Potting Depth for Sarrs, Mine vs. Nursery [PICS]

[TENroaches]

I was trimming off some old brown pitchers from some plants I bought the other day. I noticed a difference in depth between how I potted and how the plants from the nursery are potted.

This is mine:

(Also, is that curly growth normal in the picture of mine?)

And this is from the nursery:

You can see the roots in that one!

I almost think I should repot mine and raise the growth points out a little more. I'm also debating repotting my VFTs, or at least lifting them straight up and adding more soil beneath, because they're kind of low in the planter (2" beneath rim?) and the planter itself shades it sometimes. If I repotted all the VFTs, I'd get to add a top coating of LFS, which is beautiful compared to just peat and perlite. But that whole dealie could be a separate thread.

(I also wish I potted my x catesbaie and red bugs with an LFS top coating, but I only did an LFS top coating for my purpurea, rubra, judith hindle, and scarlet belle. :-(

I think I'm just rambling at this point. :-\ Any comments on anything are appreciated.

 

[BigBella]

Your Sarracenia should be OK; but the general rule of thumb is to have the very top of the rhizome at soil level or just above -- as you have done. In that nursery-grown plant, I would cover the roots . . .

 

[TENroaches]

All righty. I reckon I'm going to repot the new plants anyway, so they can go in bigger pots that look nicer. I still have them in these so that they could get used to the sunshine on my deck before I bother them with repotting. I wish I knew what this nursery used for their soil. I know there's charcoal and peanut shells.... The plants seem to love it.

How bad is it to repot the same plants twice in a month, in growing season?

 

[Not a Number]

I've planted divisions with the crown completely covered. In time they grow out to the point as the in your second picture. The plants have had millions of years to get to this point so they must "know" what works for them. So now I don't cover the crown as much unless it cannot be avoided due to the size and shape of the division.

I've even had new growth points start out under the soil and grow out with existing roots looped over parts of the new crown. I just leave it be.

 

[GrowinOld]

Another thought....

It appears to me that the "nursery" plant was in the pot for a year or likely more, it simply had some of the potting mixture washing out of the bottom as it was watered and rained on over time. This allows the plant to appear higher and its roots to eventually become exposed, as the peat/sand "soil" is being washed out.

We see this all the time with potted perennials and other garden plants sold in nurseries.
It looks exactly like that, and if left unchecked (usually at the nursery where no one bothers to care for the plants and tend them well) it will get worse and the plants will eventually die with little or no "soil mixture" left in the pot! (I have seen this too often and it is very sad to see plants neglected so badly.)

Indeed, plants will grow up out of the "soil" also, as was mentioned, so that could be all it is too. If the planting medium is tiny and loose like small shell pieces and such (not like LFS throughout), and the drainage holes big, I would first suspect it being "wash-out" however. (In fact, it is likely a combination of both conditions, if the plant has been growing in the same pot for a while...

While I usually top-dress the plant, but really it is up to you what to do.
Re-potting is not absolutely necessary either, unless there are other reasons such as wanting to "refresh" the planting mixture. If you decide to leave it, you might want to watch for the roots drying out or cooking if you allow the mixture to become too dry in the summer's hot sun. (Like I said, I usually just top dress it a bit when I see this, to avoid problems.)

 

[billylh]

i keep all my rhizomes sitting on top of the soil level just like the nursery picture and witnessed how new roots will develop on top and grow down almost completely covering the rhizome anchoring it in place, it hasnt failed me and infact i get more new growth point developing if the rhizome is uncovered.

~billy

 

[TENroaches]

Thanks for the reply. I was going to repot anyway, to put it in a nicer-looking, bigger pot, or maybe a planter with another plant or two. I could top-dress it with LFS and just drop that clump of dirt it's in into the new planter, rather than breaking all the charcoal and peanut shells loose and putting it all in new soil.

But if it's been in that for a few years, it's probably due for fresh soil anyway. I'll probably use all new soil for it.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Thanks for the reply. I was going to repot anyway, to put it in a nicer-looking, bigger pot, or maybe a planter with another plant or two. I could top-dress it with LFS and just drop that clump of dirt it's in into the new planter, rather than breaking all the charcoal and peanut shells loose and putting it all in new soil.

But if it's been in that for a few years, it's probably due for fresh soil anyway. I'll probably use all new soil for it.

Definitely use those planters they have at your local nursery, they are the best things that ever happened to my Sarr pools I used to have.

I wouldn't worry about the exposed roots. Some of my wobbly Sarrs will shoot out additional roots for support since my plants are in a driveway in an townhouse complex and it's a bit windy.

 

[TENroaches]

Definitely use those planters they have at your local nursery, they are the best things that ever happened to my Sarr pools I used to have.

I wouldn't worry about the exposed roots. Some of my wobbly Sarrs will shoot out additional roots for support since my plants are in a driveway in an townhouse complex and it's a bit windy.

Wait, are you saying to use the pots that the plants are already in, which are from my local nursery, or repot in a different planter? I buy pots and planters from Walmart, since they have nice plastic ones for bottom-watering, something I couldn't find in any other store.

Or did you mean to use the soil from the containers my plants are in when I repot? Sorry, I'm just a little confused, maybe because it's late.