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grannymarie

Is new Starfish Sans too crowded?

7 years ago

Hi everyone! I bought a starfish sans two weeks ago from a new plant shop I found. It's in a six" pot and I'm wondering if it's too crowded? Should I separate it when I repot or can I repot the whole thing in a larger sized pot? I've read that starfish sans should be planted in oblong pots to accommodate the roots....is that accurate? I haven't checked the roots yet since I will do that when I repot into better soil. Also should I be concerned with the lighter color at the base of a couple of the leaves or is that normal? This is my first starfish.






Comments (11)

  • 7 years ago

    Looks to me like a perfectly healthy sansevieria. And I would replant it, not on account of overcrowding, but simply because the soil provided by the plant manufacturer does not provide optimum home growing conditions.

  • 7 years ago

    If it were mine (and I have several of this variety), I would repot it, probably into an 8" or 9" pot if you intend to keep it all together. I would bet it is pretty root-bound in that pot, for a plant of its size. I get concerned about yellow at the base of a plant because it can signal overwatering, so if by "lighter color" you mean yellowing of some type -- again, un-pot it and check out what's happening at the root level.

  • 7 years ago

    @Basia K Thanks, yes, I will be changing the soil to C&S mixed with added pumice that has been working well for my other sans. Can't wait to get my hands in it and check out the roots.


    @robinswfl I would like to keep it together in one pot so will buy an 8" or 9". I'm anxious to see the root condition because of the yellow at the base even though it's very firm. Thanks.


    I'll take photos when I repot it.

  • 7 years ago

    go up one pot size and consider switching to terracotta.

  • 7 years ago

    I repotted two days ago into an 8" pot that I added lots of drain holes to. The roots look in good shape, I think, though very root bound. The bottom roots were circling the bottom of the pot. Forgot to take pictures till after I started loosening the roots. I used Espoma C&S mix with 50% pumice. Turned out I needed about 1/2" more medium so topped it off with more C&S mix that had less pumice in it but have pumice on order so will mix more in when I get it. Is the white base color normal on the plant? It's very firm.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Granniemarie, how do you like the Espoma C&S mix? It is one of two that my local garden sells (the other is Black Gold -- not crazy about that one). I too use pumice, or sometimes perlite, on a 50/50 basis like you. Are you having good luck with Espoma?

    I think what you call the white base color is actually the plant parts that were previously covered by the soil line. Sometimes when repotting, I end up not planting it deep enough and have some white base color too. I don't worry about that too much. Sometimes I just replant a little deeper. It's the yellow base color you gotta' worry about! ;-)

  • 7 years ago

    @robinswfl , I've been using Espoma (their potting mix and C&S mix) for over a year now and am very happy with it. I always add 50% pumice. The only thing in stores around here is Miracle Grow and others like it which were making my plants struggle and rot no matter how much pumice I added even though I wasn't overwatering. I also tried a mix my local plant nursery made/recommended for houseplants but it also was too heavy. May I ask what you didn't like about Black Gold? I was going to try that next if I didn't like the Espoma but I didn't like the overall reviews..


    Thanks for explaining about the white base color. I appreciate it! My Sans is still very happy.

  • 7 years ago

    Thanks, grannymarie, for your response. I'm going to try the Espoma C/S soil. I too see a lot of Miracle Grow where I live and, like you, have not succeeded with it (regardless of added perlite or pumice). I find Black Gold a little too rich. They list worm castings in their ingredients, which I'm not sure I want. Overall, I find I have to sift the soil before I use it and before I mix it with anything. It's better than Miracle Grow for sure, but not exactly what I'd like. I used to use Fafard C/S mix. I know lots of people hate it, but it was "light" enough and worked very well for me. Then, apparently the company discontinued it. So -- I will give Espoma a try. Appreciate your response.

  • 7 years ago

    @robinswfl , So you know, Espoma also has worm castings in it so be sure to check it out before you purchase. :)

  • 7 years ago

    Thanks, grannymarie. I guess worm castings are inescapable!

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