Richard

When the contents of the pot are firm enough, attempt to pull or dump out the contents whole - like removing a loaf of bread from a baking pan. Check the empty pot for signs of green fungal growth on the inside surface. Check the outer surface of the whole ball of soil: it might be abnormally dark, and smell it from an inch away to see if it smells like soil or something more putrid. Gently remove some of the soil from the side of the root ball in an attempt to view some roots. Do not wash them off. The roots should not be limp or coated with anything except soil. There should not be any grubs living in the soil. Replace the dirt you removed.

If any of these negatives were found, wrap the root ball in newspaper or something for now and place the plant in the shade. Use a dish-cleaning brush to scrub the pot with a solution of "Physan 20" or a chlorine bleach product (2 oz. per gallon of water). Rinse it off and dry with a blow dryer or in a hot, dry place before re-use. Place the plant back in the pot. Prepare a bucket with 1.5 to 2 gallons of clean water. If there were grubs, add 1/2 ounce of a liquid insecticide: a pyrethrin or the synthetic Cyfluthrin in "Bayer Garden" products will be fine. Also add 1/2 ounce of a liquid fungicide (not the Safer brand), my choice would be the Spectracide brand "Immunox" but others will work as well. Put the plant in filtered (speckled) sunlight -- outdoors if it is warm enough. Pour the mixture slowly into the soil and let it drain for at least 2 days.

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