Lowe's DR with potential

11 years ago

I was looking at the DR's at the local Lowe's today. They are $15 and a few of them were really healthy.

One thing though, they *always* over-pot these things. You'd think you were buying a big shrub or small citrus tree given the size of the pots. Also, they appear to be seedlings, several years old, that have never been raised.

I saw one that I suspect must have a massive caudex waiting to be exposed under the soil. However, I wonder what kind of long term project this would be? I usually raise my plants a bit at a time. Has anyone ever done a few inches or more at a time? Also, I would think it is better to start doing this early, which is what I do with my own seedlings. Would there be any unforeseen implications on starting this with a plant that is already a few years old?

Thanks,

Brian

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Comments (4)

karyn1
11 years ago
I've purchased a mature plant whose caudex was buried. A couple weeks after I got it home I repotted it and raised it several inches. There were no problems.

I wish we had some interesting plants at the local big box and chain stores. I daresay the only non nursery here that occasinally has nice stuff are the Trader Joe's grocery stores.
guavafarmer
11 years ago
I have some adenium that has never been raised for over 5 years and I repotted and raised them 3-4 inches with no problem. You just have to be careful at the beginning to not expose them to extreme sun/heat right away or you will burn/damage the caudex. Mostly cosmetics.

I have seen the DR in Lowes and they do not look too good. They even had it just sitting indoors with minimal light. You just have to nurse it back to better condition.
irun5k
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks- I may give this a try then. The fact that these plants were actually healthy (for a change) makes it an interesting opportunity. The colors were pretty basic (white, pink) but that is OK. I already have a nice red one.

Normally, I put some sphagnum moss around the plant after raising them in order to prevent sunburn.
karyn1
11 years ago
I don't put anything around mine and I've never had an issue with sunburn. I'm in zone 7 so it's not like a zone 10 sun, but summer temps average in the 90's here.