11.24.2008

Repotting Abraham

I was repotting in the kitchen the other day and made quite the mess.  You see, our new apartment does not have any outside storage, so I put all of my potting soil into a five gallon bucket in the house.  When I opened it up the other day, and set about my task of repotting Abraham (a plant, not a person) I had a few topples, and balancing problems, etc.  Needless to say Kip looked over to find me in  the middle of a process that should have taken less time, with dirt all over the kitchen floor.  He raised his eyebrows and told the that "those things should be done outside."  Luckily, he's a good sport and I got him to take a picture of me.  

And now I have a question for all of you.  I have officially repotted all my plants twice.  Both times would have been humorous had anyone happened by, with me arguing out loud and practically killing them all.  These things should be done in a potting shed, with a stool perhaps, and plenty of space.  My situation was, um, less favorable.  No, I did not try it in the kitchen.  The question I have is when do you know when it's time to repot your plants? 

Any takers?

6 comments:

Liz said...

I know where you are coming from. When I first got married my husband and I lived in a tiny 1 bedroom flat. Repotting depends on the plant. Abraham is a cactus right? I have a cactus here and from what I've read up on cacti like to be kept in relatively small pots. Usual thing I've found with my other house plants is when the roots start coming out the bottom then it's repotting time. You don't over pot them but give them a new pot about and I'm trying to remember inches here and inch or two bigger. Bob is more of the expert there. Hope that helps?
I just repot mine on newspaper. I don't have a potting shed either.

LIz

The Weaver of Grass said...

Hi Red Clover. The red flowers in my front garden are schizostylis - or commonly the kaffir lily. They grow like weeds here and I have to keep splitting them up. I think they are native to South Africa but here in North Yorkshire they are thriving. They flower from August until Christmas - non stop - and are the most beautiful clear red. I can truly recommend them.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Re: When to pot on - why not ask dreadnought - he would be your besy advisor - I just pot on when they begin to look pot bound - but some pot plants (clivia for example) like to be pot bound, so that is not a golden rule.

Red Clover said...

Thanks! Abraham is actually the other dark green plant with blazing yellow galaxies all over his leaves. The cactus is still waiting for a name, seeing as I left the naming up to Kip and he hasn't settled on a serious one.

But it's good to know that cactuses like the smaller pots. They wouldn't be the easiest to replant now would they?

Red Clover said...

Thanks weaver! I wonder how those flowers would do out here. I think they are beautiful!

I"ll see if I can get Bob's advice.

Rob said...

Hi Red Clover, If you can tell me what sort of plant Abraham is I will try and tell you if he likes to be pot bound or not. Its true that some plants like to be confind and then there are those that NEED to be confind for the good of your own sanity. Usually when I repot I pot into a pot that is just big enough to get your fingers between the root ball and the new pot. At the weekend I will post a repotting tip that will perhaps make things a little easier for the kitchen gardeners amongst you so if you're interested look in on my blog on Saturday or Sunday. Bob.