Chatting with GigiPlumeria about this The thread "Bird of Paradise - should I repot? How?!" in Houseplants forum

Sounds like we both have good results weighting pots down. It works well if you can keep the roots and moisture happy.

Makes the pot very stable, I've used them to counter-balance moss poles and top-heavy plants and wind.

Yes, it works well for my top heavy plumerias too.

And even for my desert roses. They don't like too big pots or too deep pots but sometimes that is the only available pot I have. So I would put rocks on the bottom of the pot before adding my potting mix and then my plants. The water drains fast, which is a plus. And when it is windy the rock keeps the potted plants stable so I am not worried they will be blown away.

My latest is a scindapsus pictus, bottom third of the 7" pot is large rounded rock.

Otherwise soil and tied to a 2" thick kenaf coil, zip-tied to a dowel.

Misting the growth and pole daily, watering the soil weekly as needed.

Faded hard the first few weeks, has been doing much better after stuffing moss around all the nodes and keeping them hosed down.

Humboldt said: My latest is a scindapsus pictus, bottom third of the 7" pot is large rounded rock.

Otherwise soil and tied to a 2" thick kenaf coil, zip-tied to a dowel.

Misting the growth and pole daily, watering the soil weekly as needed.

Faded hard the first few weeks, has been doing much better after stuffing moss around all the nodes and keeping them hosed down.

Great idea! I have this plant and I just have to wound the vine around the pot. I don't see that set up in the database.
Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus 'Argyraeus')

Weighted pots also work well with my blooming Moth orchids that are in a clear pots inserted into plastic pots with no drains.

So I will put rocks in the bottom to keep the pots from tumbling down. The rocks also lift the pot inserts up and making it easier to pull the inserts out when I want to soak them deep in water or drain excess water.

Good discussion. I have tipping problems with my coffee bush and fan palm, Big as their pots are, wind catches the canopy and.. whoops. Now I have them in a windproof place.
But I have some broken bricks that would work for a medium pot. That's a good idea to keep in mind. The moss pole thing I did would be a candidate, bit I found a spot for summer, and in winter it comes inside and won't have a problem.

I too use rocks or corks or something in cache pots so that I can still get the inner pot out as needed.

Moth orchid and my one Oncidium would be candidates for some weight. They get top heavy when dry, heck, even when watered.

We were on a walk once, on school property, behind a neighborhood, found a pile of small grey river stones someone dumped in the grass. love the things, would be nice for the orchid pots.

sallyg said: Good discussion. I have tipping problems with my coffee bush and fan palm, Big as their pots are, wind catches the canopy and.. whoops. Now I have them in a windproof place.
But I have some broken bricks that would work for a medium pot. That's a good idea to keep in mind. The moss pole thing I did would be a candidate, bit I found a spot for summer, and in winter it comes inside and won't have a problem.

I too use rocks or corks or something in cache pots so that I can still get the inner pot out as needed.

Moth orchid and my one Oncidium would be candidates for some weight. They get top heavy when dry, heck, even when watered.

We were on a walk once, on school property, behind a neighborhood, found a pile of small grey river stones someone dumped in the grass. love the things, would be nice for the orchid pots.

Yes constantly collecting rocks too, not only because they can be projectile when hubby mows but because they are good for weights in the bottom of plastic pots.

Projectiles and damage the blades
Ugly light color rocks go under my deck, ugly dark rocks throw them under the tree line or shrubs, nice or interesting ones border the beds or in the beds. It's a lot to keep up with!
Do you bring home rocks from travels?

I have to have very heavy pots too, and sometimes that's not enough for wind gusts above 30 mph. On almost any day over the summer, a storm can pop up that will rearrange pots if they aren't prepared. Using clay pots instead of plastic helps with that, but they become too expensive when they are bigger than about a gallon size.

If a heavy pot full of heavy soil isn't enough, propping them with bricks around the outside helps to make sure they stay where I put them. Ground dirt is usually heavy enough to provide enough ballast, but not always.

This is why I'm such a huge fan of hanging pots.

Just after repotting, some plants are in danger of coming out of the soil so I put bricks across the top of the pot in a circle, or a few smaller rocks around the base of the plant so the wind can't pull it out before it takes root in the new soil.

Bricks and rocks are too valuable to me to hide at the bottom of a pot. Sally, I bring rocks home from anywhere we go where there are rocks. I'm one of those nerds who buys rocks at a gift shop. A lot of them are on display in my mini gardens and some are in a fountain. The purchased one are inside on little shelves. If I'd known I was moving to a place with no rocks, I would have brought more than my 3 fav ones from OH. I used to go to where they were building housing developments and pick up the most beautiful rocks and take them home. When my gramma passed a few yrs ago, I found a little copper bowl where she had put the rocks I gave her when I was a kid. Sorry, I'm babbling about rocks.

purpleinopp said:
Sorry, I'm babbling about rocks.

No worries, that's what we're here for. Me at least.

I sometimes love it when people go on tangents, they're very real posts.

I'm sentimental about my rocks too.

6 years in an aquarium, 10 as a carport doorstop.

A few grains of Roman gravel, an Eel river rock from a visit to my sister 15 years ago.

When the front yard gets out of hand and I cut it back, I almost always find something new (old).

Awww Tiffany, she must have enjoyed you giving her "special rocks".

I don't collect rocks anymore like I used to as as kid. But I do enjoy beach rocks. I think they are special.

Nothing to do with plants whatsoever (it's resided in a few pots at least) is a potato-sized chunk rock that I found 20 years ago.

Is strongly reactive to magnets (we use super strong ones to unlock anti-shoplifting tabs).

Sparkles of reflection, very neat rock. Grabbed an old geology professor from years ago when he came into the store and he was very excited about it.

Humboldt said: Nothing to do with plants whatsoever (it's resided in a few pots at least) is a potato-sized chunk rock that I found 20 years ago.

Is strongly reactive to magnets (we use super strong ones to unlock anti-shoplifting tabs).

Sparkles of reflection, very neat rock. Grabbed an old geology professor from years ago when he came into the store and he was very excited about it.

If magnetic rock, could be meteorite? That would be exciting if it is.

while I do not weight pots on purpose.
Sometimes the pots are too deep,I do a have a lot of succlents and being a woodworker. I usually have some scrap wood or scrape turnings so have good fillers for large pots.

herrwood said: while I do not weight pots on purpose.
Sometimes the pots are too deep,I do a have a lot of succlents and being a woodworker. I usually have some scrap wood or scrape turnings so have good fillers for large pots.

For my heavy shallow pots I use a combo of my "bottle caps" collections and cypress mulch since they are heavy already. For my light pots I use rocks and cypress mulch.

GigiPlumeria said: If magnetic rock, could be meteorite? That would be exciting if it is.

It wasn't ruled out.

Pictures tomorrow.

When we hike locally, I keep an eye out for perfectly round or oval pebbles. When we travel, it is whatever looks unusual. My yard rocks are really ugly, though may get better after years of weathering out of the ground.
Let's see that meteorite!

I love rocks so much but know so little about them. My knowledge is pretty much limited to being able to recognize just a few types, and having an opinion of whether they are pretty, or heavy.

I have a piece of petrified wood, which I think of as a rock. Not sure that is correct.

Some of mine.
The grey one with holes, my dad called them slag.

Beautiful! Did you make the pot? It looks weighty.