In my thread regarding our Grow Tent, (
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=8167.msg108120#msg108120) I have documented that our plants' health has been declining. I'm convinced my issue is root health, caused by poor soil, poor pots, lax maintenance, and over-watering. The soil is a random mix of play sand, sphagnum moss, and garden soil (except for the Mango, which is in the soil from Excalibur).
I've read all of the seminal Al threads from GardenWeb - Water Movement and Retention, Fertilizer Program for Container Plants, and Trees in Containers, and I've searched our Forum for info too. Some members have already given me some advice as well.
As a result of all of this, I decided to purchase some 3-gallon equivalent Superoots pots, and I've acquired Turface, Gran-i-Grit, and Pine bark that I've screened thru 1/4 hardware cloth and insect screen.
My thought is that I'm drowning my plants and I want to rescue them ASAP by getting them into Gritty Mix and the root pruning pots.
My issue is I've never tried to bare-root anything, so I'm nearly paralyzed by the fear of killing all of our plants
Here are my areas of concern and my questions:
1)
Seasonal Timing - Al mentions repotting at certain times of the year. Since I am in a temperate zone and am using artificial light during the winter months, I'm thinking this isn't so much as issue. If anything, I'm thinking now is a fine time to repot, since plants are in the less-intense and less-ideal indoor environment.
Agree?2)
Plant Readiness - I've read a few references to only repotting when the plant is in a certain stage of growth, before or after a flush, etc. I've also come across mention of only repotting healthy trees, which makes some common sense (don't want stress to be the final nail in the coffin of a weak plant) but would then mean if a plant is dying in poor soil, there's nothing that can be done, which doesn't make sense.
The plant that is/was doing the worst is our mango. It lost every single leaf a few weeks ago, but just recently has actually begun pushing out new growth:
Is this tree too weak or otherwise in the wrong stage to bareroot and repot right now?3)
To root-prune or not to root-prune - From what I've read, root pruning kind of goes hand in hand with repotting. In my case, I think my issue is sick roots, not really root-bound roots. I don't think any of our plants have even filled their containers, except maybe the papayas and the coffee.
My thought is that I will only work on the roots if there are decaying areas, circling roots, or several thick roots (not likely). Is this the right approach?4)
Post-Repot Environmental Conditions - the majority opinion seems to be that plants should be out of full sun (in my case right now the "sun" is a 400W lamp), in a cooler temperature
(65F-75F? I can't remember), and in a humid environment
(right now I'm at 40%RH - is there a target RH?). I suppose I could use some specific practical advice on this piece, since it is winter here and my only options are "loose" in the house or inside the grow tent.
Though "loose" in the house would satisfy the cooler temperature and low-light criteria, I think it would be way too arid.
So my current thought is to stick with the grow tent. I could raise the grow light significantly to effectively "shade" the plants.
is this sufficient? I would like to avoid constructing an actual shade barrier. As for ambient temperature, I can open many more vents in the tent to lower the temps (current temp is about 82F). Humidity, however, would still be a concern especially if I open more vents.
Assuming the Tent is the better option, what is the recommendation for keeping humidity higher while lowering ambient temp?Well, I think that's enough paranoid ranting for one post. Looking forward to some help! Thanks!