kwie2011, Check out the thread titles "Question about liquid fertilizer use on foliage plants". Toward the bottom, Al comments on the coir mix I used and the problem I created because of it. I am sure Al will provide more information to you but his earlier comments may be of assistance also. - - - - - I had purchased two philodendrons that are similar to yours and repotted them both in small butter tubs since their original containers were so small. I mixed up a 511 mix but instead of pine bark fines, (can't find it) I substituted coir for the pine bark. I also added the dolomite which after talking to Al realized I was producing a way too alkaline mixture and it would effect the plants ability to uptake nutrients. The coir itself may not have been the best choice but my adding dolomite made it worse. My plants have been in this mix for almost two weeks now and are still hanging in there but if I could find pine bark fines, I would switch them over. If I can't find it, I guess I will just go with a store bought potting mix and see how that works. I had thought about just getting pine mulch in nuggets and grind them into fines with a rough wood rasp. Good luck with your question.

Tom

It's hard to guess what the plant was subjected to before you acquired it. The problems associated with coir and CHCs for hobby growers include a high pH, a very high K (potassium) content, and low sulfur content. The possibility of high salinity should also be mentioned, though that is getting to be a less prevalent issue than it was only a few years ago. Commercial growers are able to work around these issues by using sources for Ca and Mg other than lime, and by using acidifying fertilizers that keep pH in a more favorable range.

How did the roots look when you repotted? Many fungal infections that start in the roots move systemically through the plant, essentially clogging the plant's plumbing (vasculature) and making it difficult to impossible for nutrient stream or sap transport.

Too, now isn't a good time to be repotting plants, especially those whose vitality might already be suspected as being compromised. They essentially want to rest during these relatively cool periods where the photo load is also minimal. Consider that we're coming up on the shortest day of the year, so plants aren't going to respond with much enthusiasm to any sort of major work - like repotting.

Just some thoughts. Any in return?

Al

Hi again, Al. I'm sorry it's taken so long to respond. I've had so much trouble connecting lately that I gave up for a while (my cell phone is my only internet, and my signal here is weak).

Anyway, thanks for the info. I had thought LOW pH was the issue with coir, not high pH. I used a rather crude method to check the soil pH in this plant and was very surprised to find it below 6. My other plants are around 7. The pH of the water here is also around 6, so I'm sure that affects the results, but no way does it turn alkaline coir acidic, so I really wonder what the grower did to the medium. I think all the plants in the tray were suffering from something other than too much water.

The roots of the previous plant (a plant from the same batch at the nursery) looked okay - e.g. no rot or any sign of illness or infection, but they were very small roots. Each of the three 4" rooted stems in the pot probably had less than 3" of root. They looked as though they'd been freshly planted. The roots were either barely established, or they were stunted.

I knew late fall wasn't a great time to repot, but I thought it better than leaving it in a medium that I suspected was causing problems. I repot indoor plants in fall and winter all the time without problems, but they are usually my own, healthy, established plants, not newly acquired ones. With indoor temperatures and lighting, my tropicals grow pretty well year-round. My other philodendron (oxycardium), and Syngoniums and pothos are all growing pretty rapidly still. It'd probably be a different story if they were outdoors.

That funny little, pale, greyish-redish leaf isn't getting any greener. I feel like I need to do something for the sick little guy, but since repotting killed the last one, I'm at a loss. I don't have a way to test sanity or potassium. Maybe I could add a little calcium to neutralize the pH a bit? Oh! I almost forgot! The coir tests POSITIVE for BLOOD! Weird, huh? I'm thinking the grower must use blood meal or bone meal or something.

Thanks again for the info, Al.