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j · Post by j » Sat Jun 11, 2005 5:22 pm

Repotted my cactus today.
Just moved them into a bigger pot as there was
4 or 5 in the one small pot.
Bought some cactus soil and i have some gravel
which i will add on top soon.
I figured it would be good to give them some room
to grow.
Once in the pot i added just a very small drop of water to each cactus.
I hope repotting was the right thing to do.
Just a couple of questions..

Should i give them a few days to settle in before adding the gravel on the top ?

There is quite a bit of space in between in each plant,is that ok?

See pics below:

j

ondy · Post by **ondy** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 6:09 pm

j,

I think they should be fine. I recently did the same thing with some seedlings of mine where I moved them from a seed starting cubed tray set up into a six inch round pot. I was worried that I would damage the young roots but that was over two weeks ago and they are growing strong. As far as the gravel I would hold off for at least a month or two longer. When the time comes I would use either very small gravel or perlite as a top dressing. The one thing with not having the top dressing is you will have to water them more frequently. With seedlings in this type of situation I that's to your advantage as you do not want the soil drying out totally. I would use a spray bottle and give them a dosing every day to keep them moist. With seedlings I use a soil that is specific for germinating seeds and growing seedlings. It holds the water a lot better than a standard mix, but yours should do just fine. I also use a bit of a fertilizer called 'PHC seedlings and houseplants 6-12-6 Bifertilizer' which I got from gardeners.com. It seems to be helping. Good luck.

Andy

templegatejohn · Post by **templegatejohn** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 8:58 pm

Hi,

I agree with everything Andy has said apart from the gravel. Personally I would put it on now, but it is only personal preference.

The reason why?
First if you are misting the plants, most of the moisture is in the upper layer of compost and this tends to promote the growth of moss or other small organisms on the surface of the compost. You could "scrape" the compost periodically to discourage the growth, but this could damage young roots near the surface.
Second the gravel will help to retain the moisture essential for the young plants.
Third the plants will look better. Fairly fine gravel about the size used in fish tanks or chicken grit would be best for small plants.

I am not saying Andy is wrong, most of us have a tried and tested method that works well for each of us. As I said above it is personal choice. Just remember young plants, particularly seedlings are susceptible to fungus and the rot that usually follows.

Cheers,
John

j · Post by j » Sat Jun 11, 2005 9:33 pm

Thanks a lot for the advice guys,much appreciated.
Just a few more things (sorry if im a pain

)
When i repotted them i didnt put any stones or gravel into the actual soil,so its just soil and nothing else in the pot.
Also the pot that they are in doesnt have any holes in the bottom for drainage.
Will this cause any probs ?

j

ondy · Post by **ondy** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 2:46 am

No Holes? That's not good. Holes are a necessity with succulents especially. With no holes water can pool at the bottom leading to rot or fungus especially for you living in England which isn't the driest atmosphere. But I suppose for a little while it may be o.k. considering they are seedlings. I would repot in a couple of months before winter though just to be on the safe side.

Andy

templegatejohn · Post by **templegatejohn** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 10:04 am

No of course you are not a pain, helping one another is what the forum is all about.

As Andy says no drainage holes is really a no no. If and when you decide to repot and I would recommend that you do, here are a few tips, because it would be a shame to become disheartened by the loss of your seedings (something that happens to all of us, and anyone who says they don't is telling pork pies).

First: a pot with drainage holes is essential.
Second: put a good couple of cms. of coarse gravel or something similar in the bottom of the pot.
Third: Mix something in with compost. Either sharp sand, fine gravel, or you can buy small bags of a substance called perlite for about £2. This will last you for ages. A good average mix would be one third of the above, perlite etc. to two thirds compost and mix them thoroughly. Place the mixed compost on top of the 2 cms. of coarse gravel that is in the bottom of the pot and plant your cacti as normal. You can also put some small gravel on top, when and if you desire. Do not water for about a week. Even cacti the size of yours can last much longer without water than you would think.

Perlite is a naturally occurring siliceous rock, white in colour that looks very much like polystirene beads, but of course isn't. It is heated to a high temperature to expand it. The perlite is very light in weight and if you do not place small gravel on top will tend to float when you water the plants.

PS: If you wish to continue using the name J, that is fine, but you will find we have a good bunch of friendly people on the Forum and at the moment we do not even know if you are male or female.

Best Wishes
John

j · Post by j » Mon Jun 13, 2005 10:15 am

Thanks for the advice,i will be going to the shops today for some new supplies.
Oops that will laziness on my part,the less i have to type the better

J stands for Jason.

templegatejohn · Post by **templegatejohn** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:05 pm

Hi Jason and welcome on board the Forum.

Everyone on the Forum is friendly and many of them have a great sense of humour. It's good to have another Brit on board, but even you have got warmer weather than me up here in the frozen north. I'm sure I saw a polar bear in the garden pond the other day.

Good growing,
John

j · Post by j » Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:35 pm

Thanx for the welcome.
I got some perlite now,i'll give it a few weeks
then repot again,this time in a pot with decent drainage and hopefully all will be well.
Oh and you can guarantee the south will be getting the worst of the weather soon as wimbledaon in due to start soon

kari · Post by **kari** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 8:57 pm

Another BRIT?

What's this forum coming to!

Where are all the dad-gum Texans??? And if anyone happens to be near Henley-on-Thames, get some photos of Friar Park for me

J-son, thanks for asking those questions, I have a bunch of seedlings I am about to transplant, and I dread the thought of it they are doing so well!

Guys (John and Andy), I have some fine sand and "typical" potting soil. I plan to NOT remove the seedlings from their matrix (prepackaged "Jiffy" peat cylinders, see photos in the links I've provided earlier, to "relink" as soon as I find the links!) and just add the sand to the bottom of little 4cm (1.75-2 inches or so) clay pots, place the Jiffy "thing" on top of it, maybe break it up a little, mix in some sand...

I don't know, thinking about it, they could probably use fresh soil, but I hate the thought of damaging their roots...

HELP!

kari
Here are the links:
http://scorpionguide.com/babies.jpg
http://scorpionguide.com/babyo.jpg
http://scorpionguide.com/babyotop.jpg
http://scorpionguide.com/babywhat.jpg

monrad · Post by **monrad** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 1:39 am

Kari,

With my seedlings, I had used the peat pellets. When I repotted they were very young, but I broke up the peat and planted in a fresh mix of cactus blend. I was careful of the roots, but I know I broke off some. Even those seemed to do okay. They seem to be so aggresive at rooting it amazed me. Of course my seedlings are not any "tender" cactus. Just run of the mill "easy" ones to match my skills!

I say go for it! No guts no glory, right?

Mark

P.S. Don't blame me of they die. I can't take the guilt!