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Repotting every year?


jimothy

Do you repot/divide your pitcher plants evey year?  

95 members have voted

  1. 1.

    • Yes, I repot most of my plants each year, but only divde larger clumps.
      14
    • Yes, I repot virtually all my plants each year, and divide plants up as soon as possible.
      4
    • I only repot if plants need more space or fresh soil, and divde plants then.
      77


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Hi there, was chatting to someone the other day, who mentioned that he repots all (or nearly all, can't quite remember) his Sarracenia each year, and divides up any with multiple growing points as soon as they're ready).

I wasn't aware that this was the done thing, as in most aspects of gardening, it is a general rule that plants are upset by root disturbance and should only be repotted or divided when they start to become congested.

Just wondering what proportion of people follow my friend's example and repot every year.

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Each plant gets inspected every year and each gets one of the following:

1> Tidied-up and top-dressed with fresh media.

2> Repositioned in the existing pot.

3> Repotted into a larger pot.

4> Divided and repotted.

Off to do a few more...

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If you're not fortunate enough to have a reasonably inexpensive supply of pure water you simply don't have a choice. At the end of the season my plants are often sitting in foul smelling sludge.

Slightly off topic: This year, towards the end of our rainy season, we've only had 4 inches of rain. Be grateful over there!

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i use to repot every year,but as GOE says it affects the size & colour of pitchers,especially rubras.i only repot when i have to(i,m getting lazy in my old age)i could be tempted to split some up-for the right swaps of course.hint-hint,aidan.

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Haven't been in the hobby long however I plan to only to repot to achieve the following:

To divide a plant so that I have at least two for myself so if one dies I should have one spare.

To give the plant more room, either by diving or repotting into a larger pot.

If media needs freshing up, for example, sunken in the pot, slime etc etc

Will be interesting to see what others do though.

Joel

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Usually I repot around every three or four years, by which time they need it. This year though I am doing every plant in my collection irrelevent to when they were last done. I have had a real bad slug problem and I am hoping to cure it once and for all. I've even done the pygmy sundews, if they don't survive then they don't survive, no matter I will just replace them later on. I have disposed of around 50-60 adult slugs and thousands of eggs. I have divided any that needed it so hopefully next year I will have a real easy late winter with little or no repotting to do. All I have left to do now is put slug tape around the trays and pellets under the benches.

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I'm with Sheila - almost everything was repotted last year and as a result this winter has been easy! I'm going through the plants at the moment, but pretty much everything is going to stay as it is, with a little top-dressing as needed.

At least that means this year the rest of the garden will get its winter tidy-up. Last year, I was far too busy in the greenhouse.

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I just divide the plants that need dividing, or move the plants that are touching the edges of the pot back into the centre.

So about a third of my plants are repotted every year.

For the rest, I just peel off the top 1/2cm of manky peat from the top and replace it with fresh peat/perlite every year. That way the whole collection looks like it's been repotted!

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  • 9 months later...
Diamond shaped 'square' pots and bulging sides are a fairly good indicator that repotting may be advisable.

:P

I've got one here that's a near perfect Circle!! :P

But i'll go with Alexis..when needed in both repotting and dividing...

Keeping two of each clone, like Joel say's to prevent loosing the only plant in case of unforseen sickness and things like that...

I was planning on keeping three..but this proofes to cause a real space problem whitin the two next years...so with only two of each..i(the space in the greenhouse that is!, not me!) can probably last three more seasons..

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Diamond shaped 'square' pots and bulging sides are a fairly good indicator that repotting may be advisable.

I've heard that roots coming out the bottom of the pot can be an indicator, this was from a guy at the garden center so I don't know how reliable this is :(

I personally would only repot (and possibly divide) it when it grows too big :o

Edited by Stefano
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hi,i think it depends on the particular plant and what your ultimately hoping to achieve.For example if you have a particularly rare or beautiful plant and are looking to increase stocks,first and foremost, then divide at the earliest oppertunity.Remember though, that colouration of the pitchers is often affected by such premature division-sometimes for years afterwards.

Gary

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  • 3 weeks later...

Dividing at the first opportunity isn't a wise option. It is always best to wait until a plant is well settled and strong. I would never consider dividing a plant until it has had a good chance to spread. Better to wait and divide from a strong healthy specimen than to divide a weak one and risk the health of main plant and divisions. I think anyone who has any experience with growing good quality Sarracenia would have to agree with that. I would rather wait two or three years for a strong division than to rush someone into dividing early just because I'm impatient.

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Sheila, i hope your not inferring that im suggesting people rush into division because as an impatient person thats what i do?.If so your putting words into my mouth.Firstly despite your personal opinion- i am not an impatient person.What i actualy said was- it depends on what you wish to achieve.If time is not an issue then of course, your method of waiting years, is great.I have found however that plants can be successfuly divided at the end of the growing season after a full years growth.I have done this myself, this year, with an s. purpurea montana,an s. flava ''goldie'',an sx'diane whittaker'and an sx 'hummers hammerhead'all successfuly and without any losses.(I hope my abbreviations meet your strict approval this time.)I would never offer any advice on this forum if i hadnt already tried it successfuly myself.Your petty disagreements of every post i write recently are to your detriment.

Gary

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If you read my post properly, I was speaking generally and answering the main question of this thread as I see it. However if I see somebody make a post that isn't strictly correct then I will say so whether it is you posting or anyone else. If you take offence then that is your problem not mine. You can divide your plants however you wish, but if someone asks when is the best time, they are asking because they want to make sure they do it properly and in a way that they can guarantee the well being of their plant.

Pitcher plants don't like to be uprooted every year. They will give you stronger growth by waiting until they are ready for division. The proof of that is clear when you see how after division, many plants produce smaller pitchers which are weaker and narrower as well as the colours not being so strong. If a plant is itself not fully recovered from division only a year or so before, then the resulting pitchers can be even weaker. By waiting you will probably end up with just as many divisions as you would have had by dividing early, they will just be much healthier because they will be stronger.

For most people, plants are bought for the pleasure they get from watching them mature and flourish. Maybe once you have been growing them for a few years you will see that there is some sense in what I am saying.

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I fully appreciate that there is some sense in what your saying.In fact i agree, generaly speaking, your method is the best way to grow and divide sarracenia.However there are times when earlier division is desirable.For example, if you have a plant you wish to register as a cultivar.In this instance one attack of botrytis in winter and the plant is lost to cultivation.Therfore early division so you have more than one plant is a very worthwhile practice.Also if you have an extemely rare plant such as purpurea montana for example many growers want this plant in their collection as soon as possible.If you divide early you can distribute the plant more quickly.Good for the plant as its numbers are increased and good for growers as well who dont have to wait years to add the plant to their collection.

I fully respect your views and am pleased your comments werent aimed at me.

Gary

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