new Song of India plant - repot?

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I bought this Song of India plant two weeks (13 days) ago. I placed it near a north-facing window in my sunroom where there's a fair bit of light coming in from the south and west as well. Temps in the room have been ranging from ~60 - 70F and I'd estimate the humidity to be ~20 (so fairly dry in here).

I read that these plants like water so I've been diligently checking the soil every day, and it is STILL moderately moist in the center and bottom. I use a moisture probe but can also tell from what sticks to it that the soil's getting drier but is still a bit damp. It came this wet, and I have yet to water it.

So... do I just let it do it's thing in this pot for a while and only water when it's close to dry, or should I repot right away? It's clearly been thriving as is, but not sure how sustainable this set-up is if it never dries out. I had planned to repot in a gritty mixture in the spring with the expectation that I would have to water every 2-3 days, but am questioning that approach. Thoughts?

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Comments (5)

Sara (9b SF Bay Area)
6 years ago
I would try inserting a wick onto the container to help remove the perched water. You should be able to do that with minimal root disruption, and as long as you’re careful with watering you can probably get a plant this healthy through another 6 months in a subpar mix so that you can repot at a better time of year.

Pretty plant. :)
Laura
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks! I thought there might be a simple solution I hadn't thought of. I poked a strip of cotton partway into the pot... let's see if that does the trick.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
If you combine B and E, you'll very notably decrease the excess water retention you're dealing with, which should easily allow you to maintain the plant's vitality level until a more appropriate time to repot. Poke/ drill/ melt a hole through the bottom of the pot at the sidewall and push a wick up into the soil. After you water thoroughly at the sink, tip the pot at a 45* angle with the wick dangling from the pots lowest point. Wait until water stops dripping off the wick to right the plant and return it to the collection saucer. Try never to allow the plant to sit in the effluent that exits the drain hole. It contains a high level of salts, from tapwater and fertilizer solution, which accumulate in the soil if you water in small sips.

Cotton wicks rot quickly. I use rayon mop strands. Some of the best wicks I've used have been the plastic ties used to secure mesh bags of produce - commonly citrus. Not all work well, but those that do will last indefinitely. I have a few that have been in constant service for at least a decade.

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Laura
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks, Al! Your posts have been extremely helpful over the past few months as I've gotten more into houseplants and gardening. That's how I got so far as to realize this plant isn't in an appropriate medium, but also that I should wait to repot.

I like the idea of poking a hole through the side of the pot, and will find a more appropriate wick this week and put it in that way. I just plopped the plant in a bowl for the time being while I figured out what to do with it, but normally I put my plants inside a bigger cache pot set up on a layer or two of rock (I always water in the sink until water runs out and let them drain, but the rocks in the cache pot keep the plant from sitting in any extra water that drips out). This plant will probably get a plate instead so I can make sure the wick is able to do its thing, but I think I get the idea.

Thanks again!
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
6 years ago
Put the hole through the bottom @ the side, or through the side so the bottom of the hole is flush with the upper side of the pot's bottom. If possible, avoid a hole in the side, the bottom of which is more than 1/8" above the bottom.

The wick has to dangle from the bottom of the pot to work - at least for as long as the pot is still draining. The wick "fools" the water into "thinking" the pot is deeper than it actually is; so the water moves down the wick "looking for the bottom". Then, when it reaches the bottom of the wick, it gets pushed off the bottom of the wick by the collective weight of the molecules of water in the water column moving downward through the wick.

Al
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Laura thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

new Song of India plant - repot?

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Sara (9b SF Bay Area)

Laura
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new Song of India plant - repot?

Comments (5)

Sara (9b SF Bay Area)

LauraOriginal Author

Related Discussions

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

LauraOriginal Author

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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Laura
Original Author

Laura
Original Author