Hi all. I have a quick question regarding some of my OW'd plants. I've noticed the potting mix level in some of the bags has lowered. Should I change the potting mix out totally with some fresh stuff, or would I be ok just topping the bags off with either fresh mix or compost? These plants have been in the bags since November 2013 if that helps any, and it's just regular Miracle Gro mix that they're in.
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Should I change my potting mix or just top it up?
- Thread starter MeatHead1313
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I'd say you could top it off and be ok. I topped some of mine off with plain potting soil and compost mixed together. And mixed compost into the garden beds and some pots due to have plants in them that needed more soil
I would't recommend it if the stems are tough and woody. Once they get a certain age, they lose the ability to grow adventitious roots and burying stem tissue will likely lead to stem rot. Instead, I would probably pull the root ball out and add more soil to the bottom and sides of the pot. If they still appear green and flexible, they'll probably be OK, though. HTH
Thanks for the info guys. The stems on these plants do look woody so will have to double check that first. Appreciate the help!
"The stems look woody." Define that - like live or dead wood? As plants mature, and especially if kept more than one season, the main stem and larger branches will take on a woody look - they're strengthening so they can hold more as the branches fill out. Some varieties do this more than others. So the question is whether they look like they may put out more shoots or if they look like kindling - bone dry. Still, don't be surprised if a branch/stem that you think is done for puts out new branches - it's what's inside that counts, not the outside. With my OW's, I keep all the stems/branches until I am confident a given branch won't produce more, as I have definitely been wrong on occasion.
Repot? I'd say yes - but answer a few questions first. Did you repot before you brought them inside? Before I bring mine inside, I work them out of their pots, give both the tops and bottoms a good pruning, rinse the roots that remain out as well as I can, then repot with fresh soil. If you did the same, you can try to work them out of their pots but keep the soil around the roots as intact as possible. Then put some fresh soil in the bottom then replace the plant - fill in with fresh soil around the edges if some came off. Consider - roots tendency is to go down and out. They need more room in those directions than up. The times I'd say to put soil on top are if the plant has a stability problem.
If you didn't do as above before you brought in, I'd recommend repotting with fresh soil now. Soil does become depleted after some time. It's not usually just one season with peppers, but I like to give them fresh every year.
Repot? I'd say yes - but answer a few questions first. Did you repot before you brought them inside? Before I bring mine inside, I work them out of their pots, give both the tops and bottoms a good pruning, rinse the roots that remain out as well as I can, then repot with fresh soil. If you did the same, you can try to work them out of their pots but keep the soil around the roots as intact as possible. Then put some fresh soil in the bottom then replace the plant - fill in with fresh soil around the edges if some came off. Consider - roots tendency is to go down and out. They need more room in those directions than up. The times I'd say to put soil on top are if the plant has a stability problem.
If you didn't do as above before you brought in, I'd recommend repotting with fresh soil now. Soil does become depleted after some time. It's not usually just one season with peppers, but I like to give them fresh every year.
Thanks for the info geeme. It still looks like live wood. Definitely not like kindling. They were started from seed in September last year, put in the 5 gallon bags in November and they've been in the greenhouse over the winter. I haven't pruned them at all. 2 of them are having a little stability issue due to the lower mix level.geeme said: