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View Full Version : is this my first pups or a sign of needing to be repotted?


hersirsmiley
05-31-2009, 01:43 PM
Hello everyone,
My container dwarf orinocos have recently begun growing again with the lengthening of the sunlight. Today when i was watering them i noticed some hard brownish things poking through the soil. I was wondering if these are just roots sticking up warning me i need to repot them or are they perhaps pups beginning to pop their heads above the ground before starting to show foliage?

I look forward to your responses.

harveyc
05-31-2009, 01:50 PM
Sounds like roots to me, either because they are crowded or because your soil has settled. A photo would help.

hersirsmiley
05-31-2009, 02:41 PM
I tried taking a picture but you can't see anything because the object in question is the same color as the soil.

harveyc
05-31-2009, 02:46 PM
Depending on your soil, it may darken up much more than roots or suckers if you wet it.

hersirsmiley
05-31-2009, 03:10 PM
i guess i'll have to keep watching it and see what happens.

john_ny
05-31-2009, 04:11 PM
I'd keep an eye on it for a while. I don't want to contradict Harvey, but all the roots I've encountered are soft. Here's a picture of a pup that started to grow, but the first leaf only got to an inch or so, and then withered. I hope there'll be more.

http://www.johngrows.com/pup2009.jpg

The green things, there, are just weeds.

hersirsmiley
05-31-2009, 04:37 PM
john that looks kinda like the growth i'm seeing, they are like vertical nodules. so i will keep an eye on them.

harveyc
05-31-2009, 05:40 PM
A picture is worth a thousand words.

I've had older roots near the surface with plants that have been root-bound that have been brown and hard, much unlike the white roots below the surface.

If it's in a plastic pot you can usually just pull on the plant and lift it out of the pot to inspect the roots and replace it. I had pulled out a basjoo about a month ago and removed two pups from it and placed it back in the pot. Yesterday I pulled it back up and it was already root-bound so I planted it out in my garden.

Do you plan to move it into a larger pot next or put it in the ground? I assume in zone 6 you'll be bringing it indoors this winter.

Good luck,

Harvey

hersirsmiley
05-31-2009, 05:53 PM
harvey, i have no plans to put it in the ground. I could go to a larger pot but i don't think i can go too much larger as it has to be able to be moved by me in and out of the house. I was gonna repot it this year anyway but i was gonna wait for just a little while longer till i can keep them out for the summer.