Mother Plant
- Thread starter Alpha1
- Start date
I Have a Cool Name
New Member
Need more info, pics, type of lights, type of soil, nutrients given, temps? Could be alot of things. Help us help you.
i dont know much about how you grow, but in general once or twice a year you will need to root prune them, cut off the bottom 2-3 inches and cut an inch or two off the sides of the root ball. Add fresh soil to the bottom of the pot, put in plant, a little deeper than before, add soil to fill the sides, tamp it down firmly. Plants act funny when they get root bound.
Carl Spackler
Well-Known Member
I have to agree with a earlier post from pmumbry. Root pruning can greatly improve the health and overall vigor of a mother plant. While I have doubts that any method is superior than another, the point is to disturb the root mass, add new soil and/or upgrade to a larger container.
Typically I water a given mother plant quite thoroughly the day before the procedure. Then, remove it from the container making 4 vertical slices about 2" deep through the root mass. If it has filled the entire container I also remove roughly 2-3" from the bottom with one slicing-cut. Then I spread the 4 quarters of the root mass apart and place it on mound of new soil that I prepared in a "volcano" type arrangement. Water thoroughly again to remove any air pockets and it should be good to go. If the plant was already in fairly good health, you can also take this opportunity to prune the plant back severely. Since the plant has been growing 6 mos. or more it can be pruned back to old, woody growth. Just like any ornamental plant, this can result in a profusion of vigorous new growth in only a few weeks.
Typically I water a given mother plant quite thoroughly the day before the procedure. Then, remove it from the container making 4 vertical slices about 2" deep through the root mass. If it has filled the entire container I also remove roughly 2-3" from the bottom with one slicing-cut. Then I spread the 4 quarters of the root mass apart and place it on mound of new soil that I prepared in a "volcano" type arrangement. Water thoroughly again to remove any air pockets and it should be good to go. If the plant was already in fairly good health, you can also take this opportunity to prune the plant back severely. Since the plant has been growing 6 mos. or more it can be pruned back to old, woody growth. Just like any ornamental plant, this can result in a profusion of vigorous new growth in only a few weeks.
That's the way to go!