The Tropical Fruit Forum
Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: Scott_R on November 14, 2019, 08:58:59 AM
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About 5 weeks ago I planted a sprouted mamey sapote (my autocorrect is going nuts with that) seed from inside a ripe fruit. I put it in a 3 quart container (what I had around) with seed starter mix.
It's doing nicely (see attached). The instructions I'd read, https://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-mamey-41656.html (https://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-mamey-41656.html) say "Transplant the seedling into a 3-gallon container when the roots have reached the bottom of the 1-gallon pot. Do not allow the roots to begin to curl around in the bottom of the container before transplanting."
How do I know when the roots have reached the bottom without disturbing the plant? And I presume the new pot should have potting mix rather than the seed starting mix I have now?
FWIW, I'm in New York, so this is going to be an indoor plant.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Mcg7CwRF/sapote.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Mcg7CwRF)
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There should be holes in the bottom of the pot. When you see roots coming out then they have reached the bottom, but really you should transplant them when they have enough feeder roots to support the whole of the mix it’s in. Turn the pot upside down and gently nudge out the plant, if whole mass of the root and soil comes it, it’s good to move it.
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These tall treepots are ideal for large seeded long tap root tree seedlings, up to 24". They allow for as much tap root as possible and you can find out quickly how long and fast these tree roots grow.
https://www.stuewe.com/products/treepots.php (https://www.stuewe.com/products/treepots.php)
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I slid the plant out of the pot and the soil stayed intact, but I couldn't tell if that was because the roots were holding it together or just the moisture from a recent watering. So I waited a bit and tried again. It very easily fell apart revealing this rather unimpressive root system. So... wait a few more weeks?
(https://i.postimg.cc/BLCmsdRD/seedling.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/BLCmsdRD)
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Yes, you can wait, but since it’s out of the pot you can just up pot.