Pea Gravel

Can you put pea gravel on top of houseplants to give them mositure? I was thinking of get some but it comes in 20 pound bags I do have quite a few plants so that doesn't mater . The rest I can put outside. I think if I did get it I would have to wash it off too. What do you think

I think maybe I would wash pea gravel, they say to wash pots and use sterile potting mixes, so maybe , just in case. Rocks, some peat mosses, tumbled glasses, all thoses things help hold moisture. Pretty too!

Sure you can, but technically, it only helps conserve moisture by slowing evaporation from the soil surface - not necessarily a good thing (I'll expand if you want). White, crushed granite works better though. It reflects additional light to the underside of leaves. It's sold at feed stores as "grower grit" or "starter grit". It's also a wonderful soil amendment for any who tend to over-water.

Al

Thanks Al for staightening me out, I really just put stuff in ther cause it's purdy!

Speaking of Gravel, I don't know if this topic has been addressed in this forum or not, what is the deal with the box stores putting out plants with gravel or pea stone imbedded in some type of epoxy covering the surface of the soil on what would have been a nice looking plant. I first observed this disturbing trend at our local Costco a couple of months ago on some beautiful dwarf type of palm and another plant that I can't remember the name of. I would have bought one of the plants at the time, but I could not figure out how I would ever repot it in the future. I also could not tell how I would ever know if I needed to water or not. It is sort of like putting a plant in a container and paving the top of the soil in concrete right up to the base of the plant. I just don't get it. Anyhow, this weekend I just noticed the same thing was done at Home Depot. They had the ZZ Plant and a beautiful Sandsiveria (probably spelled wrong) potted in the same kind of way. The only thing I can think of is that they may ship better and people may like the look of the snow white pea gravel "paving mix." I just don't know how you can properly care for a plant presented in such a manner. If anyone can offer any insight on this or direct me to where this topic has been discussed before, I would be obliged.

My thought is they do it to make it easier to ship, that way if the pot tips over all the stones and soil won't fall out. Personally I don't think it would be good to leave the pot like that, I would find a way to remove the stone layer off the top.

Purchasers of mallsai (store-bought bonsai) lament this practice regularly. I agree with the above posters that it is a way to keep soil mass intact & the plants secure in the container for shipping purposes. It also looks neat & tidy for those predisposed to that look. They should be removed at an early opportunity.

Al

I love that term - Mallsai. LOL I had never heard it before. It seems as if to get rid of that layer of junk you would need a cold-chisel and a three-pound hammer. It looks and feels impenetrable.

I have found no harm in leaving the glued gravel in place. If it isn't to my liking then I remove it but it seems okay to leave it alone. I have one of the mallsai sago palms in a shallow tray for the past 3 years with no ill effects other than poor light in winter.

I just wish I knew what they used to create this mixture so I could do it to some of my other pots. It keeps the gravel from falling out but it is porous which allows me to water.

I did get the Pea Gravel and I put on only a few plants I also have one of those Moisture Meters so to check my plants to see if they are dry I can just stick in the dirt and water

This is an update In April I was trying something with pea gravel and I had put it on some of my plants this is taken in July but yesterdau I did check they haven't died I think they
Dimmer/Kim

This is them today still healthly

Hchcdole-Do I understand correctly? You pour water on top of the epoxy and it goes down to water the Plant? I looked at them and couldn't figure out how to water them. They look very neat and clean. Lou

I have no idea what you mean I was just trying something here to see what wood happen to my plants there is soil that they are planted in then I put pea gravel on top of the dirt then I just water them I have a water Meter to see if too dry or too wet I water the stone and then the dirt gets wet.
I have no idea what I am doing or even why but I did have time off and thought I try something different just to see what would heppen if they wood grow faster better still have no good information I should hve strted a pictur in April when I first started You can see that the ordich has gotten bigger
Dimmer/kim
The top one is now and the bottom one is in July

This message was edited Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Lou, that is correct - I just watered right on top of the "glued" gravel. Over time it dissolves (maybe a year or two). My daughter got me a cycad in a bonsai pot a couple of Xmas ago and I see that the "glue" has all dissolved leaving the very small gravel (aquarium gravel?) behind. The cycad might have had a small area with long fiber sphagnum that acted as a wick included (can't swear to it).

I 've also had other small plants in the same situation which seemed okay while I kept it in its original pot. I have used gravel for some years but being loose, it may spill out if I carry a pot in one hand and it tilts, so that is one reason I like this type of mulch - it stays in place.

Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense, but it seemed so hard, that I couldn't envision the water getting thru it. I really like the way they look. Lou