Help-repotting and in a Sans mess!
carola_gw(Z3NH)
7 years ago
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carola_gw(Z3NH)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Reviving Sans after Repot into Gritty Mix
Comments (21)Cuttings often go into very small containers, and if we are dealing with gritty mix, it's very hard to keep small containers properly watered. You have to water way too often for most people, or put the pots into a very humid environment till the cuttings are well-rooted. You COULD root into something other than gritty mix the plants will be growing in as adults - it could be water, perlite or a perlite-based mix, whatever), but then the plant has to deal with the shock of being transplanted into a very different medium if you want gritty for them. I do not have lots of experience, but even theoretically it does not sound appealing to me at all to do this when the plant needs all its energy to grow, not to adjust to the new medium. Remember your last house move - was that a fun experience? Exactly. So, I do the next best thing I know to minimize medium changes - the rubbermaid greenhouse thing I've learned on these forums. I put mine on a heating pad as I'd like to crank the temp up a bit. Humidity inside is really easy to maintain at any constantly high level, so then gritty mix is not a problem in small containers. I find watering does not need to be done till day 6 or so in gritty mix because of the high humidity. It works well for me and the cuttings. 11 of 12 different hoya cuttings have rooted by the end of week 3, and the last one is doing fine above ground, just taking its time underneath, I guess. 22 more cuttings are coming this week, so I'll have a bigger statistical sample soon. :-) Then when they are well rooted, gradually peel back the plastic cover like an inch a day or whatever and start treating them like adult plants, and that is all the change the plants have to deal with - much less drastic than repotting, and easier for you, too. Even when you do need to repot, plants barely blink when the type of medium is not changed. Speaking of gritty mix in small containers - I would not use those for plants with roots either, except maybe cacti/succulents - those may be fine. I just can't water that often and a couple of plants are really struggling with me in those situations while absolute majority of my other plants love gritty mix. Some notable exceptions are most calatheas, alocasia poly and tradescantias (zebrina and spathacea) - all of those love constantly moist medium, which looks like I cannot provide in gritty mix (I kind of draw the line at watering every three days). It's a fun experience learning all these things practically, and I hope it helps....See MoreRepotting a giant sans
Comments (14)Thanks guys. Next spring it is. Meanwhile, I don't think I can move it to Terra cotta, but you've given me an idea, Mike. I'm going to cut large holes in the sides of the plastic pot and insert sections of screen to allow air flow so it can dry. I might even use a blow dryer on cool setting to hasten it. I'll also vacuum out as much loose dirt as I safely can with a Shop Vac, and replace it with DRY soil and/or perlite to reduce water retention. Then I'll use a strong squirt bottle this winter through the screen in the sides to water it. That way it'll never get soggy (cheater's watering method that really works great, BTW, if anyone else should ever have the need). Thanks so much for your ideas and opinions guys. You might've saved my plant. I hadn't even considered waiting till spring....See MoreCalla Lily - is it perennial in San Antonio, TX? Should I repot?
Comments (6)Thanks Nancy! Good to know even in Zone "8ish" they're hardy - that means they should definitely be hardy here in South Central Texas. These Bossyvossy, I pulled it out of the pot and realized it was very rootbound. Not only are some roots showing above the soil, but they're tightly intertwined all over the bottom. Luckily the roots are all white and healthy looking. I felt the bottom of the stems underneath the soil and they feel firm even though they look a little discolored and brownish as you can see in the original post's pics. So I guess it's time to repot it? I didn't want to undertake repotting if they were all just going to die off in the winter. But since it seems it will be hardy year-round here (or at least they should be if I bring it inside during the colder part of winter), I guess repotting makes sense right now. Is the gritty mix (1:1:1 turface:grit:bark fines) too dry for a calla lily? Should I use the 5:1:1 mix instead?...See MoreSick Sans please help
Comments (3)Welcome! Your window looks great!!! The rest of the Sans looks good........the way the spot is in the middle of the leaf suggest there was some damage to that leaf at some point (probably before you bought it) and/or infection on that leaf only. I typically get some damage like that over winter anyway after bringing my Sans back indoors. If the damaged area is fairly dry I would not worry. If it is damp/soft and/or if it looks like it is spreading on the leaf then cut the whole leaf off at the bottom of the leaf, well below the spot, close to where the leaf meets the stem. The rest of the plant should be fine. The pot looks plenty big enough for the time being, though the soil does not look great. I would get a bag of cactus soil and a bag of perlite and mix them about equally. Knock off most of the old potting soil from the roots (you don't need to get every last bit) and replant in the new soil.....and water it in. Oops I just noticed you have soil. I am not familiar with the Bonsai Jack but that mixed with the other would probably be fine........but I would probably add some extra perlite too for aeration and drainage. You say you water once a week.........there is no calendar time that is right or wrong for watering. Feel the soil (or insert a wooden dowl into the pot). When it is dry it is tiem to water again. Plants will use more water and need watering more often in the spring and summer when actively growning and the days are longer and temperature warmer, less when dark and cool and off season (like winter). If two plants are in the same size pot but one is much larger the larger one will probably need watering more often than the smaller one. A plant in more sun and perhaps with a fan on it is going to dry out quicker than one that is in a dark corner. See? Your plants look ! Keep up the good work!...See Morecarola_gw(Z3NH)
7 years agocarola_gw(Z3NH)
7 years agoStush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
7 years ago
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