So…. I've had this for about 15 years and have repotted it maybe 2-3 times, but obviously not in a very long time… It's my only AV and I've grown quite attached.
Some questions
1. What size pot should I get for it? The leaf spread is about 12inches.
2. I'm terrified to "decapitate" as I've seen suggested…. Any other options?
3. Soil…. Can I just get the AV miracle grow?
4. How can I prevent this from happening again?
5. Any other advice is greatly appreciated
TIA
by Lrn2trvl
2 Comments
1. Pot size should be 1/3 the diameter of the plant. So you should have a 4” pot.
2. Just decapitate it. It saves so much pain and suffering later. Find a good YouTube video and don’t forget to bag it for a couple months after so it can regrow roots.
3. This just happens as the plant gets older (long necks) but I would also rotate it once a week. Like if you pretend there’s a smiley face on the front, the face should turn a little bit every week until it eventually goes 360 around.
4. I think it looks great! Just remember to deadhead the dying leaves and flowers as needed 🙂
1. Hard to tell, from the angle, but that size pot looks about right. Rule of thumb is 1/3rd the diameter of the plant. I wouldn’t change the pot as besides the long neck the plant seems really healthy.
2. If you don’t want to fully decapitate it, you can repot it in stages. Basically cut off half the roots, scratch the root stem to create a fresh surface area for root to regrow, let the plant recover for a month or two, then repeat it. In theory this should be less of a shock to the plant.
4, you need the light directly above the plant, but if you go too long without repotting the plant will eventually develop a long neck no matter where the light is. AVs are basically vine like plants. The real answer is just repotting every year.