Too big of a pot jump?
I'm trying to figure out my repotting schedule come spring and who's taking who's pot and vice versa.
But Im wondering if I should upgrade some of my plants to an 8" pot.
The first plant in question is my TC which was just planted in its pot in January of 2016. It's in a 'wall' pot, so it's basically half a pot. The opening is about 4" in diameter but the pot also bubbles out a bit so I'm not sure on the exact volume, but I feel like it's either the same volume as half a 6" pot or a bit more. This is what it looks like:
As you can see, I over stuffed it into the pot. And on top of that it's not in the best soil. Which is why I want to repot it into something better. That can allow me to actually see the soil and give the plants a chance to 'breathe'. So I was thinking about going the 8" clay root, but the pot looked huge when I went to buy one, so I didn't. Do you think that is too big of a jump? I also plan to add another TC I bought in November which is in a 4 inch pot. If I can remember correctly there are 4 or so individual plants squished in there (the wall pot)
My other plant I was thinking of upgrading to an 8" pot is my COT. I also just repotted it last year in February into a 6" clay pot, but again I repotted it into some bad soil that has compacted quite alot. This was before I started potting with the 50/50 mix. I was just going to repot it back into its original pot again with the 50/50 mix, but I figured I could put it into an 8" as well. I also thought I could try and see if I could find another COT of a different color and plant it in with it. Though, COT's are rather 'rare' here so I don't know if that's going to happen or if I should do that. I've seen them a couple times at Rona, but it's a hit or miss. So I figured if I find one in my travels I'd buy it and combine the two, and if I don't just repot the other one.
Would that be too much of a jump aswell? I know I couldn't add another COT if I kept it in its original pot (6"), but could I put the original COT into an 8" pot by itself?
Here's the COT for reference if that helps decide on anything. (There are 4 individual plants)
Comments (7)
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Repot: what's wrong with pots 'too big'?
Comments (16)Mike - there is a relationship between pot size, plant size, and the physical characteristics of your soil. If you use a heavy, water retentive soil and a large pot, you can expect problems no matter how bright or perfect the light is, the temperature is, the nutritional program is. Roots begin to die very quickly in soils deprived of air. If you have a large mass of soil that is saturated, the plant may not be able to use it before some % of the roots die. This cyclic death & regeneration of roots is expensive to the plant. On the other hand, if you are using a soil that holds no, or very little perched water, you're almost unlimited in how large a pot you can use. If the soil holds NO perched water, you can safely plant the tiniest seedling in a 100 gallon container if you choose - with no worry for root rot caused by airless conditions. The plant also greatly appreciates the added aeration, and will reward you with more robust growth and better vitality, all else being equal. So you can see that as the soil improves in drainage and aeration, you are less limited in the choice of pot size. It's probably better not to think of larger soil masses as a superior stress buffer. The plant will eventually be subjected to the same stresses in a large pot as in a smaller container, though again, deeper containers will have a higher % of well-aerated soil when the soil is fully saturated. Buffering against cold is probably of no consideration, and buffering against heat can work for OR against you. Soil masses large enough to heat up slowly also cool slowly ..... Depth of planting doesn't have an impact on aeration. Roots will colonize all parts of a container that provides a favorable mix of air/water/nutrients. While there are good reasons not to bury the trees buttress roots, aeration isn't one of them. Larger pots DO postpone the incidence of encircling/girdling roots, but you need to be sure you're not trading one problem for another (over-potting and it's accompanying problems for girdling/encircling roots. Even if you can't see them, you WILL have problems related to incremental and cyclic root death when you overpot with heavy soils. Fast draining, well-aerated soils, as noted, reduce the potential for problems. Al...See MoreIs my hoya in a pot too big?
Comments (5)I'd agree with the "caution" about overwatering them , especially when conditions are cooler in winter and provide less light. I have found if you want a big plant, it's best to repot fairly often , though conservatively , and not too big a jump in pot sizes at each repotting. However, though I've heard of being pot bound as being advantageous to help flowering , I never get flowers even on my very potbound ones, though I still think it's a case of not having enough very bright light , which most prefer for good flowering. I'd confess one of my carnosa variegatas is still in a very small six inch pot after many years, and still looks healthy , but never has had even one flower! Drat! My mom's in a very bright east facing family room with tons of bright indirect light after full morning sun , flowered constantly, and her plant was badly neglected, and often went bone dry much longer than is recommended. No justice sometimes, I'd say!!...See MoreToo big of a Pot?
Comments (13)cynjrana, How big is too big ? that is both for pot and the pepper you are growing? I don't know how BIG Thai chili can get, but for most ANNUAL peppers (grown for one season) a 5 gal. containers should be big enough. In zone 7, I would estimate your growing season to be 4 to 5 months. Then even a smaller pot might do. But If I were growing in Florida and SoCal, (with over 8 mos. growing season) I may have used a bigger pot. I look at it this way: Bigger pot uses more potting soil, more fertilizer and the pot itself costs more. I want to get a bigger bang for my buck. Most of my peppers are planted in 3 to 4 gal. containers. So far they have not been growing much. I have practically 3.5 months till the end of my season. I don't need bigger pots. JMO This post was edited by seysonn on Thu, Jun 5, 14 at 7:42...See MoreSo why does it matter if a pot is too big?
Comments (23)Joshua Just saw this thread and I'm a bit late to the party I guess. I've seen your other posts and have a general idea of what's going on. I think there's just a lot of miscommunication here. Sometimes it is difficult to express what you want through words alone and it can be easily misunderstood. There's just a lack on information on your situation and background so many have just assumed it was just general advice and not fresh beginner. Perhaps you are not used to how this forum works but it really helps if you deliver a lot of information in a single reply. This is typically because not everyone is on here 24/7, we get on when we can and post and leave for a good few So after knowing your situation better I would advise not to do anything yet. You are exhausted and sick of repotting. Your plants won't die from a few days in a non optimal soil. Do some research, ask around, learn more on what they need and what kind of mix you want to use. Then repot if you feel like you need it. I think you might need some more basic care guides to get a better understanding of how succulent care works. I suggest reading this post. https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/comments/5jl1d2/potential_rsucculents_care_guide/ It helped me greatly when I just dived into the hobby and then there's also www.succulentsandsunshine.com that explains many common issues that you might run into when starting out. I hope these will help you as they did me. It's a good read and you'll understand the principles of why Succulents need special care and how you can adapt and find solutions easiest for you....See MoreMrBlubs
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