Tips for repotting in gritty mix

16 years ago

Hello,

I've just received some new plants in conventional potting material and would like to repot them with a grittier mix. I'm a very busy urban apartment dweller with no car and only a couple of plants, so I can't afford to assemble a full gritty mix, but I've found some Hoffman Bonsai Soil Mix about which Al said, "I remember having bought a bag of this brand of soil about 10-12 years ago. It is finer than what I make myself, but as a general soil for houseplants, including cacti & succulents, it will still be superb. The only appreciable difference between Hoffman's and what I would make for my own use is that they don't screen the ingredients to separate/remove fine particles & I do." ... It's not perfect, but it will have to be good enough. :-)

Anyway, I have a bunch of new plants in 2" pots and may replant some of my larger plants as well. I've read in other posts that it can be bad to have conventional water retaining soil in the same pot as a faster draining mix because it can lead to root rot. This question is primarily for Al, but also to others as well... What general advice do you have for repoting from a conventional soil to a grittier mix?

With plants this young that have just been shipped, I hesitate to prune roots. One idea I had was to put the root ball under water and wash all the conventional soil away, placing the "naked" roots in the gritty mix. Would that be crazy, though? Is it better to just work at it a little bit with a chopstick to get much of the old mix away?

Thanks in advance and thank you for the other wonderful posts!

Featured Answer

jodik_gw

16 years ago

If you run the rootball under tepid water and gently remove the old soil before re-potting, you'll have no problems, at all.

Keep one layer of soil in the pot, top to bottom. As long as the pot has drainage holes, no drainage layer of material is necessary or wanted. If you're worried about soil coming out of the drainage holes, slip a coffee filter or piece of screen in before adding any soil.

Before I located all the ingredients to make my own version of Al's gritty mix I, too, used a locally available bonsai mix that was gritty. It was finer than Al's Mix, but adequate. It was rather expensive, however.

I finally located what I needed to make a decent mix... I use Reptibark 100% fir bark reptile bedding, available at PetSmart... Manna Pro Poultry Grit granite chips, available at Rural King farm stores... and perlite, available pretty much anywhere.

It took me a long time to locate the right ingredients... but I'm glad I kept looking! I adjust the ingredients according to what I'm planting and where it will be kept, indoors or out. And I use a weak solution of MiracleGro liquid plant food just about every time I water. I still check moisture levels very carefully... some rootballs hold a good amount of moisture for a good amount of time, depending on plant type, etc...

I hope this helps... Hippeastrum and Amaryllid bulbs are my main indoor plants, but I also grow orchids and other plant types in Al's Mix... everything loves it! :-)

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Comments (9)

meyermike_1micha
16 years ago
Hi Jodik..:-)

I also use the same method Jodik uses..I first soak the rootball for a bit, then I run the hose on it until all the soil has washed away from the roots..

The only roots that fall away with the soil are usually dead ones if any...

Mike..:-)
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jojosplants
16 years ago
I'm lazy and do mine sitting at the table with a bowl of water..lol!

Good morning all!
Mike, Jodi, good to see you. :)

gametheory,
One thing to remember when dealing with succulents, is when you do repot them, Don't water for several days. The roots will need to heal if they are damaged in the repot.

And with the gritty mix, they are wobbly for a bit until the roots grow. So be careful if moving the pots so the plants dont fall out.

Have made that mistake once or twice myself..lol!

JoJo
gametheory
Original Author
16 years ago
Many thanks for the quick feedback. That's exactly what I'll do, then!
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years ago
Let's start by identifying the plants. ;o)

Al
gametheory
Original Author
16 years ago
A pesto perpetuo and a mojito mint, both ordered from Richter's Herbs. Shipped on Monday, arrived on Wednesday. Unpacked immediately, but still not repotted.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years ago
I would just tease (or rinse) most of the soil off the roots and pot it in the Hoffman's. There won't be that much difference in water retention between that & what they came in anyway. You might want to consider using a wick through the drain hole until the plantings mature a little & roots colonize the lower reaches of the container.

Al
gametheory
Original Author
16 years ago
Many thanks, I see.

I like the idea of the wick, but where will the wick be "wicking" the water to? I just ordered a 100% rayon mop head to use as the wick, but my plants are in my living room, so I can't put the other end of the wick in the ground.

Hmmm... Beginning to have second thoughts about the mop head purchase... Any tips on using wicks?
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years ago
Water your plants while they sit on the edge of the sink & allow the wick to hang over the edge - or otherwise arrange a set-up where the wick can dangle below the container until water stops dripping off the wick. Tipping your pots after watering is also helpful. Also, try holding small pots at eye level over the sink. Lower them fairly quickly below counter top level into the sink, then sharply lift the container again. Repeat. The inertia (of motion) of the water in the pot makes the water want to continue moving downward - even after you've started to lift the pot, The result is the still downward moving water has nowhere to go other than out the drain hole. It really works if the pots are small enough. Lol - there is even a way you can grasp the pot by the rim and spin in a circle, employing centrifugal force to remove excess water from the pot - maybe a little too messy for the K or LR, hmm? ;o)

Al