Repotting disaster--please help!

10 years ago

Hello garden friends! This is my first sansevieria and I just tried to repot it for the first time, and it looks awful! I realized while I was doing it that it was really a two-person job since the plant was so big...too bad I don't live with anyone or have friends within a hundred mile radius. (Recent transplant to a new city...womp womp!) It was a struggle to keep it upright while putting soil in the pot. As a result, it's all crooked now. I tried to steady it with a few stones at the base, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. Here are some photos:

Before repotting:

(Lovely upright plant!)

After:

All crooked and lean-y!

Can you guys tell me--is it going to hurt the plant to be all crooked like this? Will it eventually recover and get back upright on its own? Can it hang on like this until June when a friend can visit me and give me a hand with it, or will it die? Is this pot even deep enough? I was wondering about that...It is an inch wider than the old pot but I realized it's not really any deeper than the old pot, they are the same depth. Also any tips for repotting so that I don't do...whatever this is...again?

Thanks in advance for your help and sage advice...This plant is one of my faves (his name is Frank) and I'd feel so sad if he didn't make it.

Featured Answer

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL

10 years ago

Happy to share. That's so nice of your garden center to offer to do that, but I don't know how you'd transport it back home without jiggling it back out of place. IMVHO, you just need a few baseball/softball-sized rocks. you can adjust the soil so they're a bit lower but the rocks should stop the wobbling while they get re-rooted. Although I always urge against watering in sips, a just-repotted Sans can be an exception for a month or 2 until it gets over its' jiggles, since moving it around really makes them wobble while they're not yet root-secure. Slowly/gently sprinkling water all around the surface, not just in 1 spot, should let you do that for a short time, without too much water gushing out and overflowing a drip tray.

If it makes you feel any better, none of this is an emergency. I've had plants that laid on the ground for a couple weeks while waiting for me to get them in a new pot. And this past winter, I had 3 scrawny little plants that just didn't fit in the pot, so they laid under my potting bench outside, bare-roots-in-the-air from November until a few weeks ago & they seem OK, just a little wrinkled/shriveled.

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Comments (6)

Mentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)
10 years ago
I'm no expert but it looks like your plant is enjoying its new space. I'm not sure what you mean by 'leany' It will fill out eventually, if that is your concern but for now let it enjoy its new space.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
It looks like, in the 2nd pic, the rosettes to the left have a lot more exposed than they did before (the white area.) Burying back to the same level should help if the rocks aren't doing enough to hold the sections upright. (I don't see the mentioned rocks.) The depth looks more than ample, Sans spread to the sides first, then rhizomes can get tangled/lost below when the surface space is all taken. Does the new pot have a hole in the bottom?
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wildhyacinth
Original Author
10 years ago
@Tiffany, I think you've hit the nail on the head. It's probably leaning over because I didn't bury it deeply enough. The rocks are not visible because they are pretty small (the biggest ones I had, though...) and also are black so they kind of blend in with the soil. And of course that's why they're not helping that much--too small, but I tried. The new pot does have a hole in the bottom! I used a fast-draining mix also. I spoke to someone at a garden center and they said if I bring it in they'll help me re-re-pot it and get it upright. Hopefully I will have this all fixed by Sunday afternoon. I'm leaning him against a wall for support, for now. He actually started falling over even more than in the photo I took above...something for sure needs to be done.
wildhyacinth
Original Author
10 years ago
Oh, wow! I'm impressed that a sans can survive just chilling out, not even in a pot like that for so long! They really seem to be very sturdy plants. I did end up taking mine to the garden center and it turned out to be a simple fix...all we did was top-dress it with more soil and press the soil into place with our fingers. It looks so much better now! =-) Now to figure out what's going on with some of my other succulent plants...the folks on this forum are always so kind and helpful! <3
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
Happy to share what I've seen. :+)