Potting Mixture for cuttings and transplanted seedlings: - 2 parts sharp sand, 1 part loam, and 1 part leaf mould (or peat moss for acid tolerant plants). Potting Mixture for general potting, especially for such plants as the pelagoniums, fuchsias, chrysanthemums, Sansevieria, Pandanus, palms, etc. 1 part sharp sand, 2 parts loam, 1 part leaf mould or humus, 1/2 part dried palliated manure, 1 5-inch flower pot full of bone meal to each bushel of the mixture.

Potting Mixture for plants requiring extra humus, such as begonias, many ferns, primulas, etc. 2 parts sharp sand, 2 parts loam, 2 parts leaf mould or humus, and 1/2 part dried cow manure, 1- 5-inch flowerpot full of bone meal to each bushel of the mixture.

Potting Mixture for potting many hardwood plants such as azaleas, Ericas, Daphne, and certain ferns. 2 parts sharp sand, 2 parts loam, 2 parts peat moss, 1 part leaf mould or humus and 1/3 part dried palliated manure. Potting Mixture for most cacti and succulents. 2 parts sharp sand, 2 parts loam, 1 part broken flower pots or soft brick broken into small pieces, 1/2 part leaf mould or humus, 1-5 inch flower pot of bone meal to each bushel of the mixture, 1 5-inch flower pot of limestone (ground) to each bushel of the mixture.

Earthworms: Feeding earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris or Helodrilus caliginosus) with generous amounts of organic mulch each year can transform your soil into a rich and nutritious substance. Earthworm's pull partly decomposed organic material down into the soil.

The organic matter is then broken down further inside the earthworm, before being excreted as 'worm casts'. These are easily converted into nutrients by the soil's microorganisms. The nutrients are readily taken up by developing plants.

Worm casts have a nutrient level and organic matter level much higher than that of the surrounding soil. Each day worms produce nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium carbonate and many micronutrients in a form that all plants can use.

Organic matter eaten by earthworms consists of rotting plant material and animal parts. They also eat soil harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and nematodes. Earthworms will feed on roots or other parts of plants that have been decayed by other organisms; but they do not feed on healthy plants. In addition to recycling organic matter, worms are great for improving soil structure; their borrowing action helps to improve aeration, moisture retention, and water penetration.