Here are some pics, this plant is badly root bound and I know it needs to be repotted. But, are those flower buds and will they fall off if I stress the plant by repotting it? I want to give it time to adjust to the new pot before winter sets in.
Cheryl
Those are flower buds! If you are careful and don't disturb the roots too much, the buds should survive. Is that a 1 gallon pot? The biggest danger in winter is root rot due to over watering or having the water stay in the pot too long. Soil, that doesn't have roots growing in it, will retain water for a longer period of time and leave the roots starved for oxygen. It's the lack of oxygen that kills the roots. To prevent this problem, you want the roots to fill the entire pot even if the soil is thinly populated. I would go with a pot diameter of 14" or less. You can alway re-pot in the spring.
Thanks for the information. I think I will repot in a slightly larger pot and make sure I use soil that drains quickly. The plant will stay outside on my patio and I can bring it in during cold snaps and even nightly if needed. I am hoping next spring to put it into a larger pot and keep it out near the pool with some other potted plants. I really only bought this plant because it was half price and because I had read some posts from this forum. My thinking is I will wait for it to bloom just to see what they look like then repot.
Cheryl
