Transplanting my Calamansi (Blog Post) §

This Calamansi plants was given to us about a year ago. And when it was given to us the first thing I noticed is that it came in a very pretty but very small pot. They told us that it was going to fruit soon, so that meant it was probably about 2-3 years old.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I would have to transplant it. Since the pot was so small.

I’ve put it off for quite a while, and now it’s time.

How Transplanting Helps a Plant

This plant really needed some help. Over time, I could see that it was starting to get stressed. Especially compared to my other Calamansi plant.

The leaves were starting to get a bit yellow, and one day when I came out to give it some water, a whole bunch of leaves just fell off.

Thankfully, it survived long enough for me to get my butt into gear and switch it out to a better container.

One thing that really is annoying about plants is overwatering, underwatering, pot boundedness will all show the same signs.

When plants become pot bound, they don’t really have room to grow anymore.

They’ll start to wilt and show signs of distress like yellowing and falling leaves. (I think it’s because they’re absorbing more moisture than the pot can hold)

So I want to give it more room to grow. Putting in into a bigger box lets the roots grow out.

This actually works better when the plant is younger.

Steps in Transplanting

1. Remove the plant from its pot

This one took a while because I had waited for so long. By now, the plant’s roots had hugged the side of the pot and it was so compact

3. Check the roots
4. Dig a hole
5. Position the plant
6. Backfill with soil
7. Make a raised bank to direct the water
8. Mulch

Making my Own Boxes (blog post)

Be careful of transplants shock

I am worried about transplant shock. This Calamansi seemed a bit pot bound and not so strong.

I also don’t know what was in the soil that was given to us since it’s a gift.

I used a mix of garden soil and ipa (rice husk) to give it good drainage. And then I put a layer of our homemade compost as well as some ipa as a final mulching

• If you transplant a plant when it can’t handle it, it may struggle to thrive.
• It needs to stay hyrdrated so that the roots don’t dry out

Theorizing §

In temperate climates, the suggestion is to transplant it when the plant is dormant (so like winter) But that doesn’t really apply to the Philippines

So when to transplant plants in tropical climates?

• This is something I still can’t find any good research on.

If the roots shouldn’t dry out, then I guess rainy season would be a good time to do it