Periodically, any domestic plant needs to be replanted in new soil so that it can grow further. After all, along with the growth of the plant, its roots also grow, "sucking out" all useful substances from the soil and resting against the walls of the pot.
When is the best time to transplant plants
In order to find out when to plant indoor flowers and whether there is a need for this, you should look at a couple of external factors that can occur if the plant already needs a transplant.
Houseplant transplant process
Pay attention to:
- Drying the soil too quickly after watering. This indicates that the root system has grown very much and need more capacity.
- Drainage holes - if the roots make their way out through them, this is a sign that a larger vessel is required.
- The lack of growth or its severe slowdown.
- The appearance of diseases in a plant.
- Deteriorated soil in the pot.
- The depressing state of the root system.
It is important to remember that plants are best transplanted at certain time periods, otherwise there is a risk of harming the flower.
For example, it is worthwhile to change the soil of recently purchased plants, but not immediately after purchase, but after a couple of weeks or a month. Because the plant has experienced severe stress and climate change.
Attention! When buying a plant, it is necessary to give the representative of the flora a little adapt to the conditions surrounding him and only after that carry out a transplant.
When can I plant indoor flowers during the seasons
As for the suitable time of year for transplantation, representatives of the botanical sciences recommend replanting plants in mid-spring, that is, at the end of March, in April or at the beginning of May. Winter is the worst season of the year for soil renewal. In no case should you transplant flowers in January or December; in February, the procedure is carried out in exceptional cases.
Also, do not deal with soil renewal if the plant begins to bloom (as a rule, this happens in the summer, in June or July), it is better to postpone this matter until later.
Experts advise to adhere to a certain cycle of plant transplantation, as follows:
- Long-lived flowers should be replanted at least 1 time over 2 years.
- Indoor plants are quite unpretentious and require transplantation every 3 years.
- Well, cacti and their cousins can be in the same tank for more than 5 years.
To fully comply with all the nuances, you can also resort to the lunar calendar. After all, plants are very whimsical creatures and perceive any external influences.
The lunar calendar for May 2020 will tell you favorable days for transplants
How to choose the right transplant pot
In the market of modern gardening, there is simply a huge variety of varieties of pots for every taste and color, any materials and shapes.
When choosing a new pot for a plant, you need to adhere to the basic rules:
- The new container should be slightly larger than the previous pot, about 2-3 cm. You can not give the plant too much free space, otherwise it will direct forces to fill the space with roots, and the shoots will recede into the background.
- It is best for plants to choose pots of light shades, otherwise the flower may become too hot in the sun.
Transplanting is necessarily accompanied by a disinfection of the pot.
Ceramic or plastic
Ceramic containers are famous for the fact that they better allow air to pass through and absorb moisture, and their advantage is that they do not suffer from rapid freezing or heating. But the minus of such containers is that they are very fragile and quite expensive. Before planting a plant in a clay pot, it is best to moisten the walls of the container with water, because clay, as mentioned above, absorbs moisture very well.
Plastic pots for plants
Plastic pots are famous for the fact that they are very light, but at the same time durable. However, they do not absorb moisture and to fill the plant with water becomes much easier. In general, plastic is a cheaper material than ceramic. Actually, it also looks cheap, which repels many.
For reference! Both types of pots show themselves well in operation and there is no definite answer, what to choose not. Each flower owner must decide for himself.
Preparation of drainage and earthen mix
A good earth mixture is the key to successful and healthy growth of indoor plants. The type of land being mixed depends on the particular plant for which it is intended.
Classic earth mix
For many plants, a classic mixture of earth is suitable. The so-called "mix" of leafy soil or humus, garden soil, peat and river sand. All "ingredients" are mixed in equal amounts to each other, that is, 25 percent.
If there are problems with river sand, it can easily be replaced with perlite. Botanists recommend adding a bit of expanded clay to the resulting soil, after which everything needs to be mixed. Such soil is suitable for any ficus and other indoor plants.
Earth mixture for ferns
The land for ferns differs from the classical one in that it must have an acidic environment.
It usually consists of leafy earth (1/4 of the total volume) and humus (1/4). The remaining 50 percent is covered by heather soil. To all this, you need to add a little hydrogel so that the moisture does not stagnate.
Earth mixture for succulents
A characteristic feature of such a soil is that the moisture inside it should not stagnate. Succulents are very sensitive to soil and therefore must be approached very carefully.
River sand will take about 1/3 of the whole mixture, compost will take another third, and finally, the remaining part is divided in half between perlite and peat.
Drainage
Properly designed drainage during transplantation is the key to good flower growth, this is nothing complicated.
Attention! Usually, drainage is poured with a layer of 1 to 3 centimeters, at the very bottom of the pot.
Pebbles, gravel or expanded clay are best used as drainage, and the whole thing is seasoned with vermiculite and agroperlite for better moisture transmission through the soil.
Drainage for indoor plants
How to transplant flowers at home correctly
Transplanting a plant is, in principle, easy, but not all can do it competently, given all the factors. The biggest role in this matter is played by the earth. After all, it depends on her whether the flower will bloom and smell, or will begin to hurt or die.
Extracting a plant from a pot
To remove the flower from the pot, you need to make sure that the earthen lump is wet and viscous. So extracting the plant from the pot will be easiest.
To pull out the flower, you need to skip the crown of the plant between the fingers and holding the soil to remove the lump, pressing on the sides of the container if the pot is made of plastic.
If not, then you need to tap the walls of the pot with translational light movements, turning it around its axis, and then try to knock on the bottom of the tank.
Extracting a plant from a pot
Inspecting and trimming the root system
Trimming the roots of the transplanted flower is only in extreme cases, if the root system is diseased and there are affected areas. After trimming, it is better to treat the cut points with crushed activated carbon.
Post-transplant care requirements
A flower after a transplant requires a rather reverent attitude. It is necessary to constantly monitor its condition, spray it with water from time to time, look at how the plant behaves, whether growth is observed, etc.
You can spray the transplanted flower once every 7 days with a special preparation called Zircon. It helps reduce plant stress and strengthens its root system.
Watering should be carried out less often than usual, so that the root system is strengthened and grows further, being in search of moisture.
Attention! To start feeding a flower should be only a month or more after transplantation.
Sophisticated emergency transplant
A complex emergency transplant of domestic flowers is a necessary measure caused by acidification of the earth in a flower pot, rotting of the roots or severe damage to the plant.
Before resorting to this measure, you need to try all possible ways to save the flower, apply insecticides, other drugs, dry the earthball, etc.
It is worth remembering that such a transplant is very dangerous for the plant and can both help it and completely destroy it.
If nothing helps, but you really want to save the flower, then a complicated emergency transplant is the only option. The procedure for preparing the plant for an emergency transplant:
- You need to remove the plants from the pot.
- Rinse the roots of the plant, until the smallest particles of contaminated soil are removed.
- Knock the substrate.
- After removing all the soil, a complete inspection of the plant is required to remove (cut off) the affected parts in the presence of infected and diseased roots.
- Cutting off each affected area with a clean knife, it is necessary to fill up the cut points with powdered coal.
- After removing all diseased roots, it is best to put the rhizome in warm water for half an hour.
- Next is the process of disinfecting the root of the flower with a fungicide or potassium permanganate, by placing the plant in such a solution for 40-60 minutes.
- Disinfected roots should be treated with crushed coal.
Extensive root system view
After performing all of the above procedures, the flower can be transplanted into a new container, you must do this also observing several rules:
- The presence of a new clean pot, treated with boiling water and a solution of potassium permanganate.
- At the bottom of the tank should be laid new drainage, sprinkled with sand from above.
- After preparing the pot, you need to plant the flower itself.
- The roots are gently untangled and evenly placed in the pot.
- After a complete, neat landing, the earth falls asleep.
- The flower is placed in a dark corner with normal room temperature.
Attention! A plant that has survived an emergency complex transplant does not need to be watered for 2-3 days and only for 3 days do a little watering, slightly moistening the soil.
After a period of adaptation, the flower can be transferred to the previous care, but not instantly. Feeding a plant should begin after the manifestation of the first signs of its growth.
Timely care for your pet can warn of any disease and the need for an emergency transplant does not arise at all.
Transshipment of plants as a method of transplantation
Transshipment is another way to transplant home flowers. Its characteristic feature is that it is suitable only for flowers with a closed root system. This method of transplantation allows you to least injure the roots of the plant and therefore it was nicknamed - sparing.
The transshipment process consists of several steps:
- Preparing a seat. The new pot should be only slightly larger than the previous one (about 2-3 cm). You should not immediately choose a large capacity, because the flower can die due to the fact that the root system does not have time to completely grow into the ground and it will sour.
- It is necessary to disinfect the new pot with boiling water.
- After laying a little drainage, crushed stone or pebble is best suited for these purposes.
- Then sprinkle soil, about one third of its total amount.
- The plant is carefully removed from the previous container and planted in a new pot, simultaneously sprinkling with soil.
- Next comes watering.
It should be remembered that the roots of the plant should not be outdoors for a long time, because this can lead to disastrous consequences.
Transplant Tools and Supplies
There is no universal set of tools for transplantation; many use improvised tools.
As a rule, when transplanting, clean containers, pots or containers are needed, a knife, scissors and a baking powder may also be needed. Well, of course, during the transplant, fresh soil and material for drainage are simply needed.
Some positions may optionally be supplemented, but in general, such a set of tools is quite enough.
Plant Transplant Tool Kit
What to do if transplantation is not possible
In exceptional cases, transplanting your favorite plant will not work. Perhaps the flower is simply huge or very sick, and transplanting can make it worse.
In such cases, you can try changing only the top of the soil in the pot. This should be done in the volume in which the size of the pot allows. Such a change of soil, although insignificant, can positively affect the growth and recovery of the plant.
As mentioned earlier, transplanting indoor plants is not the easiest process, as it seems at first glance. But a little delving into the nuances that you may encounter during this lesson, it becomes clear that you need to approach this matter very carefully and responsibly.
