|
|
CoronaCactus Nursery LLC. �Cactus & Succulent
growers. |
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
Eriosyce occulta |
New Plant Care Written � June 12, 2009 So you�ve just
received your package from CoronaCactus or you�ve just returned home with new
CoronaCactus plants from a local sale or from your local nursery. What now? Well, since we
(and most mail order nurseries) ship the majority of our plants bare root,
you�ll need to have a pot and your soil mix ready. Whenever
purchasing a new plant in a pot with soil, no matter from where or from whom,
always repot the plant into your own soil mix. This is not to say that the
soil the plant came with is not good, not at all. It�s the fact that you
really have no idea how it reacts. No two soil mixes are alike. Disease,
insects, fungus, etc. are always a possibility. As for us, we inspect ALL
plants for healthy roots and pest/disease free plants before shipping. We
won�t ship a plant even if it�s borderline. Quarantine all
new plants away from your general collection plants. If anything is present
on the new plants, you don�t want it getting to the rest of your collection.
Take whatever steps you use for pest/disease control. Make sure all new
plants get a proper dose to kill off anything unfriendly. The main reason
for all this: Since everybody has their own preferred soil mix, no 2 mixes
will react the same, nor will they have the same amount of each ingredient or
may not even contain the ingredients you use. Since you have no idea what
proportions of each ingredient are involved, you really have no idea how the
soil retains moisture, how fast it drains, if it has a slow-release granule
type fertilizer, etc. But since you do know exactly how YOUR soil reacts,
this is the reason for repotting into your own mix. You know how fast it
dries out, how often you need to water and if you added any type of
fertilizer and how it reacts in your growing area. Other factors
include where the plant was previously growing. If it was in a greenhouse and
you want to place it outside, the soil mix may show different properties
depending on the growing conditions. Everybody�s growing conditions differ, as
does their geographical climate. Even the guy just down the street can have a
different microclimate in his yard, compared to yours. In summary, use what
you know! |
|
|
1. Mail order
/ Bare Root Plant care
Wash or soak the root ball in water to
remove any soil still on the roots. Apply any pest/disease control and let
the plant dry in a warm, but shaded area. After a day or so, depending on the
dryness, you�re now ready to repot into your own soil mix and whatever pot
you desire. |
|
|
|
2. New Potted
Plant Care
As above, wash or soak the soil off the
roots, especially plants from a heavy peat based mix and set aside to dry
out. Once you�re satisfied the plants are in good health and pest/disease
free, proceed with repotting. NOTE:
Most non-specialized commercial nurseries grow their plants in a heavy peat
based soil mix. Especially true when purchasing plants from big box stores
like Home Depot, Lowes, Target, etc. This may be acceptable for starting
seedlings or for faster growth to be able to sell them quicker grown in a
very controlled greenhouse, but it spells almost certain death if they are
left to grow in that peat mix. The thing with peat is that if it is allowed
to dry out, it will compact and lose its ability to absorb water again. When
you water the plant, the water simply runs down the inside of the pot and out
the bottom, never getting to the roots trapped inside the peat ball. You may
have purchased plants like this before and when removing them from the pot,
the whole thing just comes out of the pot in a big bundle with no loose soil
at all. The plant may look healthy, but it certainly has not been getting the
proper water or nutrients it needs and can decline in health very quickly if
left as is. Another thing we like to do is to try and
replicate the plants previous growing conditions (from where we got it from)
while the plant is transitioning to our preferred conditions. This is usually
only a few weeks. Of course this is not always possible, though we try to
provide as close to those conditions as possible. There will be times when
you get a plant grown in a controlled greenhouse, it declines quickly when
taken out of its growing conditions and placed outside or anywhere where it�s
not used to. We also like to know when the last watering was and what
watering schedule it was under. We especially take these extra precaution
steps when acquiring that rare plant or prized specimen. |
|
|
|
3. When to
water?
It�s best to wait a week or 2 before
watering. This allows any cut or damaged parts to dry out and callous over.
Allows the plant to settle in and get over any shock. After a few weeks and if the plant visibly
looks good, give it a drink to start. Not enough to drain out the bottom of
the pot, but enough to allow it to soak in about half way through. When the
next watering is due (when dry) you can water as normal with a good soaking. |
|
|
|
4. Acclimating
to lighting changes Another caution when placing out your new plants,
is to not allow the plants to get sunburn. If a plant has been grown in a
greenhouse or shadehouse, it hasn�t been subjected to the full dose of the
sun. So it needs to be eased in so it won�t get scorched. Start the plant out in a brightly lit shaded area, behind glass on a
windowsill or covered with some type of shadecloth.
Move the plant into the full sun for a few hours at a time for the first few
days, and slowly extend the time out each time. After a week to 10 days of
this, the plant should be ready to be out on it�s own in the sun. NOTE: Not all plants require the
full dose of the sun, so acclimate the plant to its
particular needs. This can coincide with the new plants dry period after just being
potted up. After it�s been acclimated to the full sun, it�s about that time
to water it. |
|
|
|
5. Watch it
grow! Now you can sit back and enjoy
your new plant(s) knowing they are pest and disease free and happy getting
all the sun light they need. |
|
|
Contact Jen and Darryl Email: [email protected] Mammillaria
guelzowiana |
Echinopsis hybrid |
|
Copyright � 2008-2010
Corona Cactus Nursery LLC.�������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Page Update: 7-14-09
All
article photos and text are property of CoronaCactus Nursery LLC.
Any
reproduction, in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.