The Garden Helper

Helping Gardeners Grow Their Dreams since 1997.

No-dash-here, you've found The Real Garden Helper! Gardening on the Web since 1997

Repotting

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2005
« Prev thread: repotted pitcher plant| Next thread: Repotting a Fern »
Back to Thread index
by Clyn on October 10, 2005 12:01 AM
Hello Everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I guess you could say I'm kinda "green". I need some helpful hints. I just repotted what I believe is a Golden Pothos, from it's original planter that was part of a basket arrangement. It was thriving very well but it was time to repot it. Here's the problem. When I repotted it I used a ceramic planter with no drainage holes, however I put charcol in the very bottom of the pot for drainage purposes. Now my poor plant is looking very ill. The leaves are getting spots that are almost the color of tea and the leaves are also thinning to where their almost transparant. What did I do wrong? How can I correct it?
by Sorathien on October 10, 2005 12:20 AM
how big was the pot you put it in? it should have been very small. the biggest cause of plant problems is over potting. i'm pretty sure that's why my china doll is as good as dead.
by Jiffymouse on October 10, 2005 01:59 AM
it is very difficult to get the charcoal/rock ratio to soil right for potting in a pot with no drainage. a better solution would be to repot it into a pot that is slightly smaller than the ceramic one and then put that in the ceramic pot. it really sounds like water log is your problem.
by Clyn on October 10, 2005 03:03 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Sorathien:
how big was the pot you put it in? it should have been very small. the biggest cause of plant problems is over potting. i'm pretty sure that's why my china doll is as good as dead.
The original pot was 4". The new pot is 5.5" - 6"
by Clyn on October 10, 2005 03:04 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Jiffymouse:
it is very difficult to get the charcoal/rock ratio to soil right for potting in a pot with no drainage. a better solution would be to repot it into a pot that is slightly smaller than the ceramic one and then put that in the ceramic pot. it really sounds like water log is your problem.
Should the smaller pot have drain holes?
by Cricket on October 10, 2005 03:56 AM
quote:
Should the smaller pot have drain holes?
Yes! It's always best to use a pot with drainage holes so that excess water can drain. Using charcoal, pebbles, gravel, etc., in place of drainage holes doesn't work and can actually exacerbate the problem of soil staying moist too long by wicking water back to the roots. Evenutally, this leads to root rot. Double-potting is a better solution as you can remove the inner pot to drain the outer if it doesn't have drainage holes.
by Sorathien on October 10, 2005 04:06 AM
or you could just use a saucer under the pot WITH drainage holes [Wink]

also, if you really like the pot with no hole, you can always buy a ceramic drill bit and try to drill a hole in the bottom. if you do, just make sure you don't push too hard and go VERY slowly. otherwise you'll break the pot.
by Cricket on October 10, 2005 04:08 AM
Charcoal is also not the best soil additive because its chemical composition can create imbalance in soil nutrients and alter pH.
by Clyn on October 10, 2005 05:14 AM
Thanx to all for your feedback.
by Jiffymouse on October 10, 2005 07:41 AM
thanks cricket [kissies] clyn, she knows what she's talking about [thumb]

Active Garden Forum

« Prev thread: repotted pitcher plant| Next thread: Repotting a Fern »
Back to Thread index
Similar discussions:


Search The Garden Helper: