some plants bloom better being rootbound
15 years ago
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Comments (10)
- 7 years ago
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Do you like some plants better alone?
Comments (3)Simple is good. Stand-alones can be outstanding. In fact some plants are better off that way. For instance, some of the trailing petunias become so big and full that they not only look great alone, but will squash out anything in the same pot. Also, you can use just a mix of 2 types of plants. Your only real limitations are your imagination and the number and size of your pots. Kay....See MoreWhich plants prefer to be rootbound?
Comments (2)I don't think any of them actually prefer to be rootbound, though in some cases, plants grown for flowers may be more likely to flower if rootbound, or plants may tolerate being very cramped for a long time. Hoya carnosa and Spathiphyllum spp. are supposed to flower better when rootbound, though I have found that my own spaths have been more likely to flower after a repotting. Saintpaulia spp. (African violets) have root systems which are small and delicate enough that it's best not to repot them often (or at least that's my understanding). Maranta leuconeura needs special consideration because its root system is usually not very big or very deep, so it's best kept in shallow pots, but those pots still need to be advanced regularly for best growth. Ficus spp. tolerate crowded roots unusually well, though they'll remain smaller longer if they're crowded. The same goes for Asparagus spp., except for the part about remaining small: they'll be huge anyway. Dracaena spp., in my experience, do not like to be tight in the pot. I have a D. marginata that actually raised itself up out of the pot on its main root until I repotted. Asparagus, Chlorophytum, Agave, and Sansevieria will sometimes let you know it's time for a new pot by breaking the one they're in. I've been having a tough time lately with Epipremnum aureum (pothos) dying every time I try to move it to a bigger pot: the vines get a fungal infection and die from the ground up. So in the future I'm going to let them get pretty tight. Chamaedorea spp. seem to do okay when a little crowded, though my C. metallica hangs on better to its leaves since I moved it up a size -- before, it was only keeping about five going at once, and now it's nearly twice that. Nephrolepsis (Boston fern, macho fern) seem to grow fast enough that they're always on the verge of being potbound, even if they've just been moved up. The same goes for most Tradescantias I know. It's hard to keep Coffea arabica wet enough if it's rootbound at all. Aloe, Aglaonema, Agave, and Gasteria spp. seem to do better when somewhat tight, mainly just because they're harder to overwater that way. Etc....See MoreWhy do some roses do better being dug up & repotted?
Comments (16)I'm sure in colder climates the warmer soil of pots would be a critical difference. I wonder if it would be here. In summer one thing we don't lack is warm (hot) soil. When I potted up these giveaway plants, I took them "as is", garden soil and all. I'm not sure my situation is relevant to my question as much as to the question "does a little pruning help to revitalize plants that have not been growing". However, I have been considering the reverse situation - potting to provide colder soil temps in winter. I read that hostas can do better here if planted in the ground in pots and then pulled out in winter to receive greater exposure to the little chill we get. I was wondering if that would benefit Hybrid Perpetual roses such as Baronne Prevost and Marchesa Bocella. I plan to un-plant BP into a pot and maybe sink it in the ground during hot weather only. Anybody have a guess if these colder climate roses would benefit from chillier roots in winter? Sherry...See MoreMight Have A Rotting Bulb- Please Help!
Comments (14)Actually, that's a fallacy. I just learned a little bit about this subject... something I'd never really thought about. The one purpose of any living thing is to procreate... to send it's genetic material forward, to save it for posterity. If a plant feels at all threatened or stressed, it will rush to procreate... as in offset, or flower in the hopes of pollination leading to seed production. When a plant's roots are pot-bound, and there's no more room in the pot to grow, the plant feels stressed or threatened... and may think that death is imminent. It will then try to procreate by blooming. If the medium you are using is aerated and porous enough to dry out within a decent amount of time, pot size is not so critical... and in fact, a larger pot is better. However, in the case of regular bagged, peat-based organic potting mix, the water retention is such that the moisture will stay hung up for a rather long period of time, and if the pot is too large, this can be potentially fatal, causing root rot and a decline in plant health. So, medium will play a critical role in pot size. I'm attaching a link to a thread that discusses this subject further... it's rather interesting, really... I never thought about this before... but it all makes perfect sense now! Please read on... Here is a link that might be useful: some plants bloom better being rootbound??...See More- 7 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)