My mom has had a ficus bonsai for about 8 years now. Itās been the only plant she could keep alive. Now that Iām getting into plants she wants me to repot it. Iām just a bit worried about how to go about that. I donāt want to kill it after sheās kept it alive all these years! What kind of pot would be best, soil, etc. Any tips and advise is greatly appreciated ššŖ“ā¤ļø
I have a similar but different story lol. My dad has had the same philodendron in its original nursery pot and soil since 1987 š Iāve been tempted to repot it, but he says he doesnāt want it to get bigger. I canāt relate to that notion with my philodendrons lol Are you able to post a picture of your momās ficus? Its helpful to know what kind of pot and soil itās been in so far
1 gilla Hereās a picture of it. I donāt know what kind of soil it has
It looks like an orchid bark mix. So, since she has trouble keeping other plants alive, I would try to mimic the conditions sheās been having success with. So I would repot it with an orchid bark mix, maybe add a little potting soil at about a 3 to 1 part ratio so thereās some soil and nutrients in there. Alternatively, a chunky/aroid tropic mix would be similar too if you happen to have that on hand for your own plants. For a pot, I would try to find one with relatively the same shape and depth but just a few inches bigger. Make sure it has holes for drainage When you repot, try to remove as much of the old bark and dirt as possible. But itāll probably more important to be gentle with the roots rather than getting them absolutely clean. If I remember correctly, bonsai-ed ficus can have quite thin roots compared to regular grown ficus If youāre willing to go the extra mile, I recommend a soil inoculant. Itās a powdered or granular mix-in that provides beneficial fungi and microbes for the soil biome, which helps prevent transplant shock. Some professional-grade brands can get pretty pricey, to be honest, but there are some that offer quantities and prices that make more sense for us hobbyists. Some brands that I think are (comparatively) affordable are Big Foot āMycorrhizae,ā Xtreme Gardening āMykos,ā or Plant Success āWhite Shark.ā They do offer huge quantities for greenhouses, so donāt be shocked if a quick google search shows you $200 for like 4lbs of it š¤£ But these brands do offer smaller or sample size amounts at the $20 and under price range
1 gilla