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Transplanting indoor plants

From time to time, all indoor plants require a transplant. This is a very responsible event, on the success of which the well-being of our pets depends. The purpose of transplanting is to enable the plant to grow further. Therefore, it should be treated with maximum attention in order to bring benefits to the plant, not harm. Before starting the transplant, make sure it is necessary, prepare the necessary soil and container, as well as crushed coal in case you need to trim damaged roots. Prepare drainage if desired.

Zamioculcas was watered too often and now requires a transplant

Transplant a newly acquired plant do not rush. Long-term transportation, repeated changes in conditions of detention over the past weeks, puts the plant into a state of stress. After acquisition, the plant should be given some time (2-4 weeks) to get used to new conditions (illumination, temperature, water quality, air humidity, etc.). Only a fully adapted plant should be transplanted. If it was bought in the autumn-winter period, it is better to postpone the transplant at least until mid-February, the winter period is most unfavorable for plants.

There is an opinion that after buying a plant, it is necessary to completely replace the so-called transport soil, but such a transplant leads to very disastrous results, the roots are severely damaged, the plants are sick for a long time and often die.

It is worth freeing, and even more so washing the roots from the old substrate only in the most extreme cases - when the plant was in the wrong soil, it soured, the roots rotted, i.e. when the further growth of the plant in it will do more harm than trauma to the roots when replacing it. Many plants live in symbiosis with certain fungi or bacteria that settle on their roots. Washing the roots leads to the destruction of symbionts, which is often followed by the death of the plant itself.

Blackened root tips should be removed from this zamioculcas.The discounted phalaenopsis turned out to be almost without roots

If you bought a discounted plant and there are good reasons to worry about the condition of the roots, it should be examined urgently. Remove the lumpy plant from the pot. Having found black, softened roots with an unpleasant odor, remove the old substrate, cut off diseased roots, sprinkle the cuts with crushed coal and transplant the plant into fresh sterile soil. After such a transplant, it is necessary to place the plant in a greenhouse or under a transparent cap, the high humidity will give it the opportunity to grow new roots and not die.

The need for a transplant can be judged by the following signs:

  • a clod of earth is completely entwined with roots;
  • roots emerge from the drainage holes;
  • there is a meager growth, the leaves are shrinking, the plant has stopped growing in the spring-summer period;
  • poor condition of the roots;
  • unsuitable soil.
The pot has become too small for the ficus ...and a clod of earth is completely entwined with roots

It should be remembered that many plants flower more luxuriantly in tight containers, and transplanting too much can interfere with flowering.

The optimal transplant time is springwhen the plants are just emerging from dormancy and the first young leaves appear. A neat transplant is also possible in the summer; during the period of active growth, the plant easily tolerates it.

Cannot be transplanted plants during flowering, this can cause buds, flowers and ovaries to fall off. It is not recommended to replant during times of stress or illness, unless it is caused by decay of the roots, when you need to immediately save the plant. The transplant itself, even a very careful one, is a strong stress that will only aggravate the situation. We must try to stabilize the condition and only then transplant. Plants should not be transplanted in a dormant state when there is no new root growth. Damaged roots cannot quickly recover and rot, and fresh soil, which has not been occupied by roots for a long time, begins to sour.

 

The soil must meet the requirements of the plants... Before transplanting, it is especially important to prepare the soil of the correct composition, the further well-being of your plant will depend on this. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with the conditions for its growth in nature and understand its needs. So, if a phalaenopsis growing in natural conditions with roots free from a substrate is planted in peat, then the roots will quickly rot and the plant will die. The same will happen if you plant zamioculcas in a heavy substrate instead of a sandy one.

Knowing the needs of the plant, you will be able to correctly assess the quality of the soil offered for sale. Some manufacturers produce substrates for different groups of plants, but you should not rely entirely on the names on the packages - as a rule, different soils are quite similar in composition.

A prerequisite is sterility of the soil before the start of the transplant. Heating in a water bath, frying in an oven or microwave oven will ensure the death of pathogenic microorganisms, worms and arthropods (root nematodes are especially dangerous, methods of dealing with them are laborious and not very effective). Both ready-made purchased soils and those compiled independently from different components should be sterilized. In the future, the substrate should be populated with beneficial soil microorganisms that will help the plant in the assimilation of nutrients.

Read more about the preparation of substrates - in the article Soils and soil mixtures for indoor plants.

 

Plant container must also meet certain requirements. Before starting a transplant, it is useful to familiarize yourself with the structural features of the plant's root system. For orchids, blocks and baskets are often used in addition to pots. For some species, the transparency of the dishes will be a mandatory requirement, since the roots, along with the leaves, also photosynthesize. For plants with a small root system, such as uzambara violets, small diameter pots should be selected. If the roots grow mostly horizontally, it is better to take bowls for planting. For palms that have roots deep into the substrate, tall, narrow pots are fine. You should not use containers narrowed upwards; with further transplants, problems may arise in removing the root ball.

New ceramic pots must be washed and soaked in water for a while so that their walls are saturated with water. Wash old pots thoroughly, remove salt deposits (with a scraper or with acetic acid), scald with boiling water. It is advisable that the dishes have drainage holes through which excess water flows down during watering. You can also use pots if you have experience in watering plants and the plant will stand directly on the floor.

Pot size should not greatly exceed the volume of the previous one. It is better to replant more often with the addition of fresh substrate than to plant in a large volume at once. The land unoccupied by the roots quickly loses its properties, becomes stagnant, soil fungi begin to actively develop in it, which, under certain conditions, can infect the roots, causing them to rot. If you are replanting a plant from a small pot, then increase the diameter by 2-3 cm (for example, from 10 / - to 12 /). If this is a large size, then the size of the next pot may already differ by 5-6 cm (from 24 / - to 30 /).

Expanded clay or other drainage added to the bottom of the pot as desired. Expanded clay practically does not save from waterlogging of the soil, occupies a useful volume and over time accumulates salt on its surface. When transplants, it must be replaced with a fresh one.

A layer of expanded clay scattered on top of the soil is dangerous - it dries quickly, a deceptive impression is created that it is time to water and the substrate is overmoistened. When filling the top of the pot with expanded clay or pebbles, pay attention to the moisture content of the soil itself, and not the decorating material.

Place the plant in the pot correctly is also very important. It is necessary to ensure that after transplanting the flower does not sit deeper than in an old pot. Place so much soil at the bottom of the pot so that the base of the stem is 1-2 cm below the upper edge of the container, add fresh soil from the sides to the level of the beginning of the stem, constantly tamping slightly and gently tapping on the walls so that no voids remain. Plants with a pronounced horizontal direction of growth of underground or above-ground parts (such as zamiokulkas or some orchids) should shift the old part of rhizomes or pseudobulbs to the edge of the pot, giving room for new growth. After planting, it is necessary to water the plant abundantly, sprinkle it with loose earth on top. Orchids after transplanting are not watered for several days.

Follow-up care consists in regularly spraying the plant or placing it in a greenhouse if the transplant was not very accurate or required replacing the soil and pruning the roots. The increased air humidity will reduce leaf evaporation, giving the roots time to adapt and recover. It will be useful to spray once a week with Zircon or Epin, this will also help the plant to cope with stress and better take root in a new substrate.

Watering after transplanting for the first time should be carried out less frequently than usual, so that the roots, in search of water, grow into a new substrate. In no case should you feed the plant immediately, the need for feeding will arise no earlier than after 4-8 weeks.

If the plant is too big, then the transplant can be replaced by a partial replacement of the soil. Carefully, without damaging the roots, slightly loosen the top layer, collect and remove it, pour fresh soil on top. This will contain the growth of already large copies. It is useful to do this procedure for other indoor flowers every 3-6 months, it will help get rid of the deposited salts and soil fungi that cover the top layer of the soil.

Stimulants with careful transplants, they are usually not required. Rooting stimulants can cause stunted growth and flowering. They should be used if necessary, during transplants with root damage. You can use strictly according to the instructions of Kornevin when planting and Zircon after transplantation.

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