Hello,
I was just looking for advice, as I am fairly new to caring for succulents.
I have a few cacti and succulents that have outgrown their pots and so need repotting. I have managed to find some pots which are the perfect diameter, but unfortunately, they are quite deep. I would like to ask:
1st - If it is possible for the soil in a pot to ever be too deep for a succulent and
2nd - As I would like to save on soil, if there is anything that I could put on the bottom so I do not have to use so much? E.g. sand, gravel etc. One of the cacti I bought came in a pot that had a plastic tray underneath. I did remove this and add soil (as in this case it was so high up it gave the roots hardly any room to grow) but could this be an option for my new pots if it was lower down?
If, of course, it's better to just fill the whole pot with soil I would be happy to do so as my plants come first
I greatly appreciate your help!
Repotting Advice
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Re: Repotting Advice
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Last edited by Ron43 on Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Repotting Advice
It's generally not recommended to have c&S in pots which are too large, as they tend to dry out more slowly. You could use large stones or pebbles in the base of the posts to reduce the amount of compost you use, which would help the pots dry out quicker. Mix the stones with the compost you use, so there isn't an abrupt transition from pure compost to pure stones.
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Re: Repotting Advice
You can't totally judge by the height of the plant - some low-growing plants from extremely dry regions have deep roots, some have a long tap root that requires a deep pot. Go by the size of the plant's root ball, the volume of the new pot should be just a little larger then that.
Bottom watering has advantages, problem is buildup of salts in the soil is quicker since you're not flushing any out when you water. Using rain water or distilled water, and little or no fertilizer, can help - otherwise you need to leach the soil frequently, which involved thoroughly soaking it. See: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/watering ... ouseplants
Bottom watering does avoid the perched water table - see: http://gardening.stackexchange.com/ques ... ater-table
That saturation zone in the bottom of the pot is why you wait until your plants are thirsty before you water - they'll take up the excess water quickly and it won't stay soaked long. Using coarse grit in the potting mix lowers the level of the PWT. Growing in pure grit pretty much eliminates it, but it contains no fertility - you need to feed often. Some get good results growing this way, though.
Putting some rocks in the bottom of the pot, as esp_imaging describes, also helps by reducing the volume of mix in the saturation zone. I agree that you don't want a distinct layer of different material in the bottom of the pot - water will not cross the boundary between the layers until it's saturated on one side of it. You'll get a PWT above that layer, drainage will be worse. You need some of the potting mix between the rocks all the way to the bottom of the pot to provide drainage channels.
Bottom watering has advantages, problem is buildup of salts in the soil is quicker since you're not flushing any out when you water. Using rain water or distilled water, and little or no fertilizer, can help - otherwise you need to leach the soil frequently, which involved thoroughly soaking it. See: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/watering ... ouseplants
Bottom watering does avoid the perched water table - see: http://gardening.stackexchange.com/ques ... ater-table
That saturation zone in the bottom of the pot is why you wait until your plants are thirsty before you water - they'll take up the excess water quickly and it won't stay soaked long. Using coarse grit in the potting mix lowers the level of the PWT. Growing in pure grit pretty much eliminates it, but it contains no fertility - you need to feed often. Some get good results growing this way, though.
Putting some rocks in the bottom of the pot, as esp_imaging describes, also helps by reducing the volume of mix in the saturation zone. I agree that you don't want a distinct layer of different material in the bottom of the pot - water will not cross the boundary between the layers until it's saturated on one side of it. You'll get a PWT above that layer, drainage will be worse. You need some of the potting mix between the rocks all the way to the bottom of the pot to provide drainage channels.
Spence
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Re: Repotting Advice
Thats great greenknight and esp_imaging . Thank you ever so much for your help, I will give it a try!