When to repot cutting

I have a new cutting that looks like it's going to bloom within the next week or so, and continue to do so for a while if the buds that are forming now come in. Some of the buds are farther along than others. The problem is that I've noticed that on this one particular pot I don't have good drainage. I used a potting mix and perlite blend, but it looks like holes in the bottom of the pot are just not good enough and the water drains slowly but the soil never really dries. So at some point I need to remove the plant and add new drain holes or get a new pot. Now is not the time, but should I do it right after it blooms or wait until it goes dormant? It is blooming now in its first season, but hasn't really developed any leaves. Advice appreciated.

I would wait until after it finishes blooming and then step it up a size. Meanwhile, get a pair of clippers and make some more holes in your pot.

When I repot, how should I handle the roots? Should I attempt to shake the soil free, or just put the entire mass, as is, into a new pot with lighter soil? I understand that the roots are delicate.

This message was edited Jul 18, 2006 9:09 PM

MAKE SURE...you need to report....as Hetty suggests..you might want to just make more drainage holes.........however when you do transplant... i would try to keep as much soil as possible attached to it....you might want to gently lay the pot and plant on its side and gently push on the container especially at the bottom to loosen the plant and the roots...don't yank it at all....don't be in a hurry with this...8))

Thanks. It looks like it has a lot of blooms yet, so I will hold off for a while and try to find a way to add more drainage to the pot. Is it safe to assume that the roots have not grown to the outer sides of the pot yet? The leaves are not very big at this stage.

Andidandi, what size pot is it in? What kind of pot is it in? Can you show us a picture of it? It sounds like it is in a well-draining mix. Is it in full sun? If it is in full sun and has leaves, the potting mix should dry out in a day or two, depending upon if you have a lot of humidity there. In general, when flowering, plumerias need a lot of water, but if you have a just-rooted cutting, then it probably has just the start of roots. I would not plan on repotting this year. You can repot next spring. In general, you should wait until your plumie's roots has filled the pot before transplanting. If water is draining out of the drainage holes, then the mix sounds fine.

It's the cutting I posted in the "is my cutting rooted?' thread. The celadine. It's a gallon plastic pot. I probably need to add more soil mix on top. It drains slowly, but never seems to really dry out. I am going to try drilling more holes in. I would like to replace the soil as well, if possible, since it the top of the soil is a little green. I've tried to control the watering, but we're getting a lot of rain. It is getting direct sun for several hours per day.

This message was edited Jul 22, 2006 4:38 PM

Clare,
You'd suggested to me to lessen the amount of soil in the 3 gal...remember? That seemed to do the trick....ALL of mine (yeah, all 5 of them..LOL) are getting all kinds of leaves on them and I don't have the issue with the soil staying wet. Of course it's been hot, hot, hot here as well!! You had a link of who you went thru to get your nursery pots...could you post it again? Maybe Andi could order a few.

Well one gallon is not very big..
STOP! Watering you do not need to water her let her dry a little..
I collect rain water in 5 gallon buckets and seal them with lids..
You can buy these buckets and lids in the paint dept in home depot the lids have a rubber seal to prevent paint from spilling out.
When it is time to water i use the rain water mix with my nutrients and
this causes them to explode..
The plumie will tell you when it is time to repot!!
Her roots will start to protrude at the top of the soil that is when you need to repot..
You do not need to change out the soil it is loaded with nurtients and some of those
precious nutrients take 3 to 4 weeks to breakdown to the point the plumie can use them
so don't throw out that cache of useable nutrients or you will have to start over again..
When you see the roots on top of the soil repot her asap no matter if you got flowers or not.You could always add a little sand to the top if you want to buy her more time on the repotting.
Two things might happen if you don't repot when you see those roots..
Those new roots will get burn from the sun and it will kill the tips of them.
Those new roots will come in contact with that green algae you said you have on top of that soil and it will cause a fungus in the plumie..
If you got physan 20 mix a little on the weak side and spray it on that algae or try to scoop
it out with your hands but i would spray it after you scoop it just to be sure..
I would also elevate the pot off the ground by at least a couple of inches this will allow airflow to flow across the drain holes causing a low pressure under the pot which will
cause the water in the soil to drain quicker out the bottom..
The heat will also rise from the surface where you had her but evenly this time and it will heat the bottom of the pot more efficently..
When she sits on the concrete or other surface the water pools under the pot and keeps the sun off that portion of the surface thus creating a cool spot..
Raise her by a couple of inches and it will dry her much faster..
Think about this!
Why do you think so many bugs live under your pots?
1) They are nocturnal so under the pots provides them with shade to rest during the day.
2) It is a safe place away from the heat while they sleep.
3) They have a unlimited amount of precious water thats been pooling under your pots
which is a perfect place for bacteria and fungus's to thrive..

Have you ever seen those clay pots turn green at the bottom of the pots? This is why.. no airflow and the standing water makes the algae grow from the bottom up..

Hope this helps!
lopaka

I agree with Robert, Andidandi, that you should not repot. I've had and have algae on the top of the soil of some of my containers, and it is harmless. If your plumie is getting too much water from the rain, see if you can move it out of the rain. You said your plumie is getting sun for several hours a day. Ideally, it should have six hours or more. The more sun you can give your plumie, the happier it will be, and the faster that soil will dry. A one-gallon container is not a big pot so it will dry out properly if it is getting enough heat and sun.

I get my pots locally, but there are sites where you can buy them. Here is one place: http://mortonproducts.com/page.cfm/1480 These are the kind of containers that the plumies should be growing in. The drainage holes are perfect on these containers and don't need to be modified.

I'm glad your plumies are doing well, Chantell!

Thanks. The pot has feet that keep the bottom about an inch off of the pavement. I will not repot now. I will just try to add more holes. And I was disappointed to find that the blossoms are falling of completely after about a day of being opened? Is that normal? Is there a commercial name for a product that I can spray on the soil to stop the algae? My local HD doesn't have much beyond the most common products.

Andidandi, you could try spraying/misting some H202 (peroxide) on it, and that should work. Rain can cause buds to drop early, and you said you have been getting a lot of it. Once your soil dries out, the buds should stay on longer. If you can give your plumie more heat and sun, the soil will dry out faster, and the algae problem will clear up on its own.

Thanks. I will try peroxide. And I will pull it inside since it's raining yet again.

I read somewhere never use clay pots...what's up with that?

SB (owner of 5 new unrooted cuttings!)

Well i don't know about this "NEVER" i use them alot for different reasons..
Mainly peeps tell you not to use them because the roots stick to the inside which is true..
Clay pots breathe and allow air to pass thru so it is good for the soil..
Sometimes i have to use them because it gets so hot down here the black plastic pots burn the roots...
I use them for areas prone to high winds because the plastics pots can be too light for a big cutting..
The clay pots will tell you if your plumie is getting too much salt aka the white film on the outside of the pot..
Basically i use both and sometimes i don't even use a pot at all. :)
It all depends on your needs...

I really messed this one up. After blooming for a while, the rest of the blooms browned and fell unopened. Was it the water?

Andi, can you post a picture of this one the way it looks now? Does it have leaves? I can't remember from the previous thread and don't have time to go read it again. Is this one rooted? If it is a cutting that is rooting still, sometimes it doesn't have enough energy to continue blooming so the flowering will abort while it forms roots. This is not a bad thing. You want your plant to have a good root system for the future. When it is finished rooting, it will put on new growth, including new branches. It will probably flower again for you next spring.

I will post a cutting this weekend. It does have leaves. It bloomed a while, and then just quit. So you may be right.

Okay, if it has leaves, then it probably has roots, and if I remember correctly, you have a Celadine, which is hard to kill. It is probably just aborting flowering in order to more fully develop a root system. If your plant otherwise looks healthy, I wouldn't be too concerned.

That's the one. At least I got to see it bloom. And there were a lot of blossoms on the way, so it looks like it will at least branch out a bit.

In spite of everything, it seems to be sending up some more blooms.

Yay!