Okay, I know you all have to be getting sick of my questions, but hopefully someone else is wondering the same things... I am dumbfounded by this, but I just noticed on several of my cuttings that were started in one-gallon pots, that there are roots poking out of the bottom. Do they need to be moved up to bigger pots??? I have some five-gallons in anticipation of Spring, but I'm running out of room! HELP!!! Thank you!!! Gretchen
Here is an overall picture of what they're looking like today...
I think they will be fine,they seem to like a cramped rootball.
I love all the pictures and questions,that is the only way to learn.;0)
Thanks Root! So they will be okay until I can move them outside, you think? I appreciate your speedy response!!! Gretchen
Look good to me, you sure know how to grow them.
They look very healthy!!!
That is the best thing about DG,someone is always here,looking or lurking!
It is good to get a couple of opinions on things,sometimes I don't feel I am the right person to answer questions,but I will toss an opinion in every now and then,(on the easy things,LOL)
Gretchen, your cuttings are looking fantastic. Sure wish I had a greenhouse to keep mine. It makes all the difference in the world how they do. They ought to really take off once you repot them and are able to move them outside. For a newbie you sure are doing good.
Thanks Sylvia, Hibiscus and Root! I guess I was blessed to have inherited my love of this from my Mother and both Grandmothers! I'm just so thankful for all of you here at DG for helping me get started and with the brugs, and now answering all my crazy questions!!!
Sylvia: Did you ever look into one of those enclosed shelf unit type greenhouses?
Gretchen, I leave mine in gallon pots until they require so much water that I can't keep up with watering. Then I will move them up to something bigger, or clean the root ball and just repot into the same container with new soil. If you are going to grow them in the ground, I'd try not to put them in a bigger pot. That will just make digging the hole a bigger job.
Your plants look great. Do not worry about the roots coming out,they probably will dry up ,that process is what nursery's call air-pruning the roots.
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Thank you Shirley and Scoot. I was planning on putting them in 5-gallon containers with holes drilled in the sides and then sinking the entire thing in the ground so I can retrieve them before the first frost, but I'm not ready to do that due to lack of space in my little greenhouse...
Gretchen, what all do you have in your GH? Is that orchids and Crown of Thorns I see in there too? They really look nice. Did you build your own GH or was it a kit?
I am looking for something really simple to put up since we will be moving again in a few years....
Dee
Gretchen: roots poking out the drain holes indicate the plant is rooting well. If you had a plant on soft ground, the roots would continue growing through the drain holes and anchor themselves to the ground below. By placing them on a shelf above ground the roots stay inside the pot and continue developing inside. Growers avoid placing their pots directly on soil. Placing them above ground is said to "air prune" the roots. When the top growth looks fairly large, then you should consider repotting it into a larger pot to prevent root binding. The plant grows better and faster when it's time to plant it outdoors if its roots are fairly loose and not rootbound in a tight ball.
Dee: Its a little 6x10 portable that we bought last summer. I started a thread about it, so I won't go into a lot of detail here. We wanted to see how much I would use one before taking the plunge on a permanent structure. Well, as you can see I outgrew it almost immediately LOL. To answer your other question: I have 15 Christmas cacti in reds, pinks and white; Many spyder plants and babies; six trays of seedlings; 2 Crown of Thorns; 5 rather large geraniums -- 2 deep dark pink and 3 lighter pink, plus 24 starts from these; All the brugs; 2 moth orchids; A huge planter filled with tropicals and assorted impatiens; three amaryllis... I can't think of what else, but it IS chock-a-block full, and I have loved it. Now we are ready to do the real deal -- hopefully this fall :)
http://davesgarden.com/t/407165/
Mainfrog: My thought was to plant these in five-gallon pots this Spring and sink the entire pot in the ground to take advantage of the soaker hose setup (we travel in the Summer and I don't want to give a brug watering responsibility to someone else). I have heard from a couple of people here that they leave them in the one-gallon pots and sink those in the ground. That doesn't seem large enough to me, but I am so new to this...The reason to leave them in the pots is to move them back to shelter before winter. Thanks for your help!
