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Trying to be a plant dad! So asking for general advice. What would… | Anything about plants | Communauté Planta

jpz86

Trying to be a plant dad! So asking for general advice. What would you recommend for plants indoors versus outdoors? A lot of my plants I’ve moved into a self watering pot where you fill up the bottom and there just happens to be a coil of rope that loops up into the soil and apparently absorbs the water upwards into the plant. However, I’ve seen a lot of folks use. What’s effectively are the drainage hold nursery pots or similar, and simply insert those into a more of a decorative pot. I’ve also been reading a lot about using terra-cotta pots. Is there any reason why you would do one over the other, a specific plant while you do one over the other, or is this all just personal preference?

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10 commentaires

  1. brittrb

    Personally I love Terra cotta pots for most of my plants. I tend to over water so the terra cotta help with that. If it’s a plant that likes to be moist and not dry out then Terra cotta might not be the best. I’ve seen a lot of people use clear pots and an outer decorative one and I’d like to try it so I can see what’s going on in the soil

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  2. Phil

    I use terracotta almost exclusively for my young/small succulents. I also have great luck with begonias in terracotta, which is opposite of most people. I have alocasias and some calatheas in special leca planters because they are moisture lovers. Most of my tropicals are in regular ceramic planters. I don’t do transparent planters because I would want to double pot and too much hassle finding matching sizes. If you don’t double pot then algae is a problem, and there is a possibility certain plant roots don’t like light exposure. Cylinder terracotta pots and nice ceramic or stoneware are personal preference. No plastic. So my decision is usually based on plant need first.

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    • Snail Diva

      Funny reading that, I have begonias in terracotta and they are absolutely loving it.

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    • Phil

      Same here plus I let them dry out and everyone will say not to do that.

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    • HFC

      Wow she’s looking lovely!

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  3. Snail Diva

    While other people are talking to you about terracotta, I’m very well versed in self watering. Sorry in advance about the length, I just love talking about that!! 😂 To use those, you must have a knowledge about fertilizer as they are inert substrates unless you are using soilless aroid mix. And even so, that is very poor in nutrient. You will want to use a synthetic fertilizer and flush the substrate about once a month. (Meaning, rinsing it with just plan water) without flushing, you risk building up salts which will end up damaging the roots. Depending on the type of fertilizer, you might need to supplement with micro nutrient if you mix is not complete (example, calcium, iron, etc) I recommend looking into hydroponics for your fertilizer but as long as they are water soluble, you are golden. When stringing the pot, you do not want the string to touch any part of the plant/roots otherwise this might rot. The roots might grow into it eventually just like they may reach on your water reservoir. That is not a problem as they are the one going for the water source. Also, the water should be below the pot bottom as the rope must be doing the wicking. When transitioning, it is normal to lose roots. The important part is to clean the roots properly before transitioning and chop the ones that are questionable. Lastly, depending on the size of your roots, you will be able to look for the substrate that works best for you. Example, a monstera will be perfect for leca but small alocasias roots might have a hard time to adjust. And rinsing/ soaking the substrate is very important as the dust might suffocate the roots or the leca draw moisture out of the root system. Just like soil, you want aeration. I hope this helps but don’t hesitate to ask if you need any clarification. Hopefully that helps and it seems like a lot

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    • jpz86

      What is a synthetic fertilizer? I’ve been making sure to use for succulents (and similar plants as identified) for a succulent / cactus mix. A very few plants I have been using an organic potting mix. Confirming what I think you are saying - is that I should use a fertilizer in addition to the above, but at least once a month rinse the dirt in the pot for a good while to intentionally drain out all the excess water. Any recommendations on fertilizer? (Im so anxious as many things I’ve repotted are definitely in transplant shock - so prepping for the rebound.)

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    • Snail Diva

      With soil, you can use either organic or synthetic. As the soil acts as a buffer for the fertilizer to be made available. I’ve been using personally an all purpose one and just changing the dilution. (Mine is precisely Schultz Concentrate 10-15-10 and I have calmag on the side) As you are mentioning your are using soil, how draining is the soil in your self watering? Because this usually keep the soil too wet and can lead to rot. But don’t panic on this, make sure you do not top water (so just in the reservoir and that you add bark/ perlite. Just keep in mind that soils will breakdown faster when consistently kept moist. But with soil, you can wait before fertilizing so you are in no rush! Since it is soil, you can get away with rinsing less often 😊 Just make sure that the plant in self watering are moisture loving plants and you will be fine! And to add, just make sure it is shock and not rot.

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  4. HFC

    Test it out and see what works for you! Some folks have mentioned terracotta works and helps bc they may have a tendency to overwater. I prefer clear nursery pots in a decorative pot bc I like to see what’s up with the roots and I love a pretty pot. I find the self watering pots are great for the plants that prefer to stay moist (violets, calathea, maranta…) and I like them in those scenarios bc I usually can’t keep up with the watering otherwise. Learned all this with time and experience - you will too!

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  5. Michele

    I use clear pots so I can easily check root health and set them in decorative pots

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