I recently repotted 7 plumerias from one gallon pots to I think 4 gallon pots, maybe 3 gallon, not quite sure on the size, and since they've been repotted, even with the l00 degree weather , I repoteed them about 4 weeks ago, I've only had to water them about 3 times, when they were in gallon pots, I watered them every day, Is the pot too big? holding too much water for too long like that, will it harm the plants? they are growing like crazy now, and doing so much better, I"ve fertilized them once while they were in those new pots. But the dirt on top of the soil is contstantly wet, and they are in 3/4 sunshine all day. seems kind of odd that they don't dry out.
question on plumerias
Too large a pot will cause root rot in the wintertime
It is best to step up a little at a time
There is much debate on this
I personally would rather water ever other day and know its drying out in between than to see it moist for days on end
I have lost plants to rot and I was really bummed
2- japanese lanterns
1- Pink Pansy
1- Dwarf Singapore Pink with color break
I do understand malestrom and would have to agree, ARGH I bought those pots for those plumies, live and learn.
Fill the 'dead' space at teh bottom with 3/4 inch crushed stone
Followed by a fine layer of small pebbles then your soil.
Just dont try to lift them LOL!!
I do this in 3 & 5 gallon buckets.
Hmmm, 100 degree weather, growing like crazy, and doing so much better...and worried? Seriously? A one-gallon to a three-gallon container is not overpotting. A one-gallon to a five-gallon is not overpotting. A one-gallon to a ten-gallon is over potting. Your plants sound like they are fine. They won't rot in this season unless they are submerged in a pond of cold water for several weeks. If you've only fertilized once in three weeks, you may want to fertilize more often until fall for optimum growth and blooms next season. Newly transplanted plants need time to adjust to their new surroundings. Just be delighted that you get to water less for a little while. I have to water my 10-gallons every day as they dry out every day, and they are begging for 25-gallon containers. I'm actually jealous of the people who don't have to water every day!
This message was edited Aug 7, 2006 10:44 PM
Oops, sorry about your losses, Michael!
I would have to disagree with Malestrom's advice on rocks in the bottom of pots. Rocks in the bottom of containers do not improve drainage. They instead act to increase the height of the perched water table, decrease the volume of available soil for the roots, and possibly increase the odds of root rot.
The "dead" space in the bottom of the container acts as a wick to remove the perched water table from the root zone. Using rocks effectively removes this wick.
Tapla explains it better than I could: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/527353/
Too much soil in the bottom of a pot below the roots causes a swamp effect and plumeria roots dont like it.
During the heat of summer it wont be an issue
When temps cool and evaporation and growth slow down the soil in the bottom stays wet and will certainly cause rot.
Keep in mind, any tips or advice I give are proven for my zone
Your warmer climate certainly requires different parameters for soil composition as well as watering.
Plumeria are very zone specific.
Michael, I have to disagree with you on that one too. At one time it was thought that coarse material in the bottom improved drainage, and perhaps when people were using garden soil it did, but the most recent studies have proven that with today's lighter soil-less mixes you will not have that benefit but actually move that swamp up to the top of the rock layer. This is not climate specific information but some obscure physical principle.
I do not understand why this would be true but in the past year or two someone always brings this up at seminars and I have heard this theory from different and well respected professionals at each meeting.
edited because I can't spell :-(((
This message was edited Aug 8, 2006 11:12 AM
Thank you all for your wonderful words of wisdom, I will fertilize again too, I am sweltering in this heat and little time in the evening or morning these days, I wish I could go out and enjoy them any time of the day. Ha!! Don't we all.
kathy
I have watched my buckets drain using both methods
I also use a professional quality moisture meter.
My results are documented lol!!
Edited to add:
I also havent lost a single one to rot since changing to this method
This message was edited Aug 8, 2006 9:54 PM
I just re-read my post from last night, and I sound a bit grumpy, and I apologize to Kathy for that. This is an interesting discussion about the rocks at the bottom, and I don't use them, but some people do to keep their containers from blowing over and to improve drainage. Thank you so much for that link, stressbaby. I have bookmarked it to read later. It looks very interesting, and I wouldn't have seen it if you hadn't posted it.
OH Clare, I never thought twice about your post, your fine.
This is interesting isn't it. I learn alot every where I go
kathy
Oh, good! I can get crabby this late. It's usually when I am posting when I should be doing the dishes or something! Ha!
Here are a couple of links that describe perched water table (PWT):
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/ornamentals/floriculture/aeration.pdf
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-weeds/feature_articles/physical_properties/physical_properties.html
Light reading for a Wednesday night!
Basically, the rocks serve to make the container more shallow and to elevate the PWT.
SB
Good reading!
It seems the 2 conditions leading to Perched water table syndrome are
1- Moisture retentiveness of your medium
2- Soil Porosity
My medium is only 1/3 potting soil
the other 2/3 is chicken grit
While my soil has a fair amount of moisture retention it is only 1/3 of the mix
The entire mix drains rapidly and the remaining moisture is quickly absorbed by the roots of the plumeria.
After watering my plants through with a good soaking it only takes about 7 or 8 hours for the soil to be dry again.
On a really hot day it takes around 4 or 5
Malestrom,
I suspect that you have had no ill effects from the rocks because your medium, as a result of the large particle size of the grit, has a negligible perched water table.
I did Tapla's wick experiment using my coconut husk chip medium. I set up four 1 gallon pots, two with Promix (standard potting soil out of the bag) and two with CHC:peat 4:1.5 ratio. I measured the difference in weight between the pot saturated just after watering and the weight 16 hours later, with and without a wick, in each growing media. The difference between the decrease in weight without a wick and the decrease in weight with a wick would represent the amount of water the wick effectively removed from the PWT(ie, the size of the PWT).
Here are my results. For the saturated figure (weight immediately after watering), I averaged two measurements.
Promix without wick
Saturated 1458g
16 hours later 1318g
Drainage 140g (140ml)
Promix with wick
Saturated 1525g
16 hours later 1322g
Drainage 203g (203ml)
Therefore the wick effectively removed 63ml of water from the PWT of a 1 gallon pot in 16 hours.
CHC without wick
Saturated 1183g
16 hours later 1068g
Drainage 115g (115ml)
CHC with wick
Saturated 1109g
16 hours later 992g
Drainage 117g (117ml)
The wick had virtually no effect on the CHC. Presumably this is because the larger particle size in the CHC lowers the PWT to a negligible level, and there is nothing for the wick to remove.
Malestrom, I bet that if you did this experiment using your grit medium, that you would have the same results.
It sounds like what I already knew without all the terms LOL!
I havent had any trouble since changing my mix.
Prior to the change I had lost Plumies in both deep and short buckets.
My days of root rot are over. ;^)