The other month I asked for some help choosing plants for my boyfriend’s birthday. Many thanks for all the suggestions! I decided to go for a Philodendron Plowmanii and a Jewel Orchid. They came as unpotted plants, so I just wanted to check that I’ve potted them correctly.
I put some clay pebbles at the bottom and then filled the rest with multi use compost. I made some little holes in the soil and gently placed the plants in, then covered up their roots.
Will they be ok like that, until next week when I can gift them? How much water should I give them?
Thanks for your help :)
Hi, sorry I’m a bit confused, so if you don’t mind you could maybe elaborate: why is it a problem that the soil won’t dry out too quickly if you don’t want it to dry out?
It can cause the roots to rot/bacteria/mold to grow if it stays wet too long and its unable to dry out. The philo in nature would grow in chunky well draining soil, so that when it rains the water drains quickly so that its not just sitting in wet soil but stays wet for bit before drying before the next rain (The orchid is less likely to rot but id be more worried about the compost burning the plant)
The idea is that you do want it to dry out some between waterings, generally when the first 2 inches are dry… if the soil is very thick and doesnt drain well it can also compact the soil taking longer to dry,
That makes sense, thank you for the detailed answer!
Bingo! Thanks for the response!