I really appreciated this information from Marcy and Ann, so I thought I would just start a new thread that folks could add to describing their ideas and things they use to make growing plants easier.
Thanks,
Ann
Mairzee_dotes
Long Beach, CA
Jun 15, 2006
7:40 AM
I have purchased a lot of plants in those types of pots. They seem to do alright in them, although I have worried about the same thing as you. Sometimes I have tipped them to one side & found a lot of water comes draining out, so you do have to be careful with over watering. If the plants roots are big enough to fill the pot pretty much, then I would say it is not a concern. (Rootbound plants seem to do great in them as it gives a little extra water so it can absorbe it back up instead of just all draining out.) If there is a lot fo extra room around the roots, I think I would add some holes. Also I have one of those that I just poked out the hole on the middle of the inside plastic thing (just to make sure the weight of the plant didn't push it against the hole & stop all drainage period. Ha.)
Go ahead & pot it up & then watch for drainage. If you don't see it...start adding your own holes. (easy to do by heating up an old ice pick or sharp thing (I have an old electical probe I use) on the stovetop burner & then burning a hole in the plastic..(don't breath the fumes).
Marcy
upanatemat3am
Central Point, OR
Jun 15, 2006
8:14 AM
Hey Ms kitty; I was about to give you some good advice but see Mairzee_dotes already beat me to it. An old ice pick that I picked up at the"Good Will" store has become one of the really great gadgets that I can't do without (to burn extra holes in pots that need more drainage) in my greenhouse, along with about 10 other kitchen gadgets, which includes an old wire type potato masher to mix my potting mix, a small pickle fork to loosen and aeriate the soil around the base of my plants, a big sifter or colander that has a million uses and scads of other things that disappear out of my kitchen and mysteriously appear in my greenhouse. Someday soon I will write an article in "Fraterna" about all the wonderful gadgets that I have found uses for.
Ann Wayman
Hoya & Houseplant Useful Tools
Nothing to add, but good idea!!
I usually make DH drag out the drill to add extra drain holes in pots for me but the heated ice pick punching through the plastic sounds so much more theraputic.......if you know what I mean.
Edited to correct spelling....
This message was edited Jun 15, 2006 10:00 PM
I use a pencil to poke a hole in the soil to stick a cutting. The same pencil I use to write on the tag.
And a handheld dustpan is great for mixing components of my potting mix! (Put the heavy stuff on top - or last - and it mixes faster). My potting bench is about 5' x 5' with a huge pile of mixed media in the back. I also use the dustpan to scoot a small pile of mixed medium towards me.
I think I would LOVE the hot icepick - heh heh heh
This might seem a no-brainer (but, it took me a while to figure out).
Instead of using a sharpie or ink pen to write on a tag, use a pencil because the lead doesn't fade in the sunlight like ink does.
Yes, before I became a plant addict (back when I had a life..ha), I never used markers for the few plants I had. Then when I started collecting a few, I went out & got the best sharpie I could & a bunch of fancy tags. Twas no time at all that all my fancy lettering was GONE from all the tags. Ugh!
Had to redo them all in plain # 2 pencil. Best thing for long lasting words.
....and to think I laughed to Paul when I saw a nurseryman using a pencil on the tag. Said to myself, "Well, I will have to redo that one when I get home with my super duper everlasing pens. " Ha Ha.
Marcy
Case in point: a whole tray of new cuttings and all the tags are blanks because the ink has faded! David and Iris Liddle have a pen (I couldn't find it there) that does NOT fade). Pencils for me!!! The best....#6B!
Carol
A moisture meter!!! This is the best thing I ever bought! All I have to do is stick it in the pot. If it reads inbetween dry and moist, I water. If it reads moist or wet, I leave it alone. No more sticking my finger in the soil of one, then another and not being sure if the moisture was from the previous plant or not. Also, this baby was less than 5 bucks at the HD. My local tropical plant specialty store still touts the "chopstick method" as the most technologically advanced method of checking moisture levels - I don't think so!
"Chopstick method"?? what is that?
I too have been using those moisture meters for the past year or so and don't know how I lived without them. Some cactus guy had them at a show I was at & pointed out that if you have all those rocks or stones on the top as topdressing, it is almost impossible to tell by weight or finger method wheather the plant needs water or not. Well...other than some cactus things I have, I usually don't use topdressing or stones, however, I bought one & loved it. It is amazing how wrong I have been about the wetness of some plants until I stick that thing in there. Ha.
Trouble is...I have plants in every room, and every side of the house so I was constantly looking for where I left it last. NOW....I have one near every plant grouping. Ha. Like you say..they are fairly cheap and easy to get at any Lowes or Home Depot.
My new toy from Charlies Greenhouse is a meter that gives me: Light, Moisture,pH and fertilizer levels... I carry it in a little holster and flip it out all the time!!!
Tell us more about this superb toy, Carol. Is it easy to use?
EASY? You bet! You simply move the lever to which reading you want and it takes it... You do have to stick the prongs into the pot....I am sure they have it in their catalogue.....