Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
nycti

Old Pots and Sundew Question

nycti
16 years ago

Hi,

I have 2 questions.

1. I have been given several used plastic pots that I would like to use for repotting. What is the best way to clean them? I know soap leaves a residue. If I use bleach what would the ratio bleach/water be and the best procedure?

2. I have a Sundew that is filling it's pot and has lots of runners. Two of the runners have at least 6 leaves about 1 1/2" long with lots of red dew. When can I safely separate them from the adult into their own pots and how is the best way to do this? The Sundew is planted in a 3" pot with just sphagnum moss (as from the store where purchased) I would like to get it into a larger pot with the appropriate soil.

Glad you are here to help,

Thank you,

Nycti

Comments (7)

  • petiolaris
    16 years ago

    Don;t use any chemicals at all. Just use water and something abrasive to remove old dirt or algae.

    Which sundew is it? Can you post a picture? Does it look like this?

    {{gwi:428435}}

    You may just want to get a larger pot and remove the entire contents, as one unit, so as to not disturb the roots.

  • nycti
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thank you Petiolaris for your quick reply.

    The plastic pots I was given are from a nursery and I worried about bringing home anything alive I did not want, i.e. bacteria or fungus etc.

    I believe the plant to be a D. adelae (lance leaf), I am enclosing a picture. (Well, I was enclosing a pic but haven't figured that out yet I guess) How do you do it?

    I do want to get the adult into a larger pot but would like to separate the 2 younger plants when I repot it.

    Nycti

  • mutant_hybrid
    16 years ago

    As petiolaris advised, you can just wash the pots with water and a brillo pad and let them dry in bright sunlight. That treatment will ensure that bacteria and mold are killed off by UV radiation.

    If your sundew is D. adelae you can leave the runners as is, repotting the entire clump in a larger pot, or you can separate them without fear. D. adelae responds to root distubance like the mythical hydra. It thrives on it, so you will just wind up with dozens more plants by separating the smaller plants. Just make sure each has several inches of root on it's own to survive on. Often when repotting, D. adelae drops long pieces of it's root anyway, all of which will grow new plants spontaneously if you plant them near the soil surface. You can just cut the young plants free of the adult with a razor blade or pocket knife. It is almost impossible to kill D. adelae with just a little root disturbance so long as you don't get carried away and cut too much off at one time. (This plant is considered a weed in Australia; pull one up, get 12 more just like it.)

    Whether you keep them as one unit or not, you are likely to have a lot of plants, so separating them will just give you three pots full of plants in a few months.

  • nycti
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi Mutant,

    Thank you for your response, thats exactly what I wanted to know. Your posts are always a help, full of information and instill confidence. :) You obviously love your plants, it shows.

    I'm off to wash pots, lol. Thank you again Petiolaris.
    Nycti

  • tommyr_gw Zone 6
    16 years ago

    Before you know it you'll have LOTS of d.adaleas! These are really easy to transplant and grow! Have fun!

  • nycti
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I will have fun Tommy, thank you. It's all the great infomation and help here that makes it fun and successful. If not for the kind and knowledgeable people on this forum I doubt any of my plants would have lived.

    I hope to have lots of Australian weeds.
    Appreciatively,
    Nycti

  • petiolaris
    16 years ago

    I use Photobucket and all I do is click on the HTML tag and that copies it. Then I paste it. HTML is what this forum uses. You could also copy and paste the URL to the Optional Link and we can click the link to see the picture.

Sponsored