EasyBloom Forum

I recently potted 3 "babies" that were grown off bigger plants, a corn plant, philedendron, and a spider plant. I have heard that when you pot a plant that you are supposed to water it a lot at first. Just wondereing how long I should be watering them frequently? If there is still standing water in the tray then I don't but for the most part the water has been gone almost every time I have gone to water them. Also, the soil drains the water really fast. I have been looking into getting some fertilizer. Will that help the soil and how fast it drains? Or will it just be nutrients for the plant? Thanks.

Hey Kadra...Having a fast-draining soil is rarely a problem for plants. Most plants prefer not to have their "feet wet". They prefer to be in moist soil that is not completely soaked. It is true that newly transplanted plants should be given constantly moist soil (the reason why is usually they do not have enough roots yet developed to maintain the aboveground plant parts yet), but it is also important to be sure not to over water them. It sounds like with your super fast draining soil, that shouldn't be too big of a problem. Also, I would recommend not allowing the tray to remain full of water. When the water drains from the pot into the tray, you should eventually drain off that excess water. The pot shouldn't be sitting in standing water for too long.

As for fertilizer, usually "baby" plants need light doses of fertilizer at first. It sounds like you are transplanting mostly indoor plants. I would recommend you get some fertilizer that is specifically designed for houseplants. You can find this at most any hardware store or plant nursery. They generally come in granular form, which you dissolve in water. You can water with diluted fertilizer solution if you wish, but I wouldn't go full strength after you are sure that the roots are substantially developed. Fortunately this is about the same time that you will stop giving so much moisture to the "baby" plants since they have graduated from being a baby to more of a toddler. Kind of like going from baby formula to solid food in human babies. :) The amount of time it takes to reach this stage really depends on the amount of root growth that is taking place and that can depend on a lot of factors. Basically it is difficult to tell how long it will take, but on average I would say that it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months.

I hope this information is helpful. Let me know if you have any further questions. Cheers, Dr. Robby