Help MBE grow his dinner 2011

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

For what it's worth, I'd go along with emiff6 and remove the pot. How can you blame the sandy soil when you also say that the roots haven't come through the original pot? But also remember the cardinal rule about re potting that you don't jump too many sizes in one go. Just up one size at a time.

I still don't know about the soil, but it did seem a bit waterlogged. Not sodden, but wet. The pot size has gone from about 8" to 11", but the new one's pretty deep. I thought these peat pots were supposed to be planted for minimal root disturbance?

djohn2002uk wrote: »

Also, have you thought about ringing the nursery where you bought it and ask them for some advice.

I'll see if it picks up over the next couple of days, then I'll give them a call if there's no improvement.

Lotus-eater

I agree with John tbh, peat pots aren't always perfect and I don't use them because they sometimes impede the roots, in fact I think they often impede the roots. I'd take it off and not water it for a while and then only water from the bottom.

mrbadexample

'nother job for me tomorrow then.

Sambucus_Nigra

mrbadexample wrote: »

I thought these peat pots were supposed to be planted for minimal root disturbance?

Don\t believe everything that you read......

I never use them - they stop the roots growing through and if they are above ground, act as a wick to try the root ball out. Rip them up and put them in the same hole as the root ball and don't buy them again!

mrbadexample

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

and don't buy them again!

That's what the plant came in. The rhubarb too. That had a lot more roots showing through though.

lemonjelly

Hello all!

rain has been very showery here over the weekend. Still not enough to soak in methinks...
But enough to prevent me putting washing out.

Managed to repaint the front door though, inbetween repotting lots.

djohn said it right. I worry sometimes about the frequency of my repotting. This weekend, I repotted about 20 toms (for a very brief moment I thought I had flowers, but must have imagined it...) and I also repotted my 4 peppers (which are still very small.) Repotting regularly helps you monitor the plant & compost I feel. I suspect I've been over-watering a bit this year, so am giving the plants a rest for a few days. This is also good for noticing a spurt of growth!

Oh, & to the poster feeling they should give up, I'm also ridiculously impatient with my plants. Give them time & space, & they will grow. Sometimes the best thing to do is have a few days without looking at them. Monitoring them too closely means that you miss seeing the difference that will occur over a week!

annie123

Good news:I've had the first proper lot of rain for 3 months, 18 hours of it:D have checked the soil and it's damp down to almost 2":j

Bad news: I'm not use to checking for slugs and snails this year and they have had all my new baby lettuce seedlings except 3 (foxes/cats dug over all my other ones a few weeks ago) 'cause I forgot to put down traps/pellets/collect them :mad:


Good news: I'm going away to centreparcs this weekend, first break for 2 years for various reasons and I really could do with one.

Bad news; after 3 months with no so**ing rain and lots of warm weather, it's forecast to be cold and wet in the south:mad:

Who ever has the big yellow ball can I have it back down south please Friday to Monday You can have it back after;)

lisa26_2

I also have a tomato fetish! 29 plants for me and DH who doesn't exactly eat a great deal of salad!!! Mum has nearly as many too and dad eats zero salad so we'll (hopefully!) be overrun by toms between us!

mrbadexample

Liquorice is now out of the peat pot. I have to concur that it did appear to be restricting root development. Let's just hope that's enough to perk it up a bit.

mrbadexample

One of my lavender is also doing its best to give up the ghost:



I had been advised to cut back the dying bits. Each time I did that, the plant would perk up a bit, and then the next bit would start to die. It's now a fraction of the size of the other:



So I've dug it up. Cutting it back wasn't working, so there wasn't much point in continuing. I've rinsed all the soil off the root ball, in case the problem was there, and repotted it:



So, place your bets ladies and gentlemen, will it die or not? I think it probably still will, but I had to try something.

Next question: how do you take cuttings from lavender? I need to make a new one.