Cleveland Plant Doctor

I’ll never understand why people hang on to things they don’t love and that includes plants.

If a plant isn’t bringing you joy, you have options - changing the look of the plant with a heavy pruning or starting over with the cuttings is one option, passing your plant to a new owner is another.

This client is doing both! They’re starting over with beautiful top cuts that f this euphorbia and passing along the original plants.

Your space is precious and you should only include plants that you love.

If you are working with euphorbia please know their sap is toxic and it’s important that if you get any sap on your skin, you wash it off immediately and take extra care to not get it in your eyes as it can cause blindness!!

7 steps for repotting plants!

1 - Make sure your pot is the right size - increase size 2 inches at a time!

2 - Squeeze the pot to loosen the soil and roots. Sometimes I use a chopstick down the sizes of the pot as well.

3 - Put a layer of soil in the bottom of the pot so there is about an inch between the top of the soil and the top of the new pot

4 - Fill soil into the sides of the pot

5 - Pack the soil down into the sides of the pot. Add more soil and repeat until the soil reaches the top of the soil line.

6 - Smack the sides of the pot to loosen the soil and keep it from being compact.

7 - Fertilize and water your plant.

The end!

Caption in comments for clarity:
Your plants are always telling you a story if you know what to look for.

Yellow leaves on a pothos is no big deal if it happens every once in a while, but if it’s consistent, it’s time to check the roots.

Most often your soil is likely hydrophobic or the plant is pot bound - either way, the roots are drying out too quickly and it’s time for a refresh!

When a pothos is potted properly and watered when the top 1/2 of the soil feels dry to the touch it’s one of the most hearty, healthy plants around!

Caption pinned in comments for easy reading:
I always thought I should pot my plants into pottery until I noticed that the plants I was lazy about and left in nursery pots were healthier.

So I started moving my plants into nursery pots… everyone started doing so much better! Bigger leaves and more leaves!!! Stronger pants all together!

… then I discovered that clear pots existed and I started using those and my game leveled up again.

I was able to literally see the roots and how the soil looked under the surface, I can see what’s happening to the roots without disturbing them! This is one of the greatest plant hacks everrrrr!

Keep that pottery around, you still need it, but if you want the healthiest plants… no more potting directly into it!

Pruning plants is scary sometimes, but jades are a great one to practice with because they grow like crazy and really appreciate the chops, especially when kept as houseplants!

Additional jade care
When kept indoors they’ll take direct light
Water only when the soil is dry and the leaves are soft.
If your jade plant is growing you may just want to wait until the soil is dry but the leaves are still plump to avoid edema.

Happy chopping ✂️💚

I was asked to make a plant repotting tutorial - so here ya go!

I forgot to wrap up the video with final instructions to water your plant, so this is your instruction to water your plant when it’s done being potted.

Sorry for all the commentary
Sorry for the length
Sorry I kept cussing
- now you know why I voice over 🫠

The chop is doing great! The prop is looking iffy for most of them.

I always look at propagations as a bonus to a strategic chop.

There are some ways of propagating that work like a charm even before you cut, like air layering - but both water props and direct to soil might work and might not.

I do think these props were left to callous too long. Generally with ficus I wait a couple hours - but these went over 24 hours bc life happened.

Either way, it’s worth the experiment and I get to share what worked, what didn’t and why I think it all went the way it did :)

Also, it’s not over yet. There is still life in a few of these cuttings… we may have success yet!!

As long as your plant has healthy roots and good growing conditions a big chop like this shouldn’t be a problem.

I don’t, however, recommend chopping a plant that’s already struggling because it may not go so well.

If you have a healthy plant that needs to be reshaped or tamed, now if the time. The longer you wait in the season you run the risk of less regrowth because days are officially getting shorter so there is less sun for photosynthesis.

Don’t be scared. Get your snips clean and get to work, friend!! You can always book a virtual consultation with me and I can walk you through it. There’s a link in my bio to book ✂️

Failing to save part of this jade was a heartbreak in slow motion. No matter what I tried, the tissues were too damaged and the rot wouldn’t stop.

Luckily the sister plant faired quite well and is certain to thrive!

A couple days ago it went back to the loving care of its owners who are ready to keep that soil nice and dry - with some occasional waterings.

Here’s how you care for jade plants

Tons of light, partial direct to direct light depending on your climate.

Water when the soil is completely dry and the leaves have a slight softness to them. They can go extreme amounts of time without water when they’re healthy!

Prune them often, it will give them strength in the trunk and create a more bushy look. They will appreciate it greatly!

Thanks for following along on the rehab journey of this special jade 🫶