Good soil mix for repotting Indoor Jade plant (2-3 feet tall)
hiddenspring
10 years ago
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cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Gritty mix for indoor plants - good or bad plan?
Comments (1)I have plants in gritty growing in a "pot in a pot" in my house. You are spot on about hearing the water trickle out while watering. My pots are ceramic and plastic. The plastic pot fits tightly leaving a reservoir at the bottom. The roots evetually grow down into that moist void space. Now about the water in the bottom. If the pots are glazed ceramic, the water won't evaporate very fast. Any raw ceramic, like on the very bottom, will help evaporate out the water. It will also destroy a hardwood floor because of the moisture, so lift it off the ground if the bottom is not glazed. You are going to need to figure out a way to remove the water in the bottom of the pot. With my small ones, I just take them outside and tip them on their sides to dump the water. This would be problematic with a large heavy container. A downtube that you could stick a siphon in would work. The interior stand could be another pot. Generally, I find that to be a bad idea. Sometimes it works and is the right height, but not usually. I make a stand out of 3/4" PVC at the exact right height. This leaves the bottom with as much open space as possible and therefore the greatest capacity for water. You want that void to be empty, no lava rock or anything. That just takes up space unnecessarily. Don't use paper to fill voids. This will be a humid environment and the paper will get funky. Long strand sphagnum moss works well. It also works well as a mulch so that you don't see two pots. If you need to take up a considerable amount of space between the two pots, cut pieces of Styrofoam insulation board and glue them to one of the pots. You don't want stuff falling down into the void if you have remove the interior pot. Just use a couple dabs of window caulk. It can be a good idea to size the interior pot small enough to be able to get a 1/2" pvc stand tube in there between the two pots. This will allow you to stick a smaller tube in there to siphon out the water. You don't need to drill additional holes in a terra cotta pot....See MoreSoil mix, watering and repotting questions (Newbie)
Comments (44)Al I am very happy with my Benjamina's progress. I really thought that I have taken off too many roots (photo of most of the trimmed roots below). I tried my hardest to keep as many fine roots as possible. After potting it in 5-1-1 soil mix, I kept it outside in dappled shade, religiously watered, and even talked to her...You are so right that this kind of work creates bond with your plant. Before starting, my attitude was "if tree doesn't make it, that's ok - it's old, getting too tall for my house, it's crooked and so on". Now I really want it to grow well. I am looking forward to next year when I will try to shape the top much more. Now I see that it could work, one just has to go for it. I never knew this is what you are supposed to do to help plant reach it's potential. I always had some potted plants, but thought that providing as much light as possible, watering them, ocasionally fertilizing and potting up is all you can/should do. I am really glad that I stumbled upon this forum, and found all of this information. Al has been very patient, I even called him at home on Sunday night at inapropriate time. I have bookmarked all Al's posts, and return to reading them often. One of the reasons I didn't give up after seeing the root ball first time was that I felt I took too much of Al's private time for not at least trying. I am happy that I did. My plan for this tree is to shape the canopy more next year, and then do more root prunning year after (2014) - the root ball is still large (but probably 60% smaller than original). There is great satisfaction in completing this new -for me- task and seeing the results. And I think the tree is happier too... Henrik, forgive me for posting so extensively in your thread, but I hope that my experience will somehow help - from the newbies point of view. Most of the pruned-off roots: Rina...See MoreProper soil/repotting for indoor potted succulents/cacti?
Comments (3)While not an ideal time to repot, I don't think any real damage will be done. Remove the plants from their soil now, get as much of the old and new soil off as you can, and set aside until the new mix arrives. This will give the roots a chance to dry out on the chance that they are staying wet too long. Succulents CAN survive out of soil for a while. In the meantime, I would pick up some perlite while you're waiting. Mix the perlite and the cactus soil at a minimum 50/50 ratio.....go more on the perlite, if in doubt, not less. Do not water your newly potted plants for 5-7 days, then water thoroughly so that water runs out the drainage holes. Don't water again until the soil feels dry....you can put your finger/a pencil in the soil (a la toothpick in the cake) to check the dryness. Hope this helps. Nancy...See MoreRepotting a large jade plant .soil mix ?
Comments (30)I use a specialty succulent mix distributed by a local grower and I may water once a month in winter....sometimes even less than that, depending on the plant. I grow three different kinds of jades and none have ever exhibited shriveling or an obvious need for water. What is important to take from the above responses is to never water on any sort of schedule but only when the plant needs it. And they don't need much in winter :-))...See Morehiddenspring
10 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years agohiddenspring
10 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years agohiddenspring
10 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years agohiddenspring
10 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years agohiddenspring
10 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
10 years agohiddenspring
10 years agoKeith Marr
3 years ago
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greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a