Large root on WBOP

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dead_thumb Lenexa, KS Mar 06, 2013

I have what I believe is a small White Bird of Paradise. I brought it home about a month ago and it seems to be doing well. It's even got a new shoot growing and the overall color of the plant is getting brighter. It is in one of those pots with the drainage holes in the bottom, but it has a dish type thing that snaps on the bottom. Well this isn't good for drainage so I popped the dish off and there is a huge root circling the bottom of the dish! It came down through the drainage hole. The root is white and thick but it has a little fuzz on the tip and I'm hoping it's not mold or rot. I plan on keeping the dish off the bottom of the pot so the root can dry out but I'm not sure if there's anything else I should do. I worry about changing the pot or anything like that cause of the time of year and other than a huge little bit fuzzy root hanging out the bottom the plant seems fine. Any advise?

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jasminesmom Saugerties, NY(Zone 5a) Mar 10, 2013

Great setup, she's a beauty. I think it would be ok to transplant now, just be careful with the roots.
Christine

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tapla Bay City, MI(Zone 6a) Mar 10, 2013

You can cut the root off flush to the bottom of the container. Any time you work on roots, try to use very sharp tools. If you use dull tools, or tools that crush the roots as they cut then (dull scissors/anvil pruners .....) you are more apt to have to deal with rot issues in the wake of the operation. You can also use cinnamon or flowers of sulfur as a fungicide after working on roots, but it's unnecessary in this case.

Almost all houseplants are best repotted in the month before their most robust growth, so I always set aside time between Father's Day and the 4th of July. Just before the vernal equinox (which is now), most of our plants are at their lowest energy levels of the entire growth cycle, just having endured a long, dull winter. Plants that have plenty of stored energy rebound much faster after repotting.

You can pot up at any point in the growth cycle, but attention should be payed to whether or not the effort imperils the plant by increasing the soil mass when roots are going to colonize the added mass very slowly. This is worthy of mention because it's easy to create a situation that makes it easier for the grower to over-water when you pot up or repot houseplants between Sep-Jun.

In the end, learning to take advantage of timing that finds you repotting or potting up so you're working in harmony with the plant's growth cycle instead of fighting it, is just another part of how we augment our abilities as growers.

Al

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