The Times

Garden Guide

14 TIMES/GUIDE Weekend of November 13/14, 1976 Garden Guide

Jolly Green Thumb

BY MARY FUREY CRYMES So, the bags are packed, you're out the door and off on vacation, eh? Hold it! What about your houseplants? You wouldn't leave the family pet without food and water, would you? You shouldn't leave plants that way, either. If you've neglected to work out a reciprocal arrangement with a neighbor, you're out of luck. You wouldn't be if you were into wicking. Wicking gives every plant its own reservoir -- a continuous supply of water and food. It's simple and easy, and you can do the job at home with little or no cash outlay. Begin by collecting small plastic covered containers. Half pound margarine tubs, cottage cheese and sour cream containers are fine. Punch out a couple of holes in the top for water and fertilizer, and for the wick. Natch, we assume your darlings are in pots with drainage holes in the bottoms. For wicks, you can buy the kind that are used for replacement in oil lamps, or old, cut-up nylons, or rug yarn, or that thick, colorful yarn that is used for gift wrapping. How to do it? Start by wetting the wick. You can repot the plant, placing the wet wick in the bottom first, or you cna remove just the root ball, and poke the wick through the remaining soil with your fingers. Or, if you're the impatient type, you can poke the wick up through the hole in the bottom with an ice pick or screwdriver, but do this carefully. No sense disturbing fragile roots. Now, rest the other end of wick in the reservoir's bottom, and return your plants to their partial sun-partial shade spot. You'll be set for two weeks or more depending on size of reservoir. Wave bye bye, and you're off on a carefree trip. PLASTIC TRASH BAGS, the three mil thick type, can be invaluable gardening aids -- in sprouting seeds, mulching, protecting shrubs, landscaping, etc. For a free illustrated booklet containing 12 tips on how to improve your garden, send a post card to: "Bags," JOLLY GREEN THUMB, c/o The Coral Gables Times/Guide, 4627 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, Florida 33146.

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