Kumquat re-pot a total failure

12 years ago

We repotted the dwarf Nagami Kumquat last weekend into a mix similar (or so I thought) to the 5-1-1 mix. I used Orchid bark (small pieces) because that's what I could find, with 1 part peat and 1 part perlite. The pot has several drainage holes around the bottom which my husband covered with 2 sheets of newspaper to prevent the soil mix from leaking (but to allow water to drain -- or so we thought). We moistened the mix and bare-rooted the kumquat (which was easier than I expected because the old root ball was very dry. :-( Then we watered well, and set the pot in the shade to recover for a week.

Today we tried to move the pot into a sunnier spot. When we tilted it on the dolly, water poured out of the top. The perched water level was at the top!!!!

We dumped out all the stinky smelly mix into a sunny spot to dry out, and put the root ball back into the pot in a little damp mix just for protection until we can repot it.

Should we not have added peat to the (small) orchid bark? I do/did not have time to drive around looking for bark fines, then screen it. I KNOW that's ideal but I have a lot going on including an arm injury (which isn't healing), a full-time job (5am - 5pm), and other obligations. So, I did what I thought came close, figuring if the Kumquat was relatively happy in pure commercial potting mix for the past several years, then it should be even happier in this.

So -- can we reuse the mix but with more perlite or pumice? Should we make a new mix using just the orchid bark and perlite/pumice?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
12 years ago
Did you punch holes in the newspaper?
Was the newspaper still intact?

The mix sounds like it would make a good 5-1-1.

Josh
0
meyermike_1micha
12 years ago
Jenn. I have a question?

Do you think that maybe the newspaper at the bottom could of caused a drainage problem?

Once the paper is saturated, it will not allow water to escape but quite the opposite, it will back the water up in your container..
Even if you used that mix, it should not of accumulated water at the top. If anything, that kind of mix would of drained too fast .

Sorry to hear of this.

Mike
0
Related Discussions
Gritty Mix and Re-potting Kumquat questions
Q
Comments (77)
I am a bit late on this. You can start fertilizing the tomatoes if they look doing good and not stressed after the transplant. I am sort of against any contraptions such as weed guard. It does not really help and in the longer run they are a pain. You should be fine with your raised beds on mulch. A weed here and there is OK. A while back someone told me this: you have two pile of dirt - one with weed and one without - which one you will select. The answer is the one with the weed since the other pile is so bad that even weed does not want to grow in that. Anyway, that is just an anecdote.
...See More
Total plant failure all the time.
Q
Comments (8)
You could use old [or new] cut to size, pantie hose and place the water hyacinth roots into them. Then secure them with a plastic bag tie. That will stop the koi nibbling at the roots. Another way is to make a floating ring or square, out of Styrofoam and a protective bottom out of landscape fabric/ old net curtain fastened to the Styrofoam ring or square, with golf tees pushed in. Or, cut a hole in a piece of Styrofoam sheeting and place a plastic plant pot in the hole to hold the plants. Make sure the plant pot's drain holes are open to let the water in around the plants roots. Another method, is to make the floating ring from 1" poly pipe, to whatever size you require and add a fabric bottom to it, fastened with black nylon Ty- raps [zip ties]. There's all sorts of methods of keeping the fish from grazing on the roots of plants. And the homemade ones are much less expensive than the manufactured "Floating Islands". What a rip off they are! "Horton"
...See More
what time of year to re-pot
Q
Comments (7)
I grew my trees outside in one gallon food tins and i potted up to a container 3 inches wider around the periphery and 8 inches deeper. That equals a 5 gallon bucket. I potted up mid august and placed the trees in full shade for a week, then in broken sun for the rest of our warmth before taking them inside for the cold of 2013-2014. The tree are doing very well and have tripled their linear twig and trunk growth as of now. My trees are in the grow box picture on the other thread you looked at. I will link you to that below. Other wise spring potting up is better As for kumquats, there are citrus places on the east coast. such as http://www.plantfolks.com/ http://mckenzie-farms.com/photo.htm http://ediblelandscaping.com/products/tropicals/Citrus/ --- you have to call in for that tree. They have to few to list available Do not grow kumquats from seed. Their roots grow very slowly and there are very long periods between growth spurts. Since you are to far north to plant outside, you might want your kumquat to be grafted on C. Macrophilia. Edible Landscaping uses that for their trees sent up north to be grown in pots. Steve Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0112401518325.html?4
...See More
Kumquat (revisited)
Q
Comments (13)
When I see rootstock suckers, I see opportunities for future grafts/practice and FREE trees. These are my trifoliate suckers that I am trying to root after cutting them off from my kumquat trees (grafted onto standard and semi-dwarf rootstock). I always have bad luck in rooting. I do use rooting hormone (Bonide), but I'm beginning to think it's a gimmick and there aren't enough hormone (IBA) is the powder to help. I need the stronger stuff or the one the university labs buy at their special scientific store instead of HD. If any of them root, they will be upgraded to separate one gallon pots. I got a few citrus varieties I am itching to graft onto these.
...See More
jojosplants
12 years ago
Hi Jenn,
I'm thinking the same as Josh. It may have been the newspaper.

I've used it in the past for starting seeds, and it held in way too much water. Coffee filters work a little better, but insect screen is what's best.

I've made the 5-1-1 a number of different ways, and it's all been O.K. for me.

How small was the bark?

JoJo
0
jenn
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks everyone. I think it was the newspaper; it was saturated. However, when we initially watered the pot last weekend, we saw water draining through the bottom. What's more, today my husband put the EMPTY pot on the back lawn to hose it out (to get rid of the stinky soil smell), and he noticed the water didn't drain well through the bottom, even WITHOUT the newspaper at the bottom.

Prior to being re-potted, the Kumquat was in this same pot in a good commercial potting mix. However, the ONLY other variable I can think of is that the pot sat on top of bricks around the perimeter, raising it off the ground. Since the drainage holes are almost level with the bottom of the pot, I think there may not be enough space for water to drain out when the pot sits flat on the ground. Does that make sense?

The new Meyer lemon was also re-potted last weekend, but into a smaller pot, in the same mix and also with newspaper at the bottom. My husband said the water didn't spill out when the pot was tilted --- however, there may be some perched water closer to the bottom.

I'm at my wit's end. I'm not allowed to garden (or do pretty much everything else I enjoy) at the current time due to an arm injury that isn't healing, and I work full time during the week. I'm not allowed to do my favorite activities, but golly gee there's no restriction from working full-time at a computer job I don't enjoy! :(
0
jenn
Original Author
12 years ago
So..... I would like to start again this weekend.

We spread the wet stinky orchid bark mix (w/peat and perlite) in the sun to dry out. However, I'm thinking of leaving it there and starting over from scratch, as I don't want to take a chance with my precious Kumquat that has worked so hard in the old soil for several years.

Going back to the original mix, I used:
- 5 parts Black Gold Orchid Bark (small pieces, from OSH), unscreened
- 1 part Sphagnum peat moss
- 1 part perlite
- Ironite

Mixed it all together and sprayed with hose to moisten the dry peat.

After the Kumquat was situated in the mix, we watered as we added more mix around the roots.

I think the newspaper at the bottom was the problem -- AND that the pot was not sitting raised above the ground (on bricks) as it had been for the prior seven years. My husband said even when he was rinsing the empty pot on the lawn, the water did not drain out, yet there are several 1/2 holes around the base of the pot. I'm guessing that the holes are nearly flush with the bottom and therefore there's not enough space between them and the ground to allow for water to freely drain.

So..... if we start over with fresh mix, should we leave out some or all of the peat if we don't screen the orchid bark? There were some fines in the bark.

This time, we won't put newspaper in the bottom!!!
0

Kumquat re-pot a total failure

Comments (5)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

meyermike_1micha

Related Discussions

jojosplants

jenn
Original Author

jenn
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Kumquat re-pot a total failure

Comments (5)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

meyermike_1micha

Related Discussions

jojosplants

jennOriginal Author

jennOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

jenn
Original Author

jenn
Original Author