Hello
This is my first time ever joining a gardening forum. We have always had trouble with plants. They never seem to last. 3 years ago we moved into a single family home with a large backyard. Last year we purchased a number of plants but some of them seem to be struggling.
I have spent the last few weeks going over various gardening education videos and blogs and have learned that we over water our plants. Apparently some of these plants you should only water once or twice a month. I also got the Plant ID app where you take a picture of a plant and it tells you how to care for it, such as when to fertilize, how many times to water, and whether it's partial sun or full sun.
The other issue is that all of these plants were sitting on the wooden deck. After about a year the wood underneath the plant began to discolor and deteriorate. I'm guessing because it gets no sun and is wet all the time. So I have decided to buy stands and elevate all of our plants. It's a step in the right direction.
I have also decided to re-pot all of our plants. I am buying pots that are slightly larger than what the plant is currently in. I have read that for large plants you want a pot that is 4 or 5 inches larger, and for medium to smaller plants you want a pot that is 2 to 3 inches larger.
So far I have gotten a number of pots, although I worry they may be too big lol. We are new at this and are bound to make some mistakes and it will be a learning process. Would it be that bad if I re-potted the plants in pots that are too big for the plant?
Here's what I've learned so far. When you re-pot plants, you shouldn't disturb the roots. You shouldn't try to spread them apart, just simply leave them as they are. Then after re-potting, soak the plant with lots of water right next to the stem or trunk of the plant, so the roots can absorb it. Since the roots haven't yet spread out you need to water right above the roots, not towards the outside of the pot.
I think our problem with plants is the soil quality. We never fertilized or re-potted plants purchased from nurseries, as you can see in the pictures.
So I have purchased a few bags of the Kellogs organic soil. I also found a compost delivery service. My plan is to re-pot the plants using 3 parts fresh soil, and one part compost. Does that sound about right? I've read to use 75% soil and 25% compost mixed in with the soil.
I have spent some time reading about transplant shock and I think we will be ok. Keep my fingers crossed lol. These plants will love the fresh soil and some fertilizer.
With the larger plants, should I fill the entire pot with soil? Or should I put something at the bottom so I don't have to use so much soil. I have seen a number of ways people do this. Some people use plastic bottles or whatnot. I have seen many videos on youtube that people fill the bottom 1/4 of the pot so they don't have to use as much soil. But won't this reduce the amount of soil space the roots have to grow?
Also, I've read that you should not put gravel/rocks/pebbles at the bottom of your pot. This does not help with drainage and may hurt the plant? Is that true? So just soil all the way to the bottom?
I think I've got the right idea with elevating all the plants. I've read that this allows for better drainage, and better air circulation. Also it will keep our cats off the plants as well.
However it as been challenging to find strong, sturdy stands for some of the heavier plants.
For our 2 trees I don't think I'll be able to elevate them, however I found a clever idea on youtube where people build their own dolly for the plant. So I plan on buying some nice water resistant wood like pine or cedar, and maybe coat it with a sealant, then put together a little dolly with some casters so that I can roll the plant around as I need to.
The goal is to elevate every plant because keeping them on of the wooden deck is destroying the wood. I just want all the plants to thrive and bloom. I want a nice little beginners garden in my backyard.
I think the reason we used to kill our plants all the time was because we were over watering them. We would water them almost every day. We just had this impression that plants needs to be wet all the time, but once I started using the Plant ID app it would tell me to water some of these plants just once or twice a month, which left us in disbelief.
This is my first time ever joining a gardening forum. We have always had trouble with plants. They never seem to last. 3 years ago we moved into a single family home with a large backyard. Last year we purchased a number of plants but some of them seem to be struggling.
I have spent the last few weeks going over various gardening education videos and blogs and have learned that we over water our plants. Apparently some of these plants you should only water once or twice a month. I also got the Plant ID app where you take a picture of a plant and it tells you how to care for it, such as when to fertilize, how many times to water, and whether it's partial sun or full sun.
The other issue is that all of these plants were sitting on the wooden deck. After about a year the wood underneath the plant began to discolor and deteriorate. I'm guessing because it gets no sun and is wet all the time. So I have decided to buy stands and elevate all of our plants. It's a step in the right direction.
I have also decided to re-pot all of our plants. I am buying pots that are slightly larger than what the plant is currently in. I have read that for large plants you want a pot that is 4 or 5 inches larger, and for medium to smaller plants you want a pot that is 2 to 3 inches larger.
So far I have gotten a number of pots, although I worry they may be too big lol. We are new at this and are bound to make some mistakes and it will be a learning process. Would it be that bad if I re-potted the plants in pots that are too big for the plant?
Here's what I've learned so far. When you re-pot plants, you shouldn't disturb the roots. You shouldn't try to spread them apart, just simply leave them as they are. Then after re-potting, soak the plant with lots of water right next to the stem or trunk of the plant, so the roots can absorb it. Since the roots haven't yet spread out you need to water right above the roots, not towards the outside of the pot.
I think our problem with plants is the soil quality. We never fertilized or re-potted plants purchased from nurseries, as you can see in the pictures.
So I have purchased a few bags of the Kellogs organic soil. I also found a compost delivery service. My plan is to re-pot the plants using 3 parts fresh soil, and one part compost. Does that sound about right? I've read to use 75% soil and 25% compost mixed in with the soil.
I have spent some time reading about transplant shock and I think we will be ok. Keep my fingers crossed lol. These plants will love the fresh soil and some fertilizer.
With the larger plants, should I fill the entire pot with soil? Or should I put something at the bottom so I don't have to use so much soil. I have seen a number of ways people do this. Some people use plastic bottles or whatnot. I have seen many videos on youtube that people fill the bottom 1/4 of the pot so they don't have to use as much soil. But won't this reduce the amount of soil space the roots have to grow?
Also, I've read that you should not put gravel/rocks/pebbles at the bottom of your pot. This does not help with drainage and may hurt the plant? Is that true? So just soil all the way to the bottom?
I think I've got the right idea with elevating all the plants. I've read that this allows for better drainage, and better air circulation. Also it will keep our cats off the plants as well.
However it as been challenging to find strong, sturdy stands for some of the heavier plants.
For our 2 trees I don't think I'll be able to elevate them, however I found a clever idea on youtube where people build their own dolly for the plant. So I plan on buying some nice water resistant wood like pine or cedar, and maybe coat it with a sealant, then put together a little dolly with some casters so that I can roll the plant around as I need to.
The goal is to elevate every plant because keeping them on of the wooden deck is destroying the wood. I just want all the plants to thrive and bloom. I want a nice little beginners garden in my backyard.
I think the reason we used to kill our plants all the time was because we were over watering them. We would water them almost every day. We just had this impression that plants needs to be wet all the time, but once I started using the Plant ID app it would tell me to water some of these plants just once or twice a month, which left us in disbelief.
