Growing Tips forum: Thorough watering is important!
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| Often my plants get quite tight in the pots and I try NOT to pot them UP too fast. But it IS important to water all the way into the center of the pot, especially when fertilizing. So, this is my system: every spring around this time, I put the hoyas, either individually or in a tray, in about 1" of water; I put aged chicken manure on them (about 2 tablespoons for a 4"pot) and then I water it in. I water them twice and let them sit in the water for a couple of minutes and then I water again. I drain the pots and put them back where they belong. It takes me a long time to do this...but the plants LOVE it and even after 2 days I see a lot of new growth. If I doubt a pot has totally sucked up enough water, I tip it out of the pot to check...and if it is still dry, I will repot it one size up. As I am trying to sell the majorite of my smaller potted plants, I don't want to make them too heavy with new soil.... If I unpot a plant that hasn't been thoroughly watered for a while....the roots are often rotted at the bottom about halfway down the pot. This condition makes me really cranky!  Watering the chicken manure in well reduces the smell and it really isn't bad at all.  Leap. The net will appear. |
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Case in point...took this photo yesterday as I watered....and checked my pots. IF the pot seems tight (with roots) I often suspect the water didn't stick around long and ran down the sides. This usually requires another watering. If I am still in doubt or concerned, I tip the plant out of the pot and check. This photo shows one side of the root ball got wet all the way thru...the other side (right side) is dry. OOOOOPs. So I stick the rootball back in the pot, stand it in a dish of water and pour more water through it.... Leap. The net will appear. |
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| Good job, Carol. Lots to learn from experience. |
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| Carol thanks for the info!! |
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| good mix carol! |
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| I came across this thread just now (randomly browsing Cubits I haven't visited in far too long). I've also found that it can be hard to water hoyas or other fairly rootbound plants in hanging baskets (spider plants, for example, seem to do especially well when rootbound). I don't know if this would work for the more finicky hoya varieties, but I like to soak my hanging baskets, not just water from the top. I take the basket down, place it in a deep bowl, and pour water (with or without fertilizer, depending on the plant) onto the plant and into the bowl. I'll let it sit in the water for at least a couple hours to get thoroughly hydrated. I have a couple hoyas in my upstairs bathroom that get watered every so often in the tub... I just leave several inches in the bottom of a tub after I have a bath and "float" the pots in the tub... as the soil mix soaks up water, the pots will sink, so you don't want the water to be deeper than the pots are tall. (If the pot ends up submerged, soil will float away, and you'll end up with a mucky mess in the tub.) Circles of Support for Breast Cancer I'm learning to dance in the rain! Thank you, Sally & Chris. |
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| Critter....great advice!!!! It is really important that the root balll is completely wet!!! Leap. The net will appear. |
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