Gardening and Horticulture - Re-potting

I need to re-pot my ficus, too, which is root bound. I have the same questions as I do in regard to the "Transplanting a Peace Lily" post. Thank you for your help.

Hi again mlminin,

Ficus trees need to have the roots spread apart a little. If they are curled around the bottom of the pot, make sure you pull those apart too. You should be able to do this just with your hands. Put it in a pot one size larger than what it was in. Don't fertilize plants when you first transplant them. Wait until you see new growth.

Gami

Dear Gami,
Thank you so much for your prompt reply to both of my posts! I appreciate the help! I have another question about identifying a weed. Is there a site you would suggest where I can scan and upload a photo?

~mlminin @>}---}-----

Hi Mlminin,

You're welcome! :) If you'll go to Sierra and you can post a pic there. If you need some help, send me an email.

http://community.sierra.com/WebX?14@3.NZM4aKW4sUL^1@.ee74251

Gami

Thank you information. The photos really help! As soon as I take a photo and have the film developed, I'll scan and post the rascal. It's a real pest! It may take a week or two. By the way, you seem to have LOTS of plants. :) Are you familiar with or do you have Jacobina/Braziliain Plume flower? I was given a start years ago while living in CA. Now I'm in south central IN and grow it as a houseplant. It grows and blooms, but since being in Zone 5, I'm not as pleased with it as in zone 9 where it was outdoors all year. The lower leaves shrivel and drop, and then it starts looking leggy unless I keep cutting it back. Any ideas?
~mlminin

Ficus prefer crowded root conditions. A few roots emerging from the drain holes are not a signal to re-pot. Only do so if you see a netting of roots emerging on the soil surface.

Hi Mlminin,

Sled's right. Ficus (weeping fig) can stand to be a LITTLE rootbound, BUT you won't see as active growth and the leaves will be smaller. When that happens, it's time to repot -

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1514.htm

Some other sites on repotting and houseplants in general -

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/projects/rootrelief.html
http://gardening.miningco.com/homegarden/gardening/cs/msub46/
http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/hort/g06510.htm
http://www.essortment.com/in/Gardening.Growing.How.To/index.htm
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1316.html

Sorry, I've never heard anything about your plant and couldn't find anything on it right now. I'll check when I have more time.

Gami

Gami, Just want to say Thank You for all those gardening sites regarding re-potting! My "bookmarks" section on the computer is rapidly lengthening in the GARDENING folder! There is more information there than I will ever have time to read, but a little here and a little there when one needs it helps tremendously!

I haven't been back to try posting my weed problem w/photo since the other day. When I have more time, I'll work on it.

mlminin Z5/so.cen.IN

Hi M,

You're welcome! :) I was getting so many bookmarks also that now I file them off to a CD. I've had two hard drive crashes and lost everything ONCE--that was enough! The ones I use frequently are saved as hyperlinks so I can click on them. The others are saved as copy and paste links. I'm on my second CD of gardening links and info. There is a lot of great information given by other gardeners that you can't find in any book or website. I save it, if it's something I know I'll refer to a lot, or print it off. I've filled a 3" binder with these neat tips.

I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of posting your weed pic when I saw you were having trouble with it. It has been identified as knotweed. This site was given and is a good one for identifying weeds -

http://www.psu.missouri.edu/fishel/field_crops.htm

Gami

Thank you, Gami, for posting my weed photo! I just re-read your post on DIY and discovered the information there. After going to the weed site and looking at the photos, I don't recognize it in any of the three photos posted. If anyone else has an idea, I'd appreciate knowing what it is and how I might eradicate it, apart from painting Roundup on the leaves of each plant. :/

mlminin Z5/so.centralIN

[Edited by mlminin on 06-12-01 at 10:38]

Hi M,

Sorry, I missed this earlier. If anyone here can identify it, her pic is at this site -

http://community.sierra.com/WebX?50@3.xa9easaqvJa^6@.ef04b33/7

...or M, click on it and tell them it's something else and see what they come up with. I sure don't know. It's not something I have--which is hard to believe. :)

Gami