Gardening...
<b>Repot it: Give your plant a new lease of life </b><br>U sually when a plant stays for a long time in a pot, it looses its shine and the leaves start to show signs of nutrient deficiency. The plant stops growing and its flowers become less or none appear.
Repot it: Give your plant a new lease of life
U sually when a plant stays for a long time in a pot, it looses its shine and the leaves start to show signs of nutrient deficiency. The plant stops growing and its flowers become less or none appear.
This happens because the roots are pot bound, which means that they fill the pot base. At times roots press so hard against the pot that cracks appear.
A day or two before you plan to repot, water the plants because they are easier to repot when the soil is moist. To remove the plant from its old pot, slip your hand over the top of the pot, holding the plant’s stem between your fingers, and turn the pot upside down, tap the rim of the pot firmly against a hard surface, such as a table and then gently pull the pot upwards to remove the plant.
If the plant refuses to budge, tap the pot against the hard surface a few more times and try again. It may take two pairs of hands to remove big plants from large pots. One pair pulling on the pot, while the other pair holds the plant. You also may have to run a knife blade around the inside of the pot’s rim to remove the plant or first cut away roots extending from the drainage holes.
If a plant is a shrub, for example the hibiscus, you may use a sharp knife and cut out the root area nearest to the stem and pull out the plant.
If that does not work, you may actually have to break the pot to remove the plant.
If the root ball is not healthy or if the plant has been in the same pot for more than 18 months, you must do some cleaning up before repotting it. If some of the roots appear dead, damaged, or rotten, you need to prune them off.
If thick roots totally encircle the plant, cut away a slice of roots and soil with a sharp knife.
If you intend to repot the plant into a pot of the same size or smaller, prune back even more harshly. You can remove up to one-third of the old roots without harming the plant.
Remove about one-third of the soil from the root ball, loosening it gently with your fingers. It is no loss because the soil is most likely contaminated with mineral salts.
Place some large stones above the drainage hole.
Pour a layer of the new potting soil which should have been prepared earlier by mixing soil, manure and sand. Pour the mix half way into the pot.
Place the plants in the pot, turning it to make sure it is completely centred and fill the remaining area with the mixed soil.
Use your fingers to work the potting mix down among the roots. Press just hard enough to eliminate any large air pockets without compressing the soil.
Water well, let drain, and you are done.
Try to keep any newly repotted plants out of full sunlight for a week or so, and then reintroduce it to its permanent home.
Happy gardening!
winnieruk@hotmail.com
U sually when a plant stays for a long time in a pot, it looses its shine and the leaves start to show signs of nutrient deficiency. The plant stops growing and its flowers become less or none appear.
This happens because the roots are pot bound, which means that they fill the pot base. At times roots press so hard against the pot that cracks appear.
A day or two before you plan to repot, water the plants because they are easier to repot when the soil is moist. To remove the plant from its old pot, slip your hand over the top of the pot, holding the plant’s stem between your fingers, and turn the pot upside down, tap the rim of the pot firmly against a hard surface, such as a table and then gently pull the pot upwards to remove the plant.
If the plant refuses to budge, tap the pot against the hard surface a few more times and try again. It may take two pairs of hands to remove big plants from large pots. One pair pulling on the pot, while the other pair holds the plant. You also may have to run a knife blade around the inside of the pot’s rim to remove the plant or first cut away roots extending from the drainage holes.
If a plant is a shrub, for example the hibiscus, you may use a sharp knife and cut out the root area nearest to the stem and pull out the plant.
If that does not work, you may actually have to break the pot to remove the plant.
If the root ball is not healthy or if the plant has been in the same pot for more than 18 months, you must do some cleaning up before repotting it. If some of the roots appear dead, damaged, or rotten, you need to prune them off.
If thick roots totally encircle the plant, cut away a slice of roots and soil with a sharp knife.
If you intend to repot the plant into a pot of the same size or smaller, prune back even more harshly. You can remove up to one-third of the old roots without harming the plant.
Remove about one-third of the soil from the root ball, loosening it gently with your fingers. It is no loss because the soil is most likely contaminated with mineral salts.
Place some large stones above the drainage hole.
Pour a layer of the new potting soil which should have been prepared earlier by mixing soil, manure and sand. Pour the mix half way into the pot.
Place the plants in the pot, turning it to make sure it is completely centred and fill the remaining area with the mixed soil.
Use your fingers to work the potting mix down among the roots. Press just hard enough to eliminate any large air pockets without compressing the soil.
Water well, let drain, and you are done.
Try to keep any newly repotted plants out of full sunlight for a week or so, and then reintroduce it to its permanent home.
Happy gardening!
winnieruk@hotmail.com