Need advice! My string of turtles soil seems to be staying moist for quite a long time. I last watered it 18 days ago and the soil still seems quite wet. It looks healthy, but I’ve heard these can “die silently”. It’s in bright indirect light.. not sure what it could need. Also, any tips on easily checking the soil on these guys? The foliage is so dense and compact it’s hard to check and I’m wondering if I’m not actually feeling it enough. Thanks!
they're shallow rooters, this pot may be too tall. i had the same problem with mine. you can use a chopstick to test the soil :-) if the soil is sticking to the chopstick and clumping when you squish, it's still wet.
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I am so sorry that I can’t help you but I love that pot!!!!
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I agree with plantgeek. The roots only go a couple inches deep so they are not able to absorb all the moisture in the soil beneath fast enough even with good light. Its needs a shallow pot. If the root structure already takes up most of the width of this super cute pot, then try finding a bonsai style pot that is half the depth of its width instead of a standard pot. If its not taking up the pot horizontally, you need a smaller standard pot
3 likesIf you wanted to keep that pot (I absolutely would), you could add larger stones to take up 1/2 of the depth of the pot. You could also get a shallow nursery pot (or any shallow plastic container with plenty of drainage holes added) and place something in the bottom of that pot for it to sit on. That way you can keep that beautiful pot. She looks great in there. Their fine roots can rot easily, and because of this I prefer a soil-less mix like an aroid mix, but the fine grain version so you don’t damage those fine roots. You 100% can use a soil based succulent mix with some fine orchid bark and/or perlite/pumice added, though. Going with a soil-less mix makes it much harder to overwater compared to a true soil. They like to be lightly moist and never wet, and be fed a weak fertilizer with every watering, and a humidifier will make it SUPER happy. Use a wooden chopstick to check the soil’s moisture level. I just stick it in and walk away for a bit and come back and it will show you where the moisture starts and stops. I haven’t had one in a while, and I have been feeling the itch. I lost my old one in a move… so sad.
1 like Thank you so much! I really didn’t want to get rid of the pot so this is so helpful!
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