|
| Hello Everyone,
I just started loving plants last year and now I have some but are experiencing problems. I have a Croton I bought about 2 weeks ago and noticed a mushroom and gnats coming out of the soil between yesterday and today. Someone told me the soil is contaminated and I should return the Croton. I see nothing bad happening to the leaves but I want to be safe than sorry. What should I do? I also bought a Calathea (Praying Plant) this past Wednesday and they used the Miracle Gro Palm, Cactus and Citrus soil to do the repot. I'm not sure this was the best soil to use and its my fault too cause I just stood there and didn't say anything or ask any questions. Should I be worried? I saw tiny particles that look like salt on the soil but I'm guessing since its Cactus soil it will look like that. I bought both of these plants at Home Depot and they were in plastic pots (the nursery pots) and the roots were beginning to come from the bottom. If I decide to bring them back and start over, what is the general rule for repotting? Should I do it immediately after I purchase the plant or should I wait about a 1-3 months to repot the plant? If they roots are coming out of the bottom of the nursery pot, can they wait a while before I repot the plant? I used Terra Cotta (Clay) Pots to repot and they have a white residue that comes on the pots (it looks unattractive to me and no matter how I try to clean the residue off I have no luck). Does anyone know what will take the residue off? Is there an alternative to Terra Cotta (Clay) that will be fine for my plants? Are plastic or glazed terra cotta (the shiny pots) safe to use? I would be repotting: Croton, Calathea (Praying Plant) and an Anthurium. Will those be fine alternatives to clay? Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, May 20, 12 at 18:35
| the white stuff.. is the salts leaching out of the pot itself.. either ignore it.. or use glazed pots ... arent these all house plants.. you might want to check that forum ... i see no reason to start over.. just repot the one with mushrooms ... BTW.. clay pots are NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO USE.. by even the most learned gardener.. they are useless ... you have tied yourself to a nightmare.. IMHO ... ANYTHING IS BETTER ... lastly ... i would NEVER buy a plant with roots coming out the bottom ... and would walk by such stock... good luck in the house plant forum.. because i know nothing about those particular plants ... and lastly.. did you completely wet the potting media.. BEFORE USE???? ken |
|
- Posted by duluthinbloomz4 zone 4a (My Page) on Sun, May 20, 12 at 19:39
| The "gnats" usually mean the soil is too wet. They disappear/die off if you let the soil dry in between waterings. Stick your finger down into the soil, you'll be able to tell how wet or dry the soil is. The mushroom should go away with less watering too. Roots coming out of the pot bottoms is a good indication the plants are in pots that are too small. Clay pots are my least favorite for house plants - they get the salt leach pretty fast, but that doesn't hurt anything. Plastic and glazed ceramic will get it too so it's just a question of what you want to live with. |
|
| I like clay pots because they are porous. It has benefits and that's what I usually stick a 'mother' plant or large house plant into one regardless of the salt buildups on the outside. The gnats have potential to start up in any soil if the soil is not watered properly. By overwatering, it doesn't mean too much water at any give time. It means so frequently the soil stays too moist continually and it can set up a lot of disease conditions and is how most people kill houseplants. As for rootbound........some houseplants PREFER to be rootbound. Letting it get so can be a tool to manage growth or blooming. If you bump a rootbound houseplant up to a larger pot, don't go a whole lot larger. I let certain of my houseplants get so rootbound they fracture the pot before repotting. Others I don't. You will need to look up what each of these plants prefer in the way of watering, light, and soil and I also recommend the houseplant forum. |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 10:52
| rootbound is one thing.. growing out the bottom is another ... if there is excessive root growth out the bottom they have not been properly cared for.. prior to sale ... its nto that they will die or anything.. they will just be a bit trickier to deal with ... the problem with clay pots ... is they actually wick the water out of the potting media .... and unless you are 100% attendant .. they will be ultra dry one day ... and that could be why you are overwatering ... its very hard to balance it all out ... especially in a house with forced air heat in winter.. or air conditioning in summer ... clay pots are really for the greenhouse situation .... where you have perfect heat.. and humidity ... one trick ... is when you buy the plant.. you buy the next bigger plastic pot ... and then walk over and buy the matching clay pot ... and plant it in plastic.. and insert it into the clay .. its called a 'pot in pot' system ... you get the look.. the plant get the pot it needs ... ken |
|
| The majority of potted houseplants are grown on a capillary mat system. They're watered initially overhead and set on a capillary mat in bench trays, from that point on the mats are ebbed or moistened and kept that way, and as the surface of the soil dries out, it pulls water up to the top by capillary action. Trust me, roots will pop out the bottom and often grow along the mat surface. It's typical on houseplants purchased in stores and in no way signifies they were improperly cared for prior to sale. It's not cost effective to keep thousands of potted houseplants sitting in a greenhouse to get potbound out of neglect and profit margins are slim. What happens in the retail situation is another story, but with the box stores paying when they're run across the register the vendor will usually scoop up any tropicals long before they get nasty and they're often just sacrificed. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Annuals Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
