puddling

1. Purification of impure metal, especially pig iron, by heating and stirring in an oxidizing atmosphere.
2. Compaction of wet material, such as clay, in order to make a watertight paste.

1. Inducing compaction in mortar or concrete by the use of a tamping rod.
2. See puddle.

An old method, messy but effective, of protecting fine feeder roots when transplanting. Its object is to coat all the roots with a thin film of wet soil, by dipping them into a soupy mixture of loam and water (mud), just before planting.