Hi all,

What to do, what to do. Bought this yesterday with what I believe to be a small umbrella plant and maybe one or two crotons. There is moss on top and a rather packed surface, planted in a ceramic pot with no drainage holes.

I guess I have to wait for obvious wilting to determine when to water as my finger won't go through the moss.

How will these plants grow together? Can they?

Bought it yesterday, want it to thrive. Here are some pictures.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have learned here that you should not repot unless absolutely necessary. Kind of in a quandary about watering without drainage holes!!










Thank you so much!!! Oh and any plant IDs?

😀

Mindi

Your plants are Schefflera arboricola, Croton and another plant that may be a Dracaena or Ponytail Palm. Hard to tell from the photo.

Separating the plants or moving them to another pot with drain holes is possible, but tricky and you could lose all of them if you don't do it correctly. If you do, disturb the roots as little as possible.

You can leave them together as they are reasonably compatible in their need for a few hours of direct sun each day and soil that stays moderately moist. You need to be able to feel at least the surface of the soil otherwise you are totally guessing about when and how to water. If you can feel the soil surface, water as soon as the soil surface is almost dry. Add just enough so that it reaches that level of dryness again in about a week.

Thank you Will!! I would like to keep them together. Someway I will get my finger into that soil!!

Fell in love with it. I never have pots with no holes, until now.

I have gone on a house plant rampage the last few weeks, though Iam a killer of such, so I am trying to be careful.

Don't want to flood the boards so I might place more photos on this thread of my new house plants and peoples experience with them.

Thank you!!!

😀

Mindi

Did you look under the edge of the moss and make sure there's not an inner pot.
Would be easier for you if there is.

Tiisha

Hi Tisha,

I'll check better. Wishing there is a pot inside, maybe that's what I felt and was so hard and why the moss is on top!!

😀

Mindi

No inner pot but Iam able to tease the moss up to feel the top. Moist right now. This will be an art form in itself!! 😀

Mindi

Looks and sounds like the same kind of mixed planter that many get as florist gifts, and that I got one of in January. Mine's been amazingly happy considering some passive aggressive 'testing of boundaries' on my part, including very low light, 3 different locations, the last being outside in a hanging basket, in a dogwood , still in its clear solid dish, being flooded with the rains this summer.
None of what I thought I knew about potted plant success or guaranteed death seems to affect this thing at all. Its so odd!
I have just taken mine out of the dish, more or less keeping all roots intact, and plopped it on some potting mix in a deeper plastic pot same diameter. So, it can now root and drain below the original soil mass, if it wants. We'll see!
Just use your best judgement.