BillsBayou
Chumono
Sometimes I do the wrong thing just because. Let's repot a couple tropicals at the end of November in an untested inorganic soil mix.
The trees are cuttings from the past couple of years. One a ficus salicaria, the other a ficus microcarpa "Green Island".
The soil is a variation of the APL mix; akadama, pumice, lava rock. The akadama is being replaced. Sedimentary clinoptilolite has a very high cation exchange; higher than akadama. It can have colors ranging from pale green to rust. Here is an equal parts blend of clinoptilolite, pumice, and red lava rock (CPL). It looks better wet.
These are small cuttings in whatever soil I had handy at the time. And a bunch of weeds.
The salicaria is missing roots on one side of the base. Oh well. I'll do something about that some other time. The little carrot-like tubers on the left are why I can't get rid of some weeds by pulling at them. Little bastards.
The green island ficus has a long root and a seriously ugly base. Again, that can wait for some other time.
For one hole pots, anchor the tie-down wire to a scrap of wire below the pot. Don't anchor it to the screen. (Yes, I know you already know this. I'm not telling you this. I'm telling that guy over there.)
The screen is 1/8" hot-dip hardware cloth. The zinc in the coating helps keep the screen clear of roots that may clog the pot. However, these are ficus. They'll grow roots through anything. The screen has it's own tie-down wire.
This is a bad pot from a bad company. You might not see it, but there are indentations in the base of the pot. Those are above the feet of the pot. Indentations hold water and promote root rot. These happen to be small, so no worries. Also, ficus, so, yeah. But on larger pots, this can be a real issue for more sensitive trees. Don't buy those pots.
The salicaria should fit fine in this pot.
All chopsticked in. Trees in round pots should be placed in the center. However, this is partly a test of the soil, so who cares?
Not so bad for a soil test at the wrong time of the year. I'll likely stick it in another nursery pot at some time. Or throw it out because I'm killing it.
One long piece of hardware cloth because I couldn't be bothered to cut it in two.
Another bad pot with indentations. They're okay to use as gifts just to get rid of them.
The tree looks over-potted. How did that happen? Oh yeah. I put the trees in the opposite pots from my initial intent. I need to find a better pot for this tree.
The root outside the pot was trimmed from the much-too-long root. Hopefully the cut will encourage ramification. If I didn't trim the root, it would likely keep running around in circles in the pot. Just not THIS pot.
I like this pot better. There are no indentations, either.
From an earlier photo, you may notice that there is a fat root coming out 90° from the base of the tree. I want to use that as the obtuse side of a leaning style. The tree will be on the left side of the pot leaning right. To position it better, I've created anchor points using thick wire. The humps in the base wire are there to hold the tree's anchor wires. Too much work, really. But once I get an idea in my head, I want to see it through. I'm using copper for the tree's anchor wires. I need copper's strength for this positioning and lean.
And it still looks more centered than I'd like. However...
If you count that fat root as part of the tree's positioning (I do), then the tree is off to the side.
Don't adjust your monitor. The greenhouse bench is tilting for drainage. I. Any case, here are the two trees I potted at the wrong time of the year in an experimental soil. If the trees don't make it, I'll try using the soil again in the spring.
If you're not happy with the color of the CPL soil, you can always apply a top dressing of whatever suits your needs.
For now, they'll sit in the greenhouse during the day and in the house at night. I'll post updates if requested.
The trees are cuttings from the past couple of years. One a ficus salicaria, the other a ficus microcarpa "Green Island".
The soil is a variation of the APL mix; akadama, pumice, lava rock. The akadama is being replaced. Sedimentary clinoptilolite has a very high cation exchange; higher than akadama. It can have colors ranging from pale green to rust. Here is an equal parts blend of clinoptilolite, pumice, and red lava rock (CPL). It looks better wet.
These are small cuttings in whatever soil I had handy at the time. And a bunch of weeds.
The salicaria is missing roots on one side of the base. Oh well. I'll do something about that some other time. The little carrot-like tubers on the left are why I can't get rid of some weeds by pulling at them. Little bastards.
The green island ficus has a long root and a seriously ugly base. Again, that can wait for some other time.
For one hole pots, anchor the tie-down wire to a scrap of wire below the pot. Don't anchor it to the screen. (Yes, I know you already know this. I'm not telling you this. I'm telling that guy over there.)
The screen is 1/8" hot-dip hardware cloth. The zinc in the coating helps keep the screen clear of roots that may clog the pot. However, these are ficus. They'll grow roots through anything. The screen has it's own tie-down wire.
This is a bad pot from a bad company. You might not see it, but there are indentations in the base of the pot. Those are above the feet of the pot. Indentations hold water and promote root rot. These happen to be small, so no worries. Also, ficus, so, yeah. But on larger pots, this can be a real issue for more sensitive trees. Don't buy those pots.
The salicaria should fit fine in this pot.
All chopsticked in. Trees in round pots should be placed in the center. However, this is partly a test of the soil, so who cares?
Not so bad for a soil test at the wrong time of the year. I'll likely stick it in another nursery pot at some time. Or throw it out because I'm killing it.
One long piece of hardware cloth because I couldn't be bothered to cut it in two.
Another bad pot with indentations. They're okay to use as gifts just to get rid of them.
The tree looks over-potted. How did that happen? Oh yeah. I put the trees in the opposite pots from my initial intent. I need to find a better pot for this tree.
The root outside the pot was trimmed from the much-too-long root. Hopefully the cut will encourage ramification. If I didn't trim the root, it would likely keep running around in circles in the pot. Just not THIS pot.
I like this pot better. There are no indentations, either.
From an earlier photo, you may notice that there is a fat root coming out 90° from the base of the tree. I want to use that as the obtuse side of a leaning style. The tree will be on the left side of the pot leaning right. To position it better, I've created anchor points using thick wire. The humps in the base wire are there to hold the tree's anchor wires. Too much work, really. But once I get an idea in my head, I want to see it through. I'm using copper for the tree's anchor wires. I need copper's strength for this positioning and lean.
And it still looks more centered than I'd like. However...
If you count that fat root as part of the tree's positioning (I do), then the tree is off to the side.
Don't adjust your monitor. The greenhouse bench is tilting for drainage. I. Any case, here are the two trees I potted at the wrong time of the year in an experimental soil. If the trees don't make it, I'll try using the soil again in the spring.
If you're not happy with the color of the CPL soil, you can always apply a top dressing of whatever suits your needs.
For now, they'll sit in the greenhouse during the day and in the house at night. I'll post updates if requested.
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