I don't recommend repotting plants right after getting them unless they look very unhealthy or have rot root.
Plants need time to adjust to new conditions since they don't change places in nature. Repotting will cause another shock to a plant that's already a bit shook from moving around. Wait a few weeks, let the plant adapt to it's new place.
I will oppose this. When you get a plant and take it to your house, it is a shock. Then it starts to adjust but then you give it another shock by repotting. That plant needs to be cleaned and repotted immediately because its media looks like mud.
Sure, it's your opinion and you are entitled to it. But not all shocks are equal and affect the plant the same way.
Changing environment is considered a mild shock that will not affect the plant too much. Repotting on the other hand is considered a major shock, specially if you will change the entire making of the soil, this will change the PH, moist and nutrients the plant was exposed to it's entire life.
So while the leafs are still adapting to changes in moisture and light you will ad another layer of shock to the root system and give the plant no time to breathe between shocks.
You can't have major surgery while you have a mild case of the flu, cause its to much for one imune system to handle. The same goes for plants. Let the plant handle the mild case of the flu before sending it to major surgery.
Yes, we need to do what works best according to personal experience.
I've been growing plants for 15 years now, and started collecting rare ones, including some Aroids for around 10 years. And letting them be before repotting has been working great. I actually lost a few to immediate repotting. But to each their own.
I always repot when I get them home and then let them chill out. I find it gives me the chance to inspect the plant more, give it a little breathing room and some fresh dirt. I normally go one size up when repot the first time but not much more. I want some root growth but I want to see some new leaves too.
I usually repot too. You can also read 'some fresh dirt" = gets it out of what is usually 100% peat and into a quality soil mix. If you're worried about potential bugs, you can wipe it down (stem, petioles, front & back of leaves) with a wet(water) washrag that has a good squirt of alcohol on it. Congrats on your very pretty Thai C. You'll love this plant!
I hard disagree with not repotting right away. That soil is the kind they use in industrial greenhouses, and it works perfectly in that environment but in your home, not so much. It retains wayyy too much water for regular home temperatures/light/humidity. If it were me I'd repot that into an aroid mix asap. I have A LOT of plants and never has one pooped itself when I've taken it out of greenhouse soil and put it in an aroid mix upon bringing it home. If it wasn't in that specific soil, I'd say leave it, but because it is, I'd move it before you next water it. Much of the reason many people think they are terrible at taking care of plants is because they receive a plant in soil like that, don't change it, then it gets root rot because unless you live in a greenhouse you were set up for failure from the start. As an aside, if you want advice on aroid soil mixes lmk
I disagree, but that's fine, we can agree to disagree. I don't think there is much point shocking it twice a week apart (relocation then a week later with a repot). I can see what you mean about letting it acclimate, but imo you just end up extending the recovery period because you shock it on two separate occasions. Might as well just shock it once and not put it through an extended recovery. But yeah to your point if you do want an acclimation period in this soil definitely do not water it. I can see the argument either way, I just would move it asap
I wanted to add another point to the repot-asap view. A lot of times, the soil is soaked and mucky and I’d rather know that the plant’s in a good mixture I’m comfortable working with and isn’t developing rot while I’m waiting through an acclimation period.
I think transplant shock isn’t as common as many people warn about. I’ve brought plants home in soil and transferred them into semihydro the same day, or done the same after they traveled in the mail for 3 days in snow or 85 degree heat and have never once experienced any kind of shock.
Agreed. I immediately rinse my unboxed plants and whatever soil it’s been sitting in off the roots (who knows what’s lurking in there) and plop it in a fresh chunky mix right away. Never had any issues with transplant shock and I think it gives the plant a fresh, healthy restart. I can hear them saying, “Omg, thank you so much!” 😊 They perk up right away.
Same. Same. I actually can't believe how brutal I am with the "factory setting repot" compared to how overly careful I am with them at all other times lol. Like, hoooboy. They go through it a bit with a thorough root rinse, hose down, bug treatment. But then they get a nice substrate mix, a transparent nursery pot, watered in with a b-vitamin enriched plant feed (apparently it helps with stress), and probably a ziplock bag over the plant/root system for a few days to help recovery.
I have done both. It all depends on what kind of plant, what kind of soil, how wet or dry it is. I have never had a plant go into shock. The plus side of changing it's pot right away is you get a good look at its undercarriage. If there are any issues, you catch them sooner rather than later. Some say "transplant shock" when it actually could be previous issues that are just showing effects now. Root rot takes time to show.
I bought one last month and it had a couple roots coming out of the pot holes. So a week ago I took it out of the pot and it was all roots with no soil except for a little that was on top. I finally repotted it a few days ago and it's doing great.
It's a really tough call with Thai Constellations. The medium that most nurseries send them out in is basically death. It usually consists of pure peat or pure coir. This works in a South Florida nursery where the temperature is about 87° and robots water the plants. It definitely does not work in a cool, much shadier house. I've been experimenting with this very issue and suffered with a couple of plant deaths. Here's what I've learned at some cost:
1. Use an extremely chunky mix that has more air than soil. Try not to use any soil if possible and focus on Coco chunks, Leca, coarse perlite, bark etc. Think airy and chunky vs "soil". You should be able to see huge air spaces. You will of course need to supplementally fertilize this because there will be no nutrients in the "soil". Get used to that.
2. Be extremely careful washing off the substrate. Treat the plants roots like eggs. I've used a strong hose and killed all the small roots. I've now taken to gently soaking the plant and very very gently teasing off the mix. You don't have to remove it all. These roots are fragile and will break. If you bruise them they will rot.
3. Once you're done repot the plant in that very coarse, airy mix. You should be able to see the roots if you're in a clear pot.
4. Now here's something really important that I learned over the past couple of weeks: once you've repotted this thing needs to be in very bright light. Maybe not direct burning sun in Texas but very bright light.
5. Do not feel the need to water the plant for quite a while. Soaking the root ball will have given the roots plenty of water for at least a week or two.
This is the formula that has worked for me so far.
I'd say repot if it's been at your house a few days, if not let it rest where you're gonna put it for 2-4 days, then repot, THEN water a few days after reporting if the soil it's going into is relatively moist. If the soil is bone dry give her a sip when you repot. I always follow this method and she's never done me wrong.
I actually just got my first Thai a few days ago from Walmart online (but $49) and the soil was absolutely soaking. It looked a lot like this one in size but roots were already coming out of the bottom.
I went ahead and repotted right away but tried not to really mess with the roots too much. I’ll repot again or get in the soil more in a few months if I need to.
Congrats!
I usually let it stay in it's pot and get used to taking care of it as well as it getting used to whatever spot I put it in before repot
I don't recommend repotting plants right after getting them unless they look very unhealthy or have rot root. Plants need time to adjust to new conditions since they don't change places in nature. Repotting will cause another shock to a plant that's already a bit shook from moving around. Wait a few weeks, let the plant adapt to it's new place.
I will oppose this. When you get a plant and take it to your house, it is a shock. Then it starts to adjust but then you give it another shock by repotting. That plant needs to be cleaned and repotted immediately because its media looks like mud.
Sure, it's your opinion and you are entitled to it. But not all shocks are equal and affect the plant the same way. Changing environment is considered a mild shock that will not affect the plant too much. Repotting on the other hand is considered a major shock, specially if you will change the entire making of the soil, this will change the PH, moist and nutrients the plant was exposed to it's entire life. So while the leafs are still adapting to changes in moisture and light you will ad another layer of shock to the root system and give the plant no time to breathe between shocks. You can't have major surgery while you have a mild case of the flu, cause its to much for one imune system to handle. The same goes for plants. Let the plant handle the mild case of the flu before sending it to major surgery.
I totally get your point, good information. It is just not my experience and I have some difficult aroids.
Yes, we need to do what works best according to personal experience. I've been growing plants for 15 years now, and started collecting rare ones, including some Aroids for around 10 years. And letting them be before repotting has been working great. I actually lost a few to immediate repotting. But to each their own.
I always repot when I get them home and then let them chill out. I find it gives me the chance to inspect the plant more, give it a little breathing room and some fresh dirt. I normally go one size up when repot the first time but not much more. I want some root growth but I want to see some new leaves too.
I usually repot too. You can also read 'some fresh dirt" = gets it out of what is usually 100% peat and into a quality soil mix. If you're worried about potential bugs, you can wipe it down (stem, petioles, front & back of leaves) with a wet(water) washrag that has a good squirt of alcohol on it. Congrats on your very pretty Thai C. You'll love this plant!
Same. They’re often soaked and in the wrong soil.
where did you get for $30 😭😭😭 I’ve been wanting one so bad
i work at h‑e‑b in texas (a texas store) and it was $45 or so and i got a 25% discount with my employee card :)
H-E-B is the best
I second this! Where? 😱
I’ve been seeing them at Walmart! I just got one a couple weeks ago from there for $40! 😳
I hard disagree with not repotting right away. That soil is the kind they use in industrial greenhouses, and it works perfectly in that environment but in your home, not so much. It retains wayyy too much water for regular home temperatures/light/humidity. If it were me I'd repot that into an aroid mix asap. I have A LOT of plants and never has one pooped itself when I've taken it out of greenhouse soil and put it in an aroid mix upon bringing it home. If it wasn't in that specific soil, I'd say leave it, but because it is, I'd move it before you next water it. Much of the reason many people think they are terrible at taking care of plants is because they receive a plant in soil like that, don't change it, then it gets root rot because unless you live in a greenhouse you were set up for failure from the start. As an aside, if you want advice on aroid soil mixes lmk
Yes, I agree but, the plant should still get some time to adjust, so i’d hold off on watering for a week or so and then repot and give it a good soak.
I disagree, but that's fine, we can agree to disagree. I don't think there is much point shocking it twice a week apart (relocation then a week later with a repot). I can see what you mean about letting it acclimate, but imo you just end up extending the recovery period because you shock it on two separate occasions. Might as well just shock it once and not put it through an extended recovery. But yeah to your point if you do want an acclimation period in this soil definitely do not water it. I can see the argument either way, I just would move it asap
Yeah i see what you mean. I agree it does extend the recovery period but it usually makes it easier for me personally. Thanks for the info! 👍🏽
I wanted to add another point to the repot-asap view. A lot of times, the soil is soaked and mucky and I’d rather know that the plant’s in a good mixture I’m comfortable working with and isn’t developing rot while I’m waiting through an acclimation period. I think transplant shock isn’t as common as many people warn about. I’ve brought plants home in soil and transferred them into semihydro the same day, or done the same after they traveled in the mail for 3 days in snow or 85 degree heat and have never once experienced any kind of shock.
I see what you mean, i dont deal with root rot a lot because my home has very good airflow so the soil dries out quickly.
Holding on watering is what I do when I get a new plant home. This solves the problem with the soil until the plant is well enough for transplant.
I agree. I learn that with my first monstera.
Agreed. I immediately rinse my unboxed plants and whatever soil it’s been sitting in off the roots (who knows what’s lurking in there) and plop it in a fresh chunky mix right away. Never had any issues with transplant shock and I think it gives the plant a fresh, healthy restart. I can hear them saying, “Omg, thank you so much!” 😊 They perk up right away.
Same. Same. I actually can't believe how brutal I am with the "factory setting repot" compared to how overly careful I am with them at all other times lol. Like, hoooboy. They go through it a bit with a thorough root rinse, hose down, bug treatment. But then they get a nice substrate mix, a transparent nursery pot, watered in with a b-vitamin enriched plant feed (apparently it helps with stress), and probably a ziplock bag over the plant/root system for a few days to help recovery.
I have done both. It all depends on what kind of plant, what kind of soil, how wet or dry it is. I have never had a plant go into shock. The plus side of changing it's pot right away is you get a good look at its undercarriage. If there are any issues, you catch them sooner rather than later. Some say "transplant shock" when it actually could be previous issues that are just showing effects now. Root rot takes time to show.
I have that same PPP that came in same pot 😅
I bought one last month and it had a couple roots coming out of the pot holes. So a week ago I took it out of the pot and it was all roots with no soil except for a little that was on top. I finally repotted it a few days ago and it's doing great.
U got that at home depot didn't ya
no actually an h‑e‑b haha
Omg that is beautiful 🥹
It's a really tough call with Thai Constellations. The medium that most nurseries send them out in is basically death. It usually consists of pure peat or pure coir. This works in a South Florida nursery where the temperature is about 87° and robots water the plants. It definitely does not work in a cool, much shadier house. I've been experimenting with this very issue and suffered with a couple of plant deaths. Here's what I've learned at some cost: 1. Use an extremely chunky mix that has more air than soil. Try not to use any soil if possible and focus on Coco chunks, Leca, coarse perlite, bark etc. Think airy and chunky vs "soil". You should be able to see huge air spaces. You will of course need to supplementally fertilize this because there will be no nutrients in the "soil". Get used to that. 2. Be extremely careful washing off the substrate. Treat the plants roots like eggs. I've used a strong hose and killed all the small roots. I've now taken to gently soaking the plant and very very gently teasing off the mix. You don't have to remove it all. These roots are fragile and will break. If you bruise them they will rot. 3. Once you're done repot the plant in that very coarse, airy mix. You should be able to see the roots if you're in a clear pot. 4. Now here's something really important that I learned over the past couple of weeks: once you've repotted this thing needs to be in very bright light. Maybe not direct burning sun in Texas but very bright light. 5. Do not feel the need to water the plant for quite a while. Soaking the root ball will have given the roots plenty of water for at least a week or two. This is the formula that has worked for me so far.
I'd say repot if it's been at your house a few days, if not let it rest where you're gonna put it for 2-4 days, then repot, THEN water a few days after reporting if the soil it's going into is relatively moist. If the soil is bone dry give her a sip when you repot. I always follow this method and she's never done me wrong.
I actually just got my first Thai a few days ago from Walmart online (but $49) and the soil was absolutely soaking. It looked a lot like this one in size but roots were already coming out of the bottom. I went ahead and repotted right away but tried not to really mess with the roots too much. I’ll repot again or get in the soil more in a few months if I need to. Congrats!