Under / Over Watering Indoor Plants

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neb

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#2372159 11-Dec-2019 02:22

duckDecoy:
Sometimes plants purchased from garden centres are in a fine potting mix that can dry out quite quickly and this kills the roots. Re-watering gets the soil moist again, but if the roots are toast then its an uphill battle as to whether it will survive no matter how much water they get. I'd try re-potting them with garden soil from your garden centre and see how you go, it might hold the moisture better and prevent a terminal dry condition again.

You can also try a 50:50 mix of potting mix and mulch, of which you can buy 40L bags for $5 or so. The potting mix is designed to not break down over time in pots while the mulch is, so you're getting the longevity plus the moisture-holding from the mixture.

gbwelly

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#2372164 11-Dec-2019 07:05

As @neb has said, they do look over-watered. Just because the leave are dry and crispy doesn't mean they aren't drowning at the roots.

The trailing plant on the right in the first pic of the previous owners' plants is a Hoya.

I get the impression you are probably quite capable of growing indoor plants, but you're facing an uphill battle with your plant choices, they all look like they'd be much more at home outdoors. Many ferns are an absolute pig to grow indoors btw.

These are the champs I have had most success with:

Monstera Deliciosa, Peace Lilly, Aspidistra, Inch Plant, Rubber Plant, Philodendron, Aglaonema, Asparagus Fern, Pachira, Prayer Plant, and most Ivys. Oh and Hoya of course.

They are bullet proof, and that is the reason why the Victorians and Edwardians grew them.

Best to find someone to get cuttings from, a few of them have become trendy in recent years and are silly prices. For example a Monstera Deliciosa is about $15 in Brisbane, but about $50 in Wellington.

Azzura

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#2372166 11-Dec-2019 07:14

Well...they could be Root bound.

tdgeek

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#2372169 11-Dec-2019 07:44

Azzura:

Well...they could be Root bound.

Possibly over watering has caused root rot? Although drainage does seem ok.

Azzura

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#2372176 11-Dec-2019 08:17

It might need a bigger pot.

neb

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#2372475 11-Dec-2019 14:20

gbwelly:
I get the impression you are probably quite capable of growing indoor plants, but you're facing an uphill battle with your plant choices, they all look like they'd be much more at home outdoors. Many ferns are an absolute pig to grow indoors btw.

+1. Not sure if they'll still recover, but moving them outside to a damp, shady spot may be all they need.

Monstera Deliciosa, Peace Lilly, Aspidistra, Inch Plant, Rubber Plant, Philodendron, Aglaonema, Asparagus Fern, Pachira, Prayer Plant, and most Ivys. Oh and Hoya of course.

Many of the Dracaenas are pretty indestructible as well, which is why they're so popular as office plants. Actually they're kinda the generic office plant, which is a slight downside. They also grow tall over time - about 2-3m in ten years - unless you cut them back and turn the cut-off part into a new plant.

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#2372639 11-Dec-2019 17:29

Thanks everyone for all the help and suggestions - I'm very impressed by the supportive gardening community here!

After considering everything here and talking to some people offline too, I'm putting the existing plants in the shade (like the bathroom) and seeing what happens. If anything we may have been over-watering too, so will bear that in mind. We'll see what happens with them.

In terms of the position and filling those planter boxes, I've decided to plant some Peace Lilys directly into the planter boxes. Being located inside, I will bung up the holes, then put a layer of mulch, then potting mix. Will also watch plenty of Youtube videos on how to do this. Keeping them watered seems pretty straight forward:

Overwatering is the most common problem with peace lilies. Use your finger to check the moisture level of the potting mix before watering. If the surface is moist then it’s okay. If it’s dry for the first centimetre or two, then give it some water.

Where would be the best place to get some Peace Lily in Auckland?

neb

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#2372646 11-Dec-2019 17:43

BLazeD:
Where would be the best place to get some Peace Lily in Auckland?

My generic answer for anything would be "Roger's Garden Centre", but if you don't mind paying a bit more then any garden centre will have them, alongside Bunnings, Mitre10, the Warehouse, ...

neb

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#2372653 11-Dec-2019 17:46

BLazeD:
In terms of the position and filling those planter boxes, I've decided to plant some Peace Lilys directly into the planter boxes. Being located inside, I will bung up the holes, then put a layer of mulch, then potting mix.

Make sure they're actually OK for this, some of them are designed as ornamental casings to contain pots, not necessarily to be in direct contact with waterlogged soil for extended periods of time. For example if they're synthetic marble you may find you get leakage around the glue joins if they weren't designed to be wet.

MadEngineer

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#2948575 31-Jul-2022 15:07

I wouldn't add mulch. Only add indoor plant pot mix. As for watering if you're using a self-watering pot you don't worry about the soil moisture, simply add water to the bottom reservoir.

Décor Springtime 215 mm Self Watering Planter Pot Concrete (spotlightstores.com)

A Peace lily will last a few years at least in that pot without any maintenance at all. Eventually you'll need to cut through it into thirds or quarters and split to more pots which make great gifts. I've got one that I took back home from work on the first lockdown that should have been split apart way back then but it's still doing very well on the top of our fridge and frequently breaks out with flowers.

I've used those tough style potters before but the plantmix never seemed to last very well in it. I think the roots would eventually get into the water causing problems. The above linked pot has a good gap between the bottom of the soil and the water reservoir and roots don't even try going out of it. I think that's an inherent problem of self-watering pots where the reservoir is fully contained within the structure of the pot.

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