As soon as spring approaches, amateur flower growers begin to think about transplanting indoor plants. Of course, not all plants need an annual pot change. And, if you can’t do without a transplant, then how to make a transplant? (You can also read about competent transplantation in the article) You will also read how transplantation differs from transshipment, what is picking, how to choose the right pot, and which pot is better: clay silt plastic?
Is it time for a transplant?
The best time to transplant is from late February to April. At this time, the plants have time to take root well and get stronger over the summer.
Plants are not transplanted in winter, during the flowering period and after treatment with chemicals.
A plant purchased in a store is transplanted immediately, since the plant lacks nutrients in transport packages with peat, and the root system can be severely constrained.
Whether the time has come to transplant a plant can be determined by its root system. Most plants are transplanted when the pot is small and the roots completely occupy the earthen ball.
Young and fast-growing plants are transplanted annually, while larger and slow-growing plants, such as palm trees, are enough to be transplanted after 2-3 years. Some very large green plants are either not transplanted at all or transplanted very rarely.
Over time, the earth becomes denser, becomes poor in nutrients, the roots are less supplied with oxygen, and the carbon dioxide they release destroys the root system. In this case, it is also worth thinking about replacing the soil, since the soil is no longer suitable for the normal growth and development of the plant.
Also, watering with hard and tap water and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers saturate the soil with harmful calcium salts - the earth lump must also be replaced with a fresh one.
The appearance of pests also requires a complete replacement of not only the soil, but, possibly, the vessel.
Preparation for transplantation or transshipment,
soil mixture preparation
A month before transplanting or transshipment, the plant is fed 1-2 times with a weak solution of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Water well throughout the day. the earth should be moist, but not wet (if you squeeze it in your hand, it should crumble).
For work, you will need rag gloves, secateurs, a wooden spatula, polyethylene, a watering can.
To remove the flower from the pot without damaging its root system, turn the pot over, holding the stem, and tap on the bottom of the dish.
Take a close look at the earthen room. Perhaps the plant can be left in the old pot, if the roots have not grown much. But still, the old earth should be replaced with fresh.
If you are transplanting a plant into a larger pot, then remove drainage from the bottom of the soil, cut out rotten, dry and dead roots, also remove dry shoots, and shorten too long ones. Shoots must be pruned from climbing and ampelous plants - this way they tolerate transplantation more easily.
Some herbaceous plants, such as asparagus and chlorophytum, have a large mass of roots. If you plan to leave them in their original pot and just freshen up the soil, then you can cut off some of the roots from the bottom and sides.
Do not shorten thick fleshy roots (agapanthus, clivia), otherwise their damage will simply destroy the plant.
The rotten parts of the roots are cut out, and the places of the cuts are sprinkled with crushed coal.
Strongly overgrown sansevier, aspidistra, asparagus can be divided into several parts.
In bulbous plants - clinum, zephyranthes, hippeastrums - separate the "children".
To remove excess excess water, drainage is laid out at the bottom of the pot - expanded clay, fragments of a broken clay pot, or medium-sized stones. The drainage layer depends on the root system: the weaker it is, the thicker the drainage layer should be.
Then pour a small layer of earth and lower the plant into a pot, fill the space between the walls of the pot and the flower with earthen mixture, but not to the very top, leaving room for watering.
The substrate for indoor plants (usually a mixture of various garden soils - leafy, soddy or peat) is selected in a certain ratio depending on the requirements of the plant you are growing.
It is imperative to add clean coarse sand to the composition of the mixture so that the soil mixture is more breathable.
Transplantation and transshipment: what are the differences?
After transplantation, the plant needs time to recover, so it needs increased comfortable conditions.
When transshipping, the flower is simply removed from the old container or tub along with an earthen clod and transferred to a freer container. Fresh earth is neatly placed in the gap between the old earthen clod and the walls of the new vessel.
As mentioned above, adult large plants are transplanted after 2-3 years, or if the plant in the tub has become too crowded.
Plants that are in the stage of active growth are not transplanted - only after the lignification of young shoots or after flowering has ended.
Choosing a pot
For transplantation, clay or plastic .
After transplant After transplanting, the plant is watered to precipitate fresh soil.
Clay pots are suitable for plants that require infrequent watering. In a clay pot, the roots breathe better and the chance of root rot is minimal.
In glazed pots, the soil dries out slowly.
A new clay pot must be soaked in water for 1 hour before planting.
In plastic pots, the earth retains moisture longer. In such a pot, there should be higher drainage and the substrate should be more loose and breathable.
But plastic pots, unlike clay pots, do not allow air to pass through, and with excessive watering, the earth can quickly turn sour.
In plastic pots, it is better to plant fast-growing plants that need frequent transplanting.
For flowers that do not have a highly developed root system (
Also, only a transplanted plant needs frequent spraying - up to several times a day - for a week.
A month later, the plant is fed with complex fertilizer.
The transplanted plant must be placed in a warm, bright place, but protected from direct sunlight and drafts.
More capricious plants are placed in a mini-greenhouse, having built a polyethylene cap over them, which must be regularly ventilated.
The drops are already ringing, the slanting rays of the sun are increasingly looking out the window, and in the evenings the hubbub of the children is heard. Spring came. It's time to transplant indoor plants so that they have time to take root and gain strength before the next dormant period.
Flower transplant. What, it would seem, could be easier? But even in this case there are subtleties that must be taken into account so that the plant takes root in a new place and feels at home, delighting us with its greenery and flowers. About this and will tell in the article MirSovetov.
Psychologists believe that green color calms the nervous system, helps to get rid of negative feelings and even stimulates the body's defenses. So indoor plants not only unite us with nature and decorate the interior, but also have a beneficial effect on the health of households.
Soil preparation
The quality of the soil directly affects the health and growth of indoor plants, so its choice must be taken seriously. For transplanting plants, you should not use garden soil - mineral fertilizers are applied to it from year to year, so most often it contains an excessive concentration of salts. Therefore, it is better to cut off the upper layer of turf in the forest or take the earth from molehills: loose, nutritious, it practically does not contain insects. However, self-harvested soil should in any case be sterilized before use, as it may be contaminated with pests or pathogens.Method one: put a small amount of earth in a pan with a thickness of not more than 15 cm, steam in a water bath for 10 minutes at a temperature of 85 degrees.
Method two: put on a wide baking sheet with low sides and warm in the oven or oven at 85 degrees for about 10 minutes, previously covered with foil. When using a deeper container, the time should be increased to 40-50 minutes.
If you want to save time, then the land can be purchased at a specialized store, where qualified sellers will help you choose the substrate for your flowers. Or you can choose the land yourself: usually they write on the packages for which plant varieties it is intended. MirSovetov advises to take the substrate “For all types of plants” only in exceptional cases, when you are sure that your plant is unpretentious, or during transshipment, when you need to add a little earth to a variety of flowers. It should be remembered that an open bag of earth is best used immediately or stored, carefully covered, in a cool place so that the earth does not dry out.
Pot selection
Nowadays, the range of containers for indoor flowers is rich in various shapes, colors and materials. How not to get confused in such a variety and choose the right one, taking into account the needs of plants?Size. Small plants should be transplanted into small pots, and tall plants with a highly developed root system, respectively, into sufficiently deep containers. In width, the new pot should be only about 3 cm larger than the previous one, otherwise the plant will not be able to master all the new soil at once. In the simplest case, the flower will not bloom, perhaps the growth of the plant will slow down or even stop altogether. In addition, with excessive watering (especially if your hand is not “filled” in this matter) in a pot that is too large, the plant may die due to excessive soil moisture - the roots rot in such conditions. If blackening of the roots was found in time and you took up the transplant, be sure to remove the rotten roots, and take a new pot a little smaller.
For permanent residence in large containers, mature plants that do not tolerate transplantation (for example, palm trees) can be planted. In the future, they are only sprinkled with a few centimeters of earth per year, after removing the upper layer.Material. The debate about the preference of clay or plastic as a material for pots has been going on for a very long time. Supporters of the first point out that the material has pores, due to which air exchange occurs, excess moisture evaporates and harmful salts are washed out of the soil. These pots are heavy enough to avoid accidental tipping over of the plant when hit or a sudden gust of wind, and are long lasting.
Ceramics has been used by man for a very long time. Some of the oldest belong to the Trypillia culture. In the 4th millennium BC, the ancient Egyptians already knew the art of making glaze, and by its end, the Sumerians had invented the potter's wheel.Proponents of plastic first of all talk about the price, which is sometimes several times less than for products made of clay and ceramics, about ease of cleaning and light weight, which is also considered an advantage: it is easier to make a hanging garland from flowers and it is more convenient to transfer them to watering.
The choice is yours. It should only be taken into account that the porosity of the clay, which allows water to reach the surface of the pot, gives a cooling effect. If the apartment is cold and the plants are very thermophilic, such pots need to be insulated. In addition, white salt deposits sometimes form on clay pots, in order to avoid its appearance, flowers must be watered with soft water without fail.
How to clean a clay pot from stains?A ceramic pot should be distinguished from a flower pot made of the same material, which serves as a decorative garment for a flower container. It is impossible to plant plants directly in it: completely glazed it does not allow the plant to breathe, and the absence of a drainage hole does not allow excess water to drain. In any case, the pot and planter should complement and emphasize the beauty of the plant, harmoniously fitting into the interior, and not divert all attention to themselves.
Method one: dissolve a small amount of detergent (for example, dishwashing detergent) in water, hold the pot in this solution, thoroughly clean with a brush (preferably with hard bristles), prepare an aqueous solution with bleach (in a ratio of 10: 1), wash with it pot, rinse again with water and let dry.
Method two: grate with potato peel and wash thoroughly, dry in the sun.
Plastic pots retain water, so you need to carefully monitor the frequency and amount of watering, the dosage of fertilizers so that the roots do not rot. Do not keep the plant in such a pot in direct sunlight: the plant in them can overheat. You can partially compensate for this effect by choosing a pot of light colors.
Plant transplant
Spring has come, and the plant has not grown, even with a suitable microclimate and top dressing? Does the soil dry out quickly and is rooted so thickly that you can even see them through the drainage hole? Or maybe you just bought a flower in a store and noticed that it was planted in peat? All this, not to mention the pot cracked from time to time, clearly indicates that the plant needs to be transplanted.Usually flowers are transplanted once a year in the spring. Young, actively growing ones should be transplanted more often. But disturbing a green pet after rapid flowering, when a lot of effort has been spent, is not worth it. You also need to consider the type of plant and its condition. Fast-growing plants with abundant foliage (for example, balsam, chlorophytum, tradescantia,) require transplantation once a year, and sometimes more often, as the root system of the pot fills up. Tree-like plants (palm trees, cheflers), as well as cacti, adult orchids, it is better to replant no more than once every two years. In any case, MirSovetov recommends paying attention to the well-being of plants and how much the earth is “eaten away” by roots - these are the main criteria for plant transplantation.
Many amateur flower growers note that the success of a transplant also depends on the phase of the moon. Best of all, plants take root and grow more actively if the transplant was performed with the growing moon, when it was under the signs of the Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) or Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces).The whole process, with due experience and dexterity, does not take much time and consists of the following steps:
1) knowingly (preferably a day, but you can also a few hours before transplanting) water the plant;
2) prepare everything you need for transplanting in advance: a workplace, covering it with newspapers or cellophane, and inventory (pot, earth, drainage, charcoal, wooden spatula or knife);
3) the pot, of course, must be washed. New, if it is clay, for a couple of hours (or the night before), fill it with water so that it is saturated with moisture. Otherwise, the pot will take moisture from the soil, which can lead to the drying of the root system of the plant;
4) sprinkle the drainage hole with a two-centimeter layer of expanded clay, river pebbles (be sure to keep it in water) or broken pieces of old pots or bricks. Drainage can be purchased at a specialized store or borrowed from friends involved in construction. If the plant is too sensitive to excess moisture or, for example, the pot under it is too deep, the drainage layer can be increased;
6) only after that you take the plant out of the old pot. The most convenient way to do this is as follows: holding a clod of earth on top and at the same time wrapping your fingers around the stem of the plant, turn the pot upside down. Since you have watered the soil beforehand, the earthen ball should come out of the pot easily (you can lightly tap the sides and bottom of the pot if needed). In extreme cases, you can run a knife along the inner walls. Temporary plastic container can be simply cut;
7) carefully clean the roots from the remnants of the old earth with your fingers or a brush. Carefully inspect the root system: cut off the rotten roots and sprinkle with charcoal powder (as an option, you can take crushed activated charcoal tablets). Next, carefully lower the plant into the pot, evenly distributing the roots over the surface of the previously poured earth.
8) holding the plant, with a spatula, gradually pour the earth into the pot. At the same time, try to keep the plant approximately in the center of the pot and so that in the end it ends up in the ground at the same level as before transplanting (you cannot allow the root collar to fall asleep completely), given that the ground level should be 1- 2 cm. So that the soil sits evenly tightly, you can shake the pot slightly and tamp it a little (but not excessively) with your fingers. It is impossible to allow complete falling asleep of the root neck;
9) after watering the plant (unless its roots are badly affected by rot) and put in the shade for about a week.
When transshipping, all actions are a little simpler: transfer the plant to a new pot with the same clod of earth and add fresh soil around the edges and on top. Transshipment instead of transplantation is recommended during the dormant period, as well as for plants that suffer greatly from root disturbance.Treat plants with love in the future, and your love for them will return a hundredfold.
As a rule, many indoor plants are transplanted between the end of February - the beginning of March and May. This is due to the fact that with an increase in sunny warm days, they begin to start growing after winter dormancy. At this time, the plants tolerate the transplant less painfully and recover faster after it.
An exception to the general rule may be the fact that, for example, the roots of a houseplant have rotted, or if an imported plant is bought in peat, or the pot is damaged for some reason. In this case, the plant may not only grow poorly, but it may lose its beauty and attractiveness, and then a houseplant transplant will be required.
In general, transplantation is usually combined with vegetative propagation and pruning of the plant. The need for transplantation is signaled by the appearance of roots from the drainage hole - which means that the roots are completely braided with an earthen ball and the pot has become cramped for the grown plant.
For each type of plant, experts have developed the most favorable timing and frequency of transplantation, depending on their age, the specifics of growth during the year and the timing of flowering. Young and fast growing plants need an annual transplant; adult and slow-growing plants are transplanted less often - once every 2-3 years; large tub plants - even less often, once every 4-5 years (sometimes they simply periodically replace the top layer of the old earth with a fresh substrate).
Bulbous plants are transplanted after a dormant period; early flowering plants - at the end of flowering; small tender plants - in May, conifers - in early spring or summer, at the end of growth. The lunar calendar for transplanting indoor plants will tell you more about this.
HOW TO CARRY OUT A ROOM PLANTS CORRECTLY?
Before transplanting a houseplant, it is necessary to prepare a pot, substrate, drainage, as well as the necessary tools at hand if poisonous and thorny plants are transplanted.
Water the plant the day before transplanting. All the necessary materials and tools are prepared in advance, as the transplant must be quick, in order to avoid drying out of the roots during transplantation.
For transplanting, a houseplant should be carefully removed from the pot. If it turns out that the earth ball is weakly braided with roots and the plant looks healthy, then it is again placed in the same pot, while partially replacing the earth. So that the substrate with roots does not dry out, wrap the earthen ball with cellophane. Wash the old pot, put a crock of earth over the drain hole with the convex side up to ensure that excess water drains unhindered when watering, then place the drain. For moisture-loving plants, make a small drainage; For plants that cannot tolerate excess soil moisture, the drainage layer is increased (sometimes up to a third of the height of the pot). A thick layer of drainage is arranged in pots without drainage holes and in large deep containers. Fresh substrate is already poured onto the drainage. With a wooden shelf, they carefully loosen and remove the top layer of earth and the freely separating old earth from the earthen coma over the entire surface of the coma to the outer roots.
Without disturbing the earthy clod with roots as a whole, it is carefully lowered back into the pot, gradually adding a fresh substrate with light tamping from the sides and a little from above, and watered (so that the fresh earth settles and comes into contact with the roots).
Indoor plants with a weak root system are usually transplanted into the same pot. If, during transplantation, it is found that the root system of a diseased plant has suffered, then it is transplanted into a smaller pot (to prevent future acidification of a large amount of substrate that has not been mastered by the roots).
When transplanting with a complete replacement of the earth, all or almost all of the old earth is removed, exposing the roots and examining them. Rotten, diseased and dry roots are cut off and sprinkled with charcoal powder. When transplanting bonsai and some unpretentious plants with an overgrown root system, some of the healthy roots are also removed. If part of the roots is removed, it is recommended to cut the shoots in the same proportion in order to reduce the evaporation of water by them and to establish a balance between the aboveground and underground parts of the plant.
The plant is placed exactly in the center of the pot with the following calculation: on top of the pot, the roots of the plant will be sprinkled with earth by 1.5-2 cm; the root collars of trees and shrubs, as well as the growth points of the basal rosettes of herbaceous plants, do not fall asleep with earth; the pot is filled with earth not to the brim, but leave a little space for watering (the ground level should be 1-1.5 cm below the edge of the pot).
Many plants from the aroid family are recommended to be buried a little during transplantation in order to sprinkle the air roots from the bottom of the stem with the substrate for their rooting. A deeper planting of old overgrown plants causes the formation of new roots at the stem nodes.
Transplanted indoor plants are recommended to be placed in a "mini-greenhouse" for two weeks, and while airing the greenhouse, regularly spray (only those plants that like spraying) with tepid water with the addition of "Epin"; after drying the crown, the plant is again returned to the greenhouse. For better rooting after transplantation, the plants are placed for several days in a warm, shaded place, and very photophilous plants in a warm, bright place (avoiding direct sunlight).
It is important to prevent excessive watering of plants after transplanting - the roots at this time are not able to absorb a lot of water, and the lack of air access to the roots provokes their decay. Only three days after transplantation, cacti are watered (except for epiphyllums and zygocactus).
A month after transplanting the plants, they begin to feed them with fertilizers. After feeding or watering the plants, it is recommended to loosen the top layer of earth in pots.
Actively developing young plants are not transplanted, but transshipped (sometimes several times during the year), without disturbing the earthen clod and without disturbing the roots that have sprouted through it.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF PLANT TRANSPLANTATION FROM TRANSPORTATION?
Transshipment of plants is an increase in the volume of soil for intensive plant growth, but without disturbing the earthen coma. That is, we simply transfer plants from one container to another, larger in volume, and fill up the earth. The increase in the volume of the pot should be insignificant, no more than 3-5 centimeters. Transshipment is carried out when the root system begins to braid the earthen clod.
Also, transshipment instead of transplantation is recommended for plants that suffer greatly from disturbance of the root system during the transplantation process (for example, palm trees are only recommended to be transshipped, and in case of a forced transplantation, in no case do they cut long roots, but put them in a pot with a ring) . It is advisable to transship, and not transplant plants (if possible) in autumn and winter - after all, at this time the plants are at rest, and transplantation can greatly harm them.
The plant is removed from the cramped pot and transferred as it is to another, slightly larger pot (the diameter of the new pot should be only 2-3 cm larger than the previous one), adding fresh substrate to the bottom and sides of the pot when transplanting; watered.
If the transplanted houseplant has grown well, a pot suitable for it in shape (high or flat) is bought a little more than before; if, when transplanting a diseased plant, it is necessary to remove part of the rotten roots - less than before. The pot must be washed well before use; a new clay pot is immersed in water for two hours (so that the clay is saturated with water and gets rid of harmful salts).
Indoor plants have long been considered an indispensable element of decor in the house. Large and small cultures enliven the interior, delighting us with their appearance. But with improper care, plants can quickly wither. To prevent this process, it is important to follow some care rules.
You transplant a flower immediately after purchase
Many housewives immediately after acquiring a plant tend to transplant it into another pot. But this approach is wrong. It is better after the purchase to let the flower stand in a new place for several days before taking on its transplant. Sudden changes in the microclimate negatively affect its condition.
The optimal adjustment period is one to two weeks. During this time, the plants adapt to new conditions.
Choose the wrong transplant season
Most plant species tolerate transplanting better in the spring. This is the period of their active growth. Therefore, it is important to plan the purchase and transplant time in advance. For plants that bloom in winter, this period will be autumn.
Forget about pre-watering
It is necessary to water the plant daily for several days before planting, so that it is saturated with moisture. This will help prevent the occurrence of a shock condition during transplantation.
If the transplant is carried out not in the ground, but in a pot, then water is first poured into it. Clay absorbs a lot of moisture and is able to rob a flower without this manipulation.
Pull the flower by the stem
The most common mistake when transplanting is trying to pull on parts of the plant when removing it from the purchased container. You need to carefully pry the flower with the help of improvised tools. If necessary, you can knock on the bottom, but it is strictly forbidden to pull the stem.
After removing the plant, you need to clean the root a little. This will help speed up growth. After that, soil is poured into a new pot, a plant is placed there and the earth is poured on top. Then water the flower.
Immediately after transplanting, expose the plant to the sun
After the transplant is made, it is important to carefully care for the plant. Do not expose the flower to the sun for several days. Excessive ultraviolet radiation can greatly harm the plant.
It is also important not to flood the soil. It should not be too wet, but only slightly moist. If the leaves begin to wilt, then increase the amount of water. When they turn yellow - reduce.
Caring for a houseplant is a simple process. It is enough to follow some rules. Then the flower will delight with its beauty for a long time.
