Plants B/W by dailyinvention

You  have been enjoying lovely indoor plants growing in your windows all winter long. With spring a bit closer you may be antsy to get your hands dirty again and now may be the perfect time. To grow and thrive, plants need to be in a container that allows their roots to take in moisture and nutrients from its growing media.  Your plants may have out grown their living environment and be ready for a change.

How do you know it is time to repot?

It is a good idea to check your plants before the longer days and more sunshine trigger a spring growth spurt. If you see roots poking through the drainage holes, if water runs quickly through the pot because there is no soil left to retain it, if the pot is very light and the plant is top heavy, then it is time to repot.

To get started, a few hours before you plan to transfer the plant, water your plant so that the roots will be less voulnerable when they make the transition. 

Choosing your pot

Next, you need to choose your new pot. Containers are typically measured in diameter, the distance across the top opening. According to Guide to Houseplants, you want to find a pot that that is only one or two  inches larger than your old pot. So, if your plant had been in a four inch container,  the largest container you should transfer the plant to should only be six inches.  If you use a pot larger than this your soil may retain too much water, causing root rot and hindering your plant from thriving. 

 If you are reusing any previously used pots, be sure to disinfect the pot before transferring. This will reduce the risk of transferring pests and diseases from plant to plant.

Now that you have your container and your plant ready for repotting, you can choose your soil mix. You can purchase a  potting mix made specifically for your variety of plant from a landscape or garden store, or you can mix your own. For potting mix ideas see this previous post.

Making the transfer

Now it is time to remove your plant from its old container. Gently tip the container and tap the sides to loosed the soil and roots. Pull the plant out and shake loose any soil. Roots that are coiled on the bottom can be gently pulled straight out or pruned. Plant Care suggests you,

 ”score the rootball vertically with a sharp knife in several places, cutting into the rootball about an inch as you slice from top to bottom.”

These actions will help the roots adjust quickly and begin growing in their new medium.

Next, place a few inches of the potting soil in the bottom of the new container. Now check your plant to make sure it will be at a depth equal to what it was in its old container. You do not want the plant too deep in the container, but you also do not want the root ball to be exposed over the rim. Once your plant is situated correctly fill in the potting soil around it, tamping it down to remove any air pockets.

To finish, water your plant thoroughly.  Guide to Houseplants advises that you not fertilize your plant for the first month in its new home. This will allow the roots to become established and protect them from fertilizer burn.

Now that you know when and how to repot your plants, it is time to find the perfect container. NewPro Containers has an excellent selection of decorative containers perfect for any indoor plant.

Have you repotted any plants lately? What tips and trick do you have for a healthy repotting?

Photo “Plants B/W” courtesy of dailyinvention

Back in June, NewPro announced a photo contest featuring planter installations of items you purchased from NewPro. The winning photo would be used in NewPro marketing materials and our online sites. As a thank-you, we said the customer who submitted the winning photo would receive a credit to their NewPro account.

We received a lot of great photos with real artistic flair! Five customers sent in entries that stood out from the rest and made it difficult for us to choose just one, so our selection committee decided to award each finalist a prize. Congratulations to Kevin Kelly of Kelly Mac Interiorscapes, Brenda Walters of Guaranteed Green Dallas, Brian Alger of the Plant Lady Plus, and Susie Halstead of A New Leaf, Inc. — your photos may appear on the newprocontainers.com website with reference to you and your company.

One of the five finalists, Caprice Aerts of Artscape, submitted several photos that were outstanding. The image we selected as the actual contest winner (see below) features the Lechuza Quadro (14-inch).

The Contest Winner! Submitted by: Caprice Aerts, Artscape

Considering all of the great images that flowed into our inbox, we plan to organize another contest within the next month. We will be searching for environmental shots of the new Quadrangle rectangular planter, Vista or Gainey containers and our flat or River Rockafiller top dressing.
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“Why can’t I ever get a handle on figuring out freight costs when it comes to containers?”

“Why am I getting charged a 30 lbs rate for an item that only weighs 10 lbs?”

“Why does it cost three times more to ship a 20-inch pot than it does a 16-inch pot?”

These are frustrating questions Interiorscapers find themselves asking when ordering decorative containers. It is not uncommon to miscalculate the freight from a wholesaler, include that miscalculation in a bid and discover the wholesaler charged you far more for freight than expected. Unlocking the freight conundrum is linked to one concept used by all major freight companies like FedEx and UPS: dimensional weight.

Understanding dimensional weight is important when trying to order containers since Interiorscapers must also determine their mark-up. By charging only by actual weight the lightweight, low density packages that contain plastic decorative containers becomes unprofitable for freight carriers to deliver. Why? A package containing a large but lightweight item takes up a lot of space in a delivery vehicle relative to its weight. So a vehicle filled with 20 large, lightweight packages means less profitability for a freight company than a truck filled with 100 boxes of smaller, heavier items.

Understanding the formula
 carriers use to determine dimensional weight is straightforward: length times width times height then divide that amount by 194. FedEx includes a calculator that can be viewed by clicking HERE. In NewPro’s case, FedEx uses this number for boxes that are 17in x 17in x 17in and larger to determine the cost of shipping an item. For boxes under this size, the shipper charges by actual, or gross, weight. (more…)

Are you searching for a way to increase plant longevity AND decrease your workload? Wrapping a plant’s rootball using a quarter-inch thick piece of foam inserted into a water-tight, no-hole liner is a practice many Interiorscapers are using to accomplish this.

This foam and liner combination also adds stability and integrity to the rootball. You should fill with water to what seems like a third of the way to the top of the plant (see graphic).

This graphic illustrates how a simple foam liner benefits plant health

The plant hair-roots seek out the oxygen trapped in the foam.

“Despite the fact that the rootball is saturated, oxygen exchange is occurring within the hair-roots of the plant at the point of contact.” said Fred Scott, Vice President of NewPro Corp. “This gives the interiorscaper the luxury of more time between watering visits and extends the longevity for plants such as Peace Lillies, Ficus or Palms.”

You may not choose to sub-irrigate some plants, therefore the foam/liner combination may not be needed.

“By the time you need to replace the foam insert, it’s time to replace the plant anyway,” Fred added. “The presence of the foam will maintain the integrity of the rootball and help you avoid its disintegration all over your client’s carpet when it’s time to change or remove it.” (more…)

Interiorscapers possess a variety of talents. Of course they understand how to install plants and related accessories to keep them alive, as well as horticultural knowledge and design skills. Yet during the holidays, they must wear many more hats (carpenter, electrician and even engineer). This all must be accomplished while avoiding neglect of existing non-holiday installations.

During the holidays, customers, ironically, are oftentimes less patient and forgiving. Clients are more demanding, and your chances to “get it right” are fewer. Even the best intention to tap into holiday cheer can create situations better suited for Halloween!

NewPro Corp Vice President Fred Scott, a former purchaser and manager of installations at one of the largest exterior and interior landscape supply companies in the US, has seen holiday planning go well and, not-so-well.

One strategy that works well with poinsettias is selling a pot with each plant. It saves time on installation and clean-up. A decorative container, rather than simple foil or even a speed cover keeps the poinsettia more stable and therefore healthier throughout the holiday. (more…)