What can I do to help my soil dry out better? Here's the details:
What I've Done:
– used Miracle Grow potting mix (never had this issue with it before)
– mixed in tons of perlite and orchid bark
– all pots have ample drainage holes
– most are in west facing windows for sunlight (I have 1 east facing window in my entire house)
– my grow lights did nothing
The Issue:
– they won't dry out and the soil is holding onto the water….for WEEKS (No, I don't water them when they're like this)
– they started to grow gray mold
– I've repotted these suckers 3 times this spring/summer to mitigate several issues, and this is my last one
I want to be DONE repotting for at least a year, especially since winter is approaching. Once this is resolved, I promise to start bottom watering only. I'm new to plants, and have been treating it as therapy to teach me patience but I tend to micromanage. Please help š I have a bird of paradise is repot next…
by WritingInGaramond
12 Comments
Repotting as in, you planted propped pothos into pots? 1 of them looks like a single stem in a 6ā+ pot. I think theyāre too big.
Aerate the soil w a long chopstick.
Looks like the pots are too large for the size of the plants. Even with drainage holes, if there are not sufficient roots to use the water, the soil will retain lots of moisture for extended periods of time.
So a helpful tip I go by when planting, pick a pot that will create a ratio of 2/3rd roots to 1/3 dirt. You want your roots to take up as close to 2/3rds of the pot you pick as possible.
You’ve currently got a whole lot of soil surrounding not a whole lot of root and so the root is what sucks up the moisture but it isn’t able to reach all areas of the pot if that makes sense.
Try adding a little bit of orchid bark into the mix. It will drain the water away. Your soil might not have enough drainage in it naturally. the orchid bark will fix that
Pots are way too big! Water doesn’t go because the plants can’t use it all.
In your smallest pot here Id have about 10 individual Pothos’ in, at least.
As others mentioned, the pot size is way to big. To that I want to add, that the root system needs some time after a repot to grow through the Substrate. In this time the roots donāt suck up the moisture so much. It usally takes a few weeks to adapt to their new home. You can check this if you shake your pot a Little bit. If the plant is still shaky in the soil, the process is Not fulfilled yet. To the time the plant is stable it should Drink a Lot more.
So.. if you repotted in Short Intervals it could be, that this process never really came to an end, before you repotted again. I would repot a last time to smaller pots, be Patient and give it enough time to adapt to the new condition. Only After enough time you will See how much your plant drinks really.
A couple of things.
where are you and what is the weather like?
A lot of tropical plants are going dormant at this time of year in cooler climates. As a result they do not need much water. they dont do as much photosynthesis which is how they use water. this has been the case for the last month or so.
the comments about not using the water are right, but it is also because the plants will not be using it not just because they haven’t got enough roots.
Also generally repotting should be done in the spring as the plants grow the most then. So you put them into a bigger pot ready for the new growth. it helps prevent overwatering the winter when they are not using is as much, but also gives the plant maximum room for growth and refresh the soil.
You can downsize the pots now, but you will need to repot in march.
Stop micromanaging, plants thrive best with neglect. love kills them a lot quicker.
After watering your plants, when you let them drain, tilt the pot as much as you can and let it sit like that for a while. It helps even more excessive water getting out of the pot.
agree those pots are huge!
Elevate the pots with a few rocks to get airflow underneath, an oscillating fan will also help.
Maybe terracotta pots? They are porous and lose moisture out the sides.
https://preview.redd.it/vve0fgxzocqf1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55336d993c3d9ca977feb7f448c035e2c20d5149
Is there a tray stuck onto the bottom? Also the pots are massiveeeee
You should be using like 3″ pots!!!