I kept forgetting which plant had been repotted, which had been fed, and
which one I had already tried moving twice. So now everything goes in the
log on the day it happens. It is not interesting reading, but it has made me
a considerably better gardener.
Log
Most recent first. Sizes are pot diameter in centimetres.
Date
Plant
Action
Note
2026-08-30
Monstera deliciosa
Repot 24 → 28
Roots had circled twice. Added a moss pole.
2026-08-22
Pilea peperomioides
Split, 6 pups
Four to the office, two kept.
2026-08-11
Calathea orbifolia
Lost
Never recovered from the mite spring. Third attempt failed.
2026-07-29
Ficus elastica
Top cut, rooted
Water rooted in 5 weeks. Potted 2026-09-01.
2026-07-14
Sansevieria trifasciata
Repot 18 → 21
First repot in three years. Barely needed it.
2026-06-30
Epipremnum aureum
Cutting
Six nodes into water. All took.
2026-06-18
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Moved
Hallway was too dark. Now beside the kitchen window.
2026-06-02
Chlorophytum comosum
Repot 14 → 18
Pot was visibly bulging. Overdue.
Rules I have arrived at
Go up one pot size, never two. A large pot holds water where there are no roots to drink it.
Repot in spring or early summer. A plant repotted in November sits in wet soil for four months.
Water the day before, not the day of. Damp rootballs come out whole; dry ones shatter.
Loosen the outer roots by hand. Roots that went round in the old pot will keep going round in the new one.
No feeding for a month afterwards. Fresh compost already has everything in it.
Soil mix I use for most things
Six parts peat-free potting compost, three parts orchid bark, two parts
perlite, one part worm castings. It drains fast, which suits a heavy hand
with the watering can. Cacti and succulents get the same thing with the bark
swapped for coarse grit.