We have a small Olive tree in a pot that is looking a little unwell. It has not been re-potted for a long time so supect this may be the problem. What is the best medium to use when re-potting and when is the best time to do it?
Mine grows happily in John Innes no.3 with a fair bit of gritty sharp sand mixed in. Pot-grown things can be re-potted at almost any time of the year - if you do it now, give it a good watering before and after then leave it until the top inch of soil is dry - one thing they really don't like is wet feet and must have very free-draining soil.
Don't be tempted to try and remove a lot of the old compost from the root-ball when you re-pot it - that won't do it any good at all. Just put it in a new pot which is about 20% bigger then the one it is now in and pack the new compost down the gap between root-ball and sides of the new container to ensure no air gaps. You could mix a bit of slow-release fertiliser in with the new soil though.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Posts
Mine grows happily in John Innes no.3 with a fair bit of gritty sharp sand mixed in. Pot-grown things can be re-potted at almost any time of the year - if you do it now, give it a good watering before and after then leave it until the top inch of soil is dry - one thing they really don't like is wet feet and must have very free-draining soil.
Don't be tempted to try and remove a lot of the old compost from the root-ball when you re-pot it - that won't do it any good at all. Just put it in a new pot which is about 20% bigger then the one it is now in and pack the new compost down the gap between root-ball and sides of the new container to ensure no air gaps. You could mix a bit of slow-release fertiliser in with the new soil though.
Thanks Bob. Apologies for late reply - ticked the box for email when response is made but none came, unless I missed it somehow.