A collection of repotting photos
Snapshots of what I find in pots
While rescuing two large Money Trees for a Nail Salon in Cedar Park, I discovered these two empty pen caps buried deep in the soil. While I was surprised, I wasn't surprised that the they were in the money tree that was struggling the most. Don't put plastic with your plant roots, people!
It got me wondering: How did they get there? What are some of the craziest things I've seen? And what did I remember to photograph? Here's a fun blog post with some crappy pictures from my phone. This is to educate and entertain, not wow with photos from my fancy camera.
Why is Repotting so Important?
Look at the Rootball on this poor Pothos. You can see that the roots are coiling around the edge of the root ball, trying to find a way out of their pot prison! Look how thick the roots are around the edge. That's not what we want!
Instead, we want to see mostly soil with a couple of little root edges flirting around. This pothos needed a new pot.
Pot-bound plants aren't healthy
I wonder why this Desert Rose had a little plastic hammer in it? It's one of those unsolved mysteries.
Regardless though, you can see that the roots in this Desert Rose were spiraling around the edge of the pot, looking for a way to get free and join the soil it desperately sought out. The result? that gnarly mass of roots all around the edge of the root ball
After a lot of love, words of affirmations, and wriggling out the roots with a screwdriver to detangle them, the Desert Rose ended up in a larger pot. It bloomed profusely from that point on
When is it time to repot a container?
This ginger was in a container for several years and never seemed to get any bigger. It was getting slowly sad, so the Plant Doctor leapt into action. After a long fight and the help of a flat head screwdriver, I managed to wrestle these roots apart, and plant the ginger where it wanted to be: in the ground!Here are some key signs that your plant is root bound:
- If you find that no matter how much you water, it gets thirsty quickly
- See roots poking out of the drainage holes in the bottom? If there's more than a few, get a new pot!
- If you have a plastic pot, you'll notice the plastic start to bend and warp as the roots fight to get through
If you're seeing these, you might just find that your plant is more ROOTS than SOIL beneath the surface of its pot. Remember: the plants are only as healthy as their soil conditions. So don't be afraid to break up those roots!
If you're unsure about whether to repot a plant or not, don't hesitate to contact us for a free quote!
