Rani,

"Sorry to offend u but what I meant if the mixture is of alittle more then 50/50 or under."

I just saw this -- it was not there last night or I wouldn't have responded as I did.

yes,

I was not doubting your product but my skills. I am willing to pay for it but obviously I want to know if there is a possibility I could mess it up. as I said I am new to this and want to make it work.

thanks and sorry for any misunderstanding.

Rani

Thanks, I'm sorry too. No disrespect, but it's just not this complicated, you're kind of overthinking it (not uncommon w/ some new gardeners).

As I said these are not fragile or delicate plants. TO ASSURE YOURSELF, pls read habitat, they grow up trees in forests, branches & vines, fall down, get trod on by animals, ripped up, end up on the forest floor in leaf debris any old way, no one to right them or give them TLC.

If fragile or delicate, they simply wouldn't survive. Pls. do the reading I suggested, especially about pumice as soil amendment.

So no, if the proportions are a bit off I wouldn't think it'd be trouble but can't guarantee you that. To make equal proportions, just use the same container & fill it up once w/each. Sorry if that seems obvious.

As to $, I was guesstimating cost abt $5-7 based on previous Priority boxes I've mailed, I was trying to save you the $.

Lena

ok perfect!

No hard feelings. will Private msg u the details u need.

Its called pythium

Sorry, Mat what question are you answering?

Rani: Pothos grows different types of roots. One type for w ater and another for soil.

Anthony- my understanding is its not the roots that are different but the way the function to absorb water/nutrients. Correct me if I am wrong.

Lena- I am not sure if you received my private message was just wondering.

Thanks.

Rani,

Yes, I did get it, sorry, went back to work & was super busy. Box went out yesterday (< $7), I'll PM you in next couple of days.

Pls be reminded about which advice to simply ignore; pls don't waste time trying to engage, reason w/ or understand bad advice.

I'm sorry such bad advice keeps being given here, it's confusing to a new gardener who may not know better (which I know is the why more seasoned growers keep insisting on correcting it even tho' it only & repeatedly eggs the troll on).

Lena

Thank You so Much Lena!

You're most welcome.

Happy to say you've got some surprise to look forward to as I included a couple of extra things ;>)

Lena

Lena,

Now you've got me curious and excited. I am eagerly awaiting it. probably should arrive by Friday?

Ur amazing!

Rani

Maybe even Thursday, LMK when it does, so I'll suggest how to proceed further.

Lena

I definitely will let you know as soon as I get it.

Thanks!

You bet.

Not sure if anyone has said so but it is common practise to trim roots when potting up a young seedling or cutting. This trimming makes the roots branch out and thicken up.

So whether you are planting out young vegetable seedlings in the garden, or giving a cutting its very first pot, a little trim with sharp cutters (scissors are ideal) is a good thing.

It's up to you how much you cut. But long, dangly, thin roots are best cut off at least by half. Maybe more. Just do what you think seems right. Judge it at the time and be daring. This also makes the cutting/seedling much easier to plant or pot so it's a win win.

ETA: And I agree that the spot is caused by too much water.

And Dave, that's lovely.

Lena,

Just got it! Please Instruct further.

Thanks

i will repot my pothos a little later n share pics of that as well.

Thanks!

Sorry Rani,

But no, that's not at all what I intended. Pls read my instructions & then redo as I've asked. What you've done will not work well, pls. undo it & re-do it as I explained, I have specific reasons & will explain later.

Not meaning to make more work, but you got a bit ahead of us in your excitement (yes, I understand that).

Lena

Yes i saw ur msg after the fact. N was clueless what to do next so I thought better to try something then just let them sit.

I am not sure if you can send pic in private msg. I have the euph in water. It's slightly below where the leaves start.

the cactus is planted in a 3or4in pot in the soil in the mixture u sent. Its not full to the rim but I believe it's enough for now until it starts growing.

And lastly u where absolutely correct the soil i had in the pothos retain way to much water. It only dryed on the surface but was extremely moist the further down i dug. I unrooted what I has in there n trimmed the roots of the long one. Unfortunately i did not have a small pot so please see what i have done in the mean time and guide me.

Thanks a ton!

Rani

Hi Rani,

Pls know these
plants have no problem just sitting, I would have said otherwise.

If you look at my
instructions, I DID. I asked you to plant the Thxgiving cactus & water
it same day, which good, you did. The others aren't so sensitive.
(The tiny clay pots would have been too small for any of them).
FYI: they're 1" pots, pot diameter is measured across the top,
edge to edge.

While your crisp, close up pix are great for detail, they're almost too close up (crazy I know), but I
loose all sense of scale & size; I can't tell what size pots those are.
I know those tiny clay pots are 1", yet they look in those pix like
they could easily be 3-4", confusing.

In a week or more, after you take more pic (none needed til
then, things won't change that fast), pls stand a bit back from the pot you're
photographing & place another object in the shot, like a pencil, a book of
matches or cig. lighter, can of soda, something which size is readily apparent.

The Thxgiving cactus look
fine, I've never grown 'em in clay. Your climate is hotter than mine (87
here now), so I'd check ‘em & water in 3 days. I'm guessing here,
when the segments (leaves) look a bit wrinklier than they look now, water 'til
it spills out the bottom.

The Pothos, am confused, looks like you mixed the Scoria w/ your
LARGER plant tho' I meant it for your smaller cuttings as a SECOND PLANTING in
a 3" pot as I suggested.

Perspective could be wrong, but it looks like you mixed it in w/
the larger one w/ the rooted in the middle of the pot cutting? Is that
the case?

If so we'll have to adjust that; now it's too little mix &
planted too low in the pot. I can't tell is that Pothos pot is clay or plastic.
I thought clay, but I see those ridges at the inner rim suggesting it's
plastic, confusing. It matters so one can try to estimate frequency for
watering.

Lena

Looks like a philo, not pothos. To confirm it is a philo, look to see a brown, leaf sheath.

Pot and soil are fine for pothos.

Sorry folks, not a private thread, but I sent Rani some plantlets & it's turned into a tutorial. Others are welcome to kick in comments should they care to.

Tete-a-tete (Tete, for short), I hadn't known that abt best to trim the roots a bit before potting, so thanks for sharing that w/ us. Guess I just intuited it'd be best that way.

Rani,

I forgot that last plant, it's not a Pothos, but a Philodendron Brasil.

There are other threads here where you can read abt it. Better someone else, as I just threw out the last bits of my 3rd attempt (my last try had come treated w/ some pesticide & was never quite right).

Pretty plant, yours looks really healthy.

The Thxgiving cactus, in the clay pot, is the saucer also clay?

If so, pls exchange it for a jar lid or container lid made of plastic, or the saucer will be absorbing water out of the pot (rather than catching the overflow as intended).

Think I covered everything, whew ;>)

Lena

Thanks!

will update with photos every Sunday. N will take them from a further distance, just thought definition would help. Replaced the clay saucer with a plastic one (I know the pot looks big but I promise it isnt that big probably 3 or maybe 4" not any bigger then that), euph is rooting in water, and yes I really thought i had several small pots but apparently I could only find one which i gave to the cactus. So i put the mix u sent with 50%of my miracles grow n place it back in the same pot, its a little less the 50% full but is draining much better!

The new once matches a philo perfectly, so continue rooting in water? I have three cuttings with three leaves each.

Thanks everyone,

Rani

And i really thought the pothos pot was clay(didn't knw the difference before) but upon further examination its plastic just clay colored. Clay is hard this is bendable so not clay. The cactus pot is definitely clay no doubt.

lmontestella((NYC) 7b) and Rani, good job, taking a misunderstanding from being a sad mistake to a lucky accident. It is so easy to misinterpret each other. Kudos, guys!

I have a saying here. Never make assumptions, question them and never act on them. They are almost always innocent misunderstandings.

OK, got it abt the plastic Pothos pot. Do you have more soil & more Scoria? If so, take another handful of each, mix again in a bag.

Unpot the Pothos & combine the addt'l mix w/ what's already in the pot. Mix well & repot the Pothos, just firming it in w/ your fingers, bang the pot once against the table to settle the mix. None of this will hurt the plant, I promise. If you watered when you potted it most recently, don't water it again. I'd hold off watering for 5 days at least, maybe more.

It's great that you're finding nice cuttings Rani, but now you REALLY need to get some 3" plastic pots, that's the standard & will be most useful for you starting out.

The Euphorbia milii will grow up to look like this in bloom, either white or yellow.

If you have a small clear cup, or glass, that be better for the E. milii, if not, OK.

The Philos will prob root in 2 wks time. Sounds like you'll be needing to get more soil too & now you'll need to keep yours eyes open for perlite too. ;>)

Have fun.

Lena

Lena,

Used all the scoria in the pot pictured for the pothos. Apparently perlite is a special order item here so I am going to order some off walmart.com but it will take abt 5 days to arrive. The clay and plastic pots will be easy to get from lowes in all sizes. I am hoping i get a chance to stop by there soon.

I know its far off but will try to prepare in advance so my question are:

philo- would i use the same miracle grow soil with 50% more perlite added for the philo? And the pot should be clay since it absorbs better or plastic? 3"?

cactus-when it starts growing should i move it to plastic? Need a bigger pot?how big? Whats the best mix?

euph- yours is beautiful. I have it in rooting in a glass container, which was previously used for a bamboo its not clear but would it matter? Would I transfer it to a pot/soil in the future if so when, how big and what type of soil?

Pothos- i am going to get a clay pot and amendment it with perlite and hopefully that will fix it but for now should it be ok being shallowly potted? when i potted it with the scoria on friday I noticed the roots where thick n strong (the ones in water n really thin) ....it's draining really well now and am hoping to see growth soon. N i am also getting more pothos cuttings nxt week to root n add to the big pot for a fuller look.

out of curiosity could you plant a pothos and the philo together and have a variety growing out of one pot? I think if its possible it would look pretty but would it work?

For now i am going to keep it separate but if they grow n i am able to get cuttings would you think they would thrive together?

thanks,

rani

Lena,

Ok will slow down n not worry it n take it slow but I thought earlier someone suggested for the pothos that clay would help absorb excess moisture or maybe i read that somewhere else? Don't worry pothos is not damp at all. Only watered once on Friday n will not water again til nxt Friday. Have been leaving everything alone to naturally take its course.

thx,

rani

Hi Laurie,

Thx for the compliment I missed it earlier. Yes, Rani & I did a nice job recovering
from our misunderstanding, I am pleased & proud of us BOTH. That's partly why I send her goodies, she
cared enough to stay around to fix it & showed herself to be a thoughtful
person, the kind one is more apt to want to help along.

Hi Rani,

I sent you a PM just now, pls. check. Keep it up in leaving them alone to adjust,
it helps.

Lena

Update:

Far view of everything else growing.

the cactus is doing well no concerns there, i think its sprouting a new leaf/growth. The philo is still rooting and i have several pothos cuttings rooting in water as well. I have several stems from a pothos, no leaves just nods in the other vase trying to root that but dont see much progress. In the very back is the small 4 inch pots i was able to find.

Closeup of euph:

Thanks!

Hello again Rani,

The Pothos looks good, yes, better proportioned planting. If that saucer is clay, pls. exchange it for a plastic one.

The cactus, pls. check for water every 4 days or so in this heat wave (it's a jungle tropical, even tho' a cactus, unusual). You can use a pencil to check, stick it all the way down in the mix to check for moisture. If moist or comes up w/ mix sticking to it, wait another 2 days to water.

Can't see the Philo for its shadow in the pic, that 's likely to take couple weeks to water root.

Pothos stems w/out leaves won't root. No leaves, no root growth.

Euph lower leaves drying, fading, normal, older leaves drop off w/time. You can check the end in the water, smell it, if you smell any rot, cut 1/2"off the stem, put back in the water & try again,

The pots in the back? They're clay right, you didn't measure, don't think those are 4" pots (at least they don't look it).

I would have preferred plastic for those plants, but if clay was all you could find, you'll just learn to work w/ that til you find some.

Thx for including the phone & figures for scale it was helpful.

So give it another week, 10 days & see how things go, same care & minimal fussing. Looking good, enjoy!

Lena

I recently redid my Pothos. New pot, new soil. Cut it all up and started new cuttings. I got the soil very moist, almost wet, and placed a plastic all around it. It's now been 2 weeks, and the cuttings have not wilted. They still look fresh. Not sure how much longer I will leave the bag on, but it does work. It creates a greenhouse effect, and prevents the cuttings from drying out until roots come in

Hi Rani,

"Philo has not started to root yet read that placing a bag over it and creating a greenhouse effect will speed up the process"

If the Philo cuttings are still in water, just pls. leave them be; bagging for greenhouse effect is only for something already in mix. These are usually quick rooting type things, respectfully, you just pls. need to work on having patience. These should be rooted in a month w/ no extra measures.

After I sent the package, I found more Scoria, laughed & thought of you. So I'm thinking you'd like another care package? ;>)

Some small plastic pots & another couple of goodies. Are you in? If so, I'll try & post on Tues when I return to office. PLMK

Lena

Hi Manuel,

There's no question that it works. But as I suspect, Rani's cuttings are still in water, not soil yet.

Also while it does work & well, for these plants (Pothos) it's entirely unnecessary. New Pothos cuttings in new soil will root & take hold in prob 2-3 wks w/ no other measures.

I'd be careful it doesn't become too wet (like condensation dripping down the inside of the bag), can lead to rot if too wet. I'd also open the top from time to time to let some humidity out & more importantly to combat molds & bacteria LETTING FRESH AIR IN.

Lena

It's in the high 90s here, will close pkg at last possible moment.

Stay cool Folks!

Lena

Lena, the bag is not dripping wet. I do let it air out every couple of days.

I find that, even though pothos are easy to root, they will wilt until roots come in. By using the bag, the cuttings remain alive and fresh.

Lena, thanks! In been around 98 here as well. Let me know when to expect it. Rani

I hear ya Manuel, enjoy them.

Hey Rani,

I'll be sending it today, Tues. expect it'll arrive on Fri as last pkg. Pls slice open the SIDES of the pkg first to open it. Also pls. do it over newsprint, could be a bit messy (may have been upside down).

Pls DO NOT water anything on arrival, as they're both succulents & maybe I'll try to send a pic or 2 (I watered them before it occurred to me to send 'em to ya).

So chopstick test the potted one first (am becoming a masterful packer for shipping).

Lena

Got it. Didn't find the name of them but excited. Thanks.

The one that was potted seems to have lost leaves. The branch only has two leaves and the cluster of three came off. The other plant do i plant in the smallest round pot or the slightly bigger round pot?

Thanks!!!!

Ooops Rani,

I forgot to include labels, the little green already potted plant is another Euphorbia, likely E. francoisii. Grows well, interesting leaves, likes bright light, strong sun, just do it gradually to get it used to it (after dark box & travel).

If the cluster of 3 leaves still has its base stem, it may re-root, just stick it back in its pot. If not, no big deal, the plant will barely notice it.

The other plant is a Sansevieria (Sans. for short, aka Snake plant), have no further ID. Just place it in the clay pot it was perched in & use all the mix I bagged w/ it (that's what it was in before I thought to send it to you.) There is a Sans. forum but the key to these is bright, indirect light & infrequent watering. In this heat I'd say weekly, normally every 10 days - 2 wks.

These are each very strong, almost indestructible plants.

Hope you found the bagged Scoria at bottom of the box. I'll try to take some pix tonight/tomorrow.

Maybe not be moving after all, big sigh of relief.

Sorry I sent you pots that needs washing, I figured you have a yard & hose, I don't. (Also, I chose the cleaner looking ones.) I've had no pests or bugs indoors so no concerns there, just wash 'em w/ hot soapy water & place out in sunshine to dry.

You're welcome, enjoy!

Lena

No don't worry abt the condition washing is easy. Grateful for your help!

And would any succulent soil be ok to buy for future needs? I saw miracle grow succulent soil on sale and was wondering should i go ahead and buy it?

I'd guess MG would be OK but use either their Cactus & Succulent Mix (C&S) or the Cactus/Palm whatever mix as long as you still add 50% Perlite or Scoria to make it faster draining.

Yes, getting miracle grow for succulent and cactus and finally getting my perlite today. It finally reached to store, ordered it two weeks ago.

To confirm everything u have sent will eventually be planted in the cactus soil with added perlite.

only the pothos and philo will get regular potting mix with added pothos.

Everything is better in plastic except the "snake" is better in clay?

i have learned to be very patient and let nature take its course but could you give a guesstimate of what to expect? How long should it take for the euph to root, how fast should I expect to see development in the thanksgiving cactus, snake and euph. I have a good idea about the pothos n philo, infact the pothos in the pot is grow very well now. If they are slow growers that's fine but it's good to know so I know its not me or something i am doing.

but I can't thank you enough for helping me with this.

Thanks,

rani

Yea, basically you can't go wrong w/ C&S mix w/ 50% perlite. It'd be OK for most kinds of plants & one can consider it a safe place to start.

Sorry to say I don't really know how long it'll take things to root, I don't watch very closely anymore. But I will tell you what is often said at C&S Forum in particular:

The appearance of new growth is the surest sign that something has rooted. It just is & there's no muss or fuss w/ tugging, unpotting or anything else.

Yes, most things will do better in the plastic pots. You can trace the outline of the bottom of the pot on a piece of newspaper & cut that out, placing it inside the pot before you add mix to keep the contents inside the pot. I do this w/ several layers of paper in all my pots.

Thxgiving cactus should be adding a segment or 2 per month am GUESSING. You shouldn't have to think abt changing any of these pottings for at least 2-3 months, I'd guess.

Gratified to hear the Pothos is doing so well now, that was where we started off right? ;>) See the power of improved drainage?

Am going to send you a message thru here too OK, look there too.

Lena

I love a happy ending!

Lena and Laurie,

Thanks for the positivity!

Will keep posting pics of the progess every 2 wks.

Rani

Rani,

Am delighted w/ how things worked out - you are so welcome!

Yes Laurie this happy ending was fabulous!

I'm even going to start us a new thread to leave the misunderstanding behind us.

Think I'll call it Pothos & More, look for something like that.

Lena