Repot
When repotting , a potted plant is transplanted into other containers ( called pots ). Most of the time the habitat for the plant's roots has become too small, nutrients in the substrate have been used up or a large part of it has been displaced by the roots.
In ornamental plant cultivation, repotting is one of the cultural tasks that are taught in gardening training .
method
The plant is held upside down in one hand for potting. The ball of the pot is loosened from the old pot with a light tap of the edge of the pot on the pot table and the pot is put down. Then, if necessary, the salty soil on the top of the pot ball is carefully loosened and, in the case of heavily rooted plants, the roots on the edge of the pot are also slightly loosened.
With the free hand, some earth is now scooped into the new, larger pot and this is set down with a jerk - this causes the earth to settle. The plant is now placed in the middle of the pot; All around, earth is filled with both hands and a little compressed with the fingers. The new pot should have at least two sizes more than the previous one.
After potting, the plant still has to be watered.
Repotting for bonsai care
Regular repotting is an indispensable measure for caring for bonsai . As a rule, the miniature trees are cultivated in conspicuously small planters to limit growth and for stylistic reasons in order to achieve an aesthetic overall appearance of the plant. While other potted plants are mainly placed in larger containers after potting, bonsai is replanted in the container previously used.
To do this, the plant is subjected to a root pruning in order to reduce the root mass and promote the branching of the root ball so that a fine, even root system is formed. Replacing the substrate supplies the bonsai with fresh nutrients.
Culture pots
Potted plants are grown in clay pots or in plastic pots. Cuttings or seedlings are often raised in prick boxes or seed boxes, multi-pot pallets made of plastic (PVC) or in growing containers made of soil, pressed peat or paper-coated substrate.
Clay pots
Clay pots are the classic shape of the pot and are often used for decorative purposes and, because of the high weight, also for planting in pots or for tall trunk forms of ornamental plants. In addition to its high stability, the clay pot also offers advantages in buffering high water and salt contents.
When used in horticulture, the high weight of clay pots is economically disadvantageous. The evaporation through the pot walls also leads to lower temperatures in the root area, which can have a negative effect on the cultivation time. The fact that clay pots are fragile is actually a disadvantage in gardening, but it can be useful when repotting: If a sensitive and valuable plant cannot be removed from the pot, it can be carefully smashed in an emergency.
Plastic pots
On the other hand, plastic pots or plastic pots made mostly of polystyrene are more interesting for production gardening. In addition to their advantageous low weight, they can be better processed automatically and stored in potting machines. The substrate must be more permeable to air to compensate for the lack of breathing through the pot wall. In addition to the classic round shape, there are also square “containers” that require less space, particularly with small plants, pot-to-pot.
See also
literature
- H. Storck: Taschenbuch des Gartenbaues , Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-8001-4112-4
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Horst Stahl: Bonsai - From the basic course to the master . Double volume, Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-440-08875-8 .