bit of compost or leaf mould at the base of pots or seed trays. This acted as a sponge in drying conditions and provided an excellent medium for the roots to get hold of as they were growing. In the case of seedlings, however, I always used to think that too much root damage occurred when they were lifted out of the trays, and this point was generally accepted, and the practice of putting organic litter in the bottom of the seed boxes was pretty well discontinued with the advent of the modern plastic tray with its smaller holes.
As this is Easter, a word about palms might not be inappropriate. Palms with fan-shaped leaves are often very difficult to dig up and move successfully, so my advice is don’t risk it. Those palms with pinnate leaves like the coconut can often be transplanted as quite large trees and stand a good chance of living if they are watered regularly. It is worth risking it.
Ferns are moisture-loving plants and generally prefer shade to bright sunshine. They can be grown very successfully in pots or in the ground in a patio type situation, but it is advisable to keep them protected from strong direct wind which can dry the leaves very quickly.
Given the space I think it is a very good idea to devote an area solely to the growing of the wide variety of ferns that can so enrich a plant collection. Of particular importance are the Adiantum (maiden hair ferns), Devallias (the rabbit foot ferns), Nephrolepis (ladder or fish tail ferns), Polypodiums (which include the crested fern and the birds nest fern) and the Cyrtostachys (the breadfruit fern) which is widely used for hanging baskets in Guyana.
The maiden hair fern is the most delicate of all those I have just mentioned, and is the one most likely to suffer in drying conditions, so look after them very carefully.
These few brief words are all I have to say, particularly about drainage. There will be many more later. Until then may your God go with you and care for you all wherever you are.
