I have always had a very hard time getting new bare root plants to not lose all their roots after I get them in the mail. I usually pot them dry and leave them dry for a day or two, then water on the same schedule as all my other haws. My soil mix does not hold onto much water at all so it is definitely not an overwatering problem. They also dont die completely, they just lose most of their roots and look sad for at least a year before they fully replace all the lost roots. Am I doing something wrong? Should I water them more?
I have a nice mature Renny hybrid coming in the mail this week and want to try to not make it suffer like my other shipped haws.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
by Master-Flounder-7063
7 Comments
What I do is put the roots in a glass of water, like a shot glass or use some sticks to hold them if the glass is too large. I do this for 7-10 days before I pot them up.
Are you putting it right into same light you’re using to grow your other haws? They like to be in a reduced amount of light while rooting.
there’s not really much you can do to “preserve” the roots.
but there’s a pretty good way to force them to make new roots really quick. so take a knife of sorts and cut off parts of the knob thingy (idk what it’s called but basically the part where the roots come out). then get a rooting powder, and coat the cut area with it. I’ve had 100% results with this method
I’ve never successfully preserved roots after long shipping times. I cut off what’s left and use rooting powder and regrow them. I’ve imported a few times and so far haven’t lost a single one this way. Let them callus for a few days, apply a light dusting of rooting powder and then place over dry soil (I use akadama for rooting) on a shaded windowsill. Check back in about a week. If you see root nubs then you can lightly water. If not then keep waiting and checking. Do not water until you see those root nubs.
What’s your soil mix and regular watering schedule?
If your choices are reduced light for longer than a month or so (etiolation) versus (after the first month or so) several months with inadequate root reestablishment under adult-level light and watering, there might be some bigger picture thing at play.
Personally I like to trim the fine feeder roots (these will dry/die regardless) and then also trim any older brown main roots – these don’t produce feeder roots any more and are just a bit of energy storage (which may actually be a bad thing if trying to encourage new roots).
The idea being you only leave the newer white actively growing roots.
I usually wait one week, minimum, before watering a repotted Haworthia