When potted plants get too big.
By stan510
10 comments
What do you do? Trim like you can just give away years of growth?..pot up to monster sized pots that will be very heavy to move?..not too mention the cost in pot and bags of soil.
My Ficus elastica ‘Ruby’ started to fall over..i have a concrete block bracing it. One tall branch has bent over- its aimed straight at the camera. I did put the Ti plant ‘Red Sister’ in my last large tan pot. It too was falling over if I let the wind hit a too dry plant. Not enough soil weight to hold it up.
The Cycad,Cycas circinalis has a pot that’s falling apart…The plastic cant take the UV of the sun. Another huge pot to go.
The Plumeria..same thing. Getting top heavy. Very sculptural plants..few but heavy branches. I had to wedge rocks at the base as the little potted tree was leaning too far in one direction. Its more upright now. More,not perfectly-ha.
Getting older and so are my plants. Its not 1972 when I was a kid who got into gardening with Avocado seeds in toothpicks on bottles of water.
Now my plants have a value you can’t buy..time.
10 Sep, 2018
3 likes
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Comments
you mentioned a concrete block as a prop, Stan. do you have room to make a concrete block raised bed?
11 Sep, 2018
The Rubber plant is the main problem right now. I'm still not sure what to do with it. Prune it into a shrub? Maybe a two trunked standard?
Most rubber plants want to be shrubs in my climate..but this one wants to be a tree as you can see the tall leader hasnt branched much.
I wish I had a spot in ground. But,I really dont need any more shade from another tree.
I guess I will just have to prune it..because its so top heavy I know it will blow over in winter.
But..prune for shrub or hemisphere little tree?
11 Sep, 2018
Ok,I stood and stared at Ruby. Thinking hard when I got an idea. Make it a loose espalier. I tied widest branches flat,and pushed it all as close to the wall as it would go.
Later,I can prune branches that aim straight for the viewer, off.
Plus,its got to help keep off frost being right up against the wall.
Next year?..change pots..but I think that's the way to keep it from now on- espaliered.
11 Sep, 2018
Sounds like a plan 😀
12 Sep, 2018
I would of done a raised bed like
Lori said you can make one out of old railway sleepers put them all in one bed.
have you a B&m store or a Homebargains there their pots are cheap. Here autumn is the time garden centres etc sell their pots off cheap Stan. Good idea to espalier though.
12 Sep, 2018
No room Penny. That Rubber tree in ground will get big fast. Its faster growing then the plain green. One vigorous clone.
As it is all my in ground plants are shoulder to shoulder with something.
12 Sep, 2018
It all looks very lush and tropical Stan. If it came to parting with one of them which would you choose?
12 Sep, 2018
It will have to be bigger pots then Stan.
12 Sep, 2018
Just for the sake of it.. I would say Ster that the Plumeria would be first chucked overboard on our hypothetical dingy-lol.
Its dormant 6 months of the year! Not much to look at...
13 Sep, 2018
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It is so hard to know what to do. As you say, the cost of pots as well. Must admit, it puts me off growing too much in pots other then annuals.
11 Sep, 2018