PLANTS to be grown in the house naturally require containers; usually they are common red clay flowerpots, which are unglazed, porous, and perforated at the bottom to drain off surplus water. They are available in a wide range of sizes from tiny "thimble" pots, used for growing individual seedlings, to large containers 14 inches in diameter and cor­respondingly deep. When plant specimens attain a size that finds their feet cramped even in the largest pot, they gradu­ate into tubs, if they are valuable enough to keep. Usually, however, most plants have outgrown their usefulness and decorative value when they reach this stage.

Bulb and seed "pans" are made of clay, too. They are about one half as deep as standard containers and are very useful for growing bulbs, seedlings, small cuttings, and suckers.

The worst feature of the clay pot is its unattractive ap­pearance. Fungus, moss, and green scum form on the ex­terior, and neglected pots develop an encrustation of repul­sive yellowish white mold around the rim. Florists often dress potted plants in paper pants which temporarily hide the stained nakedness, but the crepe paper soon becomes torn and spotted and an unmitigated nuisance. The only thing to do is to keep the clay clean by a good scrubbing whenever the need is indicated. A stiff brush is necessary for the operation and a little patience. Stubborn cases relent when washed with a solution consisting of 1/2 pint of household ammonia and ounce of copper carbonate in 5 gallons of water. Rinse the pots in clear water after scrubbing.

If you start with clean clay pots, it is not difficult to keep them clean; the old timers that have become heavily, caked and crusted with foreign growths are the ones that cause most of the trouble. Such flowerpots are not worth bothering with, anyhow. Throw them away, or better, break them into shards to be used later for covering drainage holes in other containers. Or you can get the old standby plastic pots.