so much for organic potting soil

[Manik6]

so i finally repotted my plants yesterday with organic potting soil and i wake up to find that all the leaves are sagging horribly. I took it outside to get some sunlight and it just got worse. made sure there was water and what not but no dice. this sucks i really liked that plant. my ficus on the other hand is doing just fine. whats a man to do!

 

[Syn]

You shocked the plant. It happens. Next time try repotting only the top layer and eventually moving down towards the bottom layer.

 

[Manik6]

DAMN! lol that was quick syn. guess your not doin much either huh. wow i didnt know you could shock a plant. is there any way to save it?

 

[Syn]

Not sure, I kill more plants than anything in AZ. The aforementioned method has worked for me in the past... though perhaps I was just..... lucky.

 

[Manik6]

i guess ill see. i saw a nice ficus the other day with thick branches. i wanted it so bad but i love scheffleras though. i feel like such a dork.

 

[OOOst16]

Syns the queen

 

[whitespyder]

you potted scheffleras? thats strange, ive repotted 5 separate plants in organic soil and they havent died the next day. (but they all have died from overwatering the next week!) maybe you somehow destroyed some roots while doing so? scheffleras are such a pain! i had no idea they could get shocked

 

[Ellron]

Bring as much of the roots as possible – Along the same lines as the tip above for plant preparation, preventing shock means when digging up the plant, make sure as much of the roots as possible is brought up with the plant. The more roots that come with the plant, the less likely transplant shock in plants will set in.

Water thoroughly after transplanting – An important transplant shock preventer is to make sure that your plant receives plenty of water after you move the plant. This is a good way how to avoid transplant shock and will help the plant settle in to its new location.

Always make sure the rootball stays moist when transplanting – For this transplant shock preventer, when moving the plant, make sure that the rootball stays moist in-between locations. If the rootball dries out at all, the roots in the dry area will get damaged.

Cure plant transplant shock
While there is no sure fire way to cure plant transplant shock, there are things you can do to minimize the transplant shock in plants.

Add some sugar – Believe or not, studies have shown that a weak sugar and water solution made with plain sugar from the grocery store given to a plant after transplanting can help recovery time for transplant shock in plants. It can also be used as a transplant shock preventer if applied at the time of transplanting. It only helped with some plants, but as this will not harm the plant, it is worth a try.

Trim back the plant – Trimming back the plant allows the plant to focus on regrowing its roots. In perennials, trim back about a 1/3 of the plant. In annuals, if the plant is a bush type, trim back a 1/3 of the plant. If it is a plant with a main stem, cut off half of each leaf.

Keep roots moist – Keep the soil well watered, but make sure that the plants has good drainage and is not in standing water.

Wait patiently – Sometimes a plant just needs a few days to recover from transplant shock. Give it some time and care for it as you normally would and it may come back on its own."


Found this on the web.

 

[summoner12]

what kind of organic soil did you use? Might have been the 'wrong' stuff? This happened to me when I used a soil that uses a lot of 'natural' fertilizers... the dirty produces too much gas or something...

I forget what the dirt I use now is called... I get it at OSH or Lowe's. I add sand to it to help the water drain out.

 

[Ellron]

I use Bumper Crop Organic Soil Amendment, sand, perlite, and hydro drain clay balls at the bottom. Seems like an overkill, I know, but it works well. I do this for my Schleffera because it doesn't like being sodden all the time.

 

[Manik6]

I forgot the name of the stuff but the plant didnt die off yet it just got really droopy. Im hoping it can recover.

 

[steelheadchaser]

Give it time, it will most likely recover. Make sure it gets plenty of light and properly watered.

 

[stevenhman]

Yeah, a lot of times plants can go through a die back period when they are re-potted. This has happened to a lot of plants I have done that to.

 

[kiltheduck]

I deal with plants a lot and do a bit of repotting and landscaping. It's always hard on the plant to get moved. You will inevitably do some damage to the roots, but that's OK. It's not unusual to get some drooping and leaf-loss when you transplant. It means that the plant is struggling a little, but not necessarily dying. One important thing to prevent is large air pockets in the soil around the roots. That's the main reason people always say to water the plant very well immediately after transplanting. It's not so much because the plant needs the water, it's because the water helps the soil "settle" and prevents air pockets. Whenever I transplant something, I get it set into it's new hole (or pot, or whatever) and make sure that the level of soil already in the bottom will put the base stem of the plant at the right height for the pot or surrounding landscape. I then fill in all the sides with loose soil until it's at least 1 inch above the eventual desired level of soil. I then gently press the soil down with my flat hand all around the plant. It will usually compress a couple inches or more. I then pile on more loose soil and repeat the process until the "firm" soil level after pressing with my hand is about even with the landscaping or pot. Finally, I pile on another 1/2 - 1 inch of loose soil all around the plant and water thoroughly. With time, some air pockets will collapse and the "extra" soil you put on the top will fall to a normal level. After that initial thorough watering, I just water according to what the particular plant likes/needs. Some need more water than others. But don't take droopy leaves to necessarily mean that the plant needs more water. That might not be the case and you might just end up drowning it if there's not good drainage. It might just need some soil settled and some time to recover. Give it sunlight and the same water you were always giving it before when it was thriving. Hopefully, it'll come back just fine.