My life, these days has been VERY dull. Somedays I repot hoyas, and on other days I repot hoyas and once in a while I get to repot hoyas!!! ARGHHHhhhh. And I am very glad to be doing it.
While it may seem like warm to you...to a hoya, temperatures in the mid 60's, with no sun and RAIN, and cold winds coming off 14,000 mountains - it's COLD. So to add to the problem of the cocochip/too much fertilizer, we have soggy rotting roots.
The interesting thing is that in a tray of 20 plants, all started from the same plant, treated to the SAME conditions - half of them has to be trimmed back (roots) and potted down a size, and the other half had huge healthy roots. Go figger. Only about 12 more trays to go... And it's not just changing the media: The pot is tipped, and the plant comes out with the soil which lands in a big bowl. The roots are gently shaken and losened...then the rootball/roots are soaked in clean water with Hormex. Any rot is cut away, lower portion of the rooting stem is inspected...healthy? Alive?, then the plant is repotted!. We have filled 3 large garbage bins with 'old' media. A few NEW lessons learned:
If you do use slow release in your pot, check a couple of pots before reapplying. It had been cool enough that the triple 14mixed in the media had not released completely, so when we top dressed, it was overkill. The salts became concentrated.
The leaves alone on a plant do not necessarily indicate root problems... One of my dischidias, looking very healthy, blooming....un potted it and the whole root system was gone!!! I will certainly tip out my plants from time to time to see that they are growing happily and there are no problems. Just for my own satisfaction, I trial snipped a number of root systems....most were healthy. What we could, we put on the heat mats... Everyone is going to get Eleanors foliarly in about a week.... then...? I think I will stick to DynaGrow, half strength foliarly. Does anyone know of a good Fish Fertilizer that has total macros and micros?
So...once everyone is repotted, hopefully tomorrow, we just wait around for warm weather....never thought I would say that....:>(
How many pots can a potter pot....
Tough break, having to repot everything at once. About how many plants do you have in the greenhouse? Too many, I'm guessing you feel right about now.
I know that's one job you really can't ever fudge, you have to take each plant and examine it thoroughly. Repotting is definitely a time to commune with the plants, look at them up-side down, squeeze the stems, leaves, poke at the roots, get the lay of the land.
Are you sure you want to use fish emulsion? I guess you must have smelled it before, and know what you're in for. I think rotting fish chum is probably one of my least favorite smells to date, but as Shakespeare said (or maybe it was Oprah), "to each their own".
Hope it warms soon,
Mark
Your comments on the process of repotting is so 'right on'. I feel like a plastic surgeon....or a 'grooming monkey' searching, probing....
Well, David Liddle switched to a Fish Emulsion every 3 months. The link to the Emulsion looked great!~!!...called Charlies Carp...a company with the exclusive rights to harvest the invasive English carp that is invading (has invaded) waterways in Australia...very well balanced fert. I don't live in the GH and if it is every 3 months...showers can take care of that, no? Of couse, David is growing for vegetaive material...so high N is perfect...but the formula seems very balanced. I think it is www.charliescarp.com Alaska FF is really awfully high in the N and I have so many small plants ready to bloom....I will probably stick with DynaGro... I have been stung with being a 'Jewish Hoya Mother'...hard to find Chicken Soup for them...but I have blasted them with kindness!!!