New to forums and to Houseplants
caciecrazyplantlady
6 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agocaciecrazyplantlady
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Newbie looking to re-pot some old and new houseplants
Comments (10)You could root prune a spider plant with a weed whacker and it would be fine afterwards. Start with those if you're feeling nervous, or have specific worries about being too rough with exposed roots. The steps as I understand it are: Remove plant from pot There's often another step after this, which is 'chop off the base of the pot-shaped rootball'. It's sadly common that you'll see lots of circling roots around the bottom of the pot, and there are several reasons to carve the rootball like a turkey before you do anything else at all. 1. You're quite likely to damage them if you try and untangle them, and then you'll just have to remove them anyway. 2. The thick, relatively unbranching roots are the ones that ferry collected nutrients to the top part of the plant. They don't do much collection themselves, and the woody ones don't do any. In a pot, all they do is take up space. 3. They get in the way when you're trying to take the rest of the soil off, especially if they're woody and have woody corners. 4. They get in the way when you're trying to repot, especially if they're woody and have woody corners. Overall it's a lot of effort for very little return, and takes time you might not have. It's less traumatic all round to lop them off and be done with it. If the plant isn't pot-bound, great. Straight onto the next step. Remove as much of old dirt as possible For this you can use a root rake, a chopstick, a jet of water, or your fingers. Whatever you use, take care not to scratch the skin on the roots. Some species tolerate that more than others, but no species likes it. Cut off dead roots, roots growing in a circle around the pot You can do this as part of the previous step. As you're taking the soil off, remove roots that are circling, dead, heavily damaged, or just plain long. These long roots are more trouble than they're worth, being hard to keep undamaged and requiring their own special space in the new pot. You can also cut off old woody roots that are getting in your way, if they don't have many fine roots at the end. You may need to take off a swathe of old roots near the base anyway, so you can get all the soil out of the very centre of the root ball. You may also need to take off another layer of bound roots, if the plant was previously potted up while rootbound. Cut a slit in the corner of this new rootball, going directly through the bundle of roots, and make as many cuts as you need to get access to the interior of the old pot. Once you're done with that, tidy the roots up. Take off root sections that have a single deep wound / multiple scratches, have ends that curve upwards or back towards the plant, have no fine roots branching off near the end (NB: change where the end is; don't cut the whole root at the base!), or cross over other roots. While it's best to correct all of these problems, at this point you may not have many fine roots left. Take the worst offenders, or the ones that are crowding more desirable roots, or the ones with lots of mass but hardly any fine roots, and leave the rest for next year. Cut wedges out of the root ball (this is the one that makes me really nervous) Not always necessary, and redundant if you're bare-rooting. Bare-rooting (and the subsequent pruning) creates space for new, fine roots by removing unwanted roots and sections of unwanted roots while leaving as much fine rootage as possible. Wedges create space for new roots by bulldozing an area of the existing root system, from the thickest roots down to the thinnest and without regard for whether or not those roots are entirely inside the wedge taken. That's not to say wedges are bad -- while the effect on the worked area is... dramatic, the rest of the roots are left undisturbed. Add gritty or 5-1-1 mix to new similar-sized new pot, or well-cleaned old pot Settle plant in new pot, water thoroughly Do not fertilize for awhile (not sure how long) Fertilise when you start seeing new growth. That means the plant is taking up enough water to do more than keep itself turgid, and you can start making osmosis a little less easy by adding fertiliser salts. How long does that take? Depends on the current health of the plant, the potential vigour of the plant, the time of year, and the conditions the plant is exposed to after being repotted....See MoreNew to Houseplants, and Hubby Bought Rubber Tree...
Comments (3)I would do some research on good potting mediums before you jump to repot your new plant. Starting off with an inefficient mix can mean a death knell for plants, especially for those who aren't yet experienced. Visit the Container Forum for a look at some old threads or peruse the threads in this forum with pertinent sounding titles. You can amend an ordinary potting soil into something pretty darned great with a few additions. Don't let all of those exacting recipes you may find in the Container Forum scare you. Rubber trees are easy to grow; at least that's how I would categorize them. Your Burgundy cultivar will need plenty of sunlight in order to maintain its color and compact shape. It is very typical for the growers to use several plants in one container...it makes for a much fuller pot. I'd leave it just like that as separating the stems is likely to cause some damage to the root system. If they seem too crowded to you, simply snip one or two off at the soil level. If, however, they come apart on their own when you repot, you can make your decision then. I'd keep at least three stems in the pot, though. This is a plant that requires a very fast draining soil so that it can be watered heavily on watering day. Like most plants, it likes a good drenching when its time has come, but then needs to dry out in between. It's considered a very drought tolerant plant, in the field. Avoid drafty locations, and full blazing outside sun. I have a little alcove in my great room with windows facing E, W, and S exposures. It's an ideal plant location, and that is where I'd find room for a rubber tree....See MoreWhy Houseplant Forum So Quiet?
Comments (32)Asleep, lol. Ohh, poor plants. I've come to the conclusion Mother Nature is Wicked. :) Spiders are not my friend...lol. Especially thick-bodied-legged types and Recluse. Yikes!!! I have no idea what these creatures are eating. Christmas/Halloween decorations are kept in a basement closet. There's some nasty-looking spiders residing in the boxes/floors. What could they possibly eat? BTW, I haven't decorated because of these creepy-crawlers. lol. So far, I've exterminated two, thick-bodied spiders and a 4" millipede. Death by fly-swatter. Too bad Iguana's dislike spiders... If, in a future life, I'm reincarnated as a spider, I'll stay out of your bed. Heck, if I was a spider, I'd commit suicide....See Morenew build and new to forum...please help!
Comments (1)Congratulations on getting your new build underway. I'm not an expert, but am doing my second kitchen and have gleaned a lot of good info here over 7 yrs. I'm happy to offer my opinion on some things you're questioning. I would do a hood vent instead of a microwave. It's so much easier to do it while you're building instead of trying to retrofit. If you've been on GW for a while you've likely read many of the practical reasons for good ventilation. I know some spaces are so small (apartment/condo kitchens, etc) that micro hoods are the best choice, but I think having it as a focal point in the kitchen is not desirable. If you don't want to give up cab space, there are some small but efficient countertop models you could set right on the counter beside the fridge. I also worried about going to the ceiling w/ cabinets but my vote is to do it. I don't think you'll find it overwhelms the space. I would not go with all glass uppers unless you want to showcase everything in your upper cabinets. I think a touch of glass with nicely displayed dish ware or decorative items gives the feeling of lightness more than a wall full of what most of us typically keep on hand for practical purposes in our top cabs. Lastly, I am a big fan of SW Dover White. It has covered almost all the walls in my open plan home and I've liked it in every season and every light....See MoreKaren S. (7b, NYC)
6 years agoLily Roberts
6 years agochristine 5b
6 years agoEkor Tupai
6 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agocaciecrazyplantlady
6 years agoKaren S. (7b, NYC)
6 years agocaciecrazyplantlady
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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