Q&A #2 while repotting - Moss poles, watering etc.

[@AntoinetteVaha]

Encouraging your fans to support local and small growers is a great idea. 👏👏

[@earlbarcelo]

I really love your outlook on the hobby. Really refreshing especially with the growing plant people online. I am able to apply your idealogies in growing plants and fall in love even more with the hobby. 💚

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks for your nice comment :) happy growing !!

[@elmerbaez6784]

Your a true plant parent;;;

[@coagulatedsalts4711]

agreed, jan has reshaped how i see my plants nad my goals for them. in a good way ofc.

[@earlbarcelo]

@@coagulatedsalts4711 true! I now am not intimidated by moss poles. Also, my soil mix is top notch if I do day so myself lol

[@MrNosajwhitey]

no nonsense plant care Q n A and very well presented videos consistantly

[@Followbrayden]

I love your plant videos and refer people to you constantly who may just be starting out their plant journey. I've been in the hobby for just over a year and feel like I've learned so much from you. Thank you for taking the time to make content that is informative and engaging, you can tell by the quality how much time you spend on it. I feel like if I'm ever in Sydney I need to buy you a drink to say thanks for all the help you've given me! Cheers from Los Angeles.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :) very kind of you

[@Steph_Bx13]

Thank you so much for answering my question ❤️❤️ my plant collection is a mixture of purchases from Bunnings, local nurseries in Canberra (where I live) and I recently bought some plants online from Uprooted 😊

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks for asking :)

[@SizzlingiceQueen]

I had fungus gnats problems last time. It was mostly because of my mix which retained too much moisture and the soil probably had some gnats already, and I saw it on my poles too, but mainly I think it climbed from my mix. When I moved to soil less, I haven't seen any gnats anymore.

[@Omlittlebuddha]

I am so grateful for your content. By far the most knowledgeable plants person on KZbin!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@baulou1962]

Really appreciate you spending time to share your insights on creating such a beautiful collection of plants. Learning a lot from your channel. Beautiful apartment too.

[@silviap4478]

First of all, thank you for this extensive Q&A. And a big thank you for liking all of the comments and taking your time replying. It must be a lot of work, so thank you for the effort. I thought about getting a humidifier for a long time, as I have around 40-45% humidity in my home. Sadly no one talks about the germs they spread, especially the ultrasonic ones. At least in Germany there has been extensive testing and all ultrasonic humidifiers, even with recommended cleaning, failed. The germs in the air have multiplied so exponentially that they advise strongly against usage (normally you have 50-100 colony forming units of germs in the air. With usage of humidifiers they went up to 2,6-23 millions). I don't know why it's not talked about more in the community.

[@sydneyplantguy]

That’s great insight. I don’t use humidifiers so didn’t really bother looking into it further but that makes total sense !! Thanks :)

[@michelejones4282]

Interesting! Would like to see some of those studies. I live in Arizona 🇺🇸. We have just about NO humidity except at monsoon time. Use humidifiers throughout the house & have experienced positive results. If you can turn my on to some of those studies I'd appreciate it! Ty 👍

[@silviap4478]

@@michelejones4282 Hi, I didn't exactly read any studies. In Germany we have something called "Stiftung Warentest", they test products for user safety, for handling, for the fulfillment of producer promises and so on. Safety is a big topic though. So they focus on humidifiers, take a lot of samples on the market (small brands as well as well-known and often bought brands) and test them for a few months. While doing this, they followed the manual for cleaning. As for the ultrasonic humidifiers, they all failed. There are other humidifiers that did well though. those that boil the water and have that evaporate into the air are 100% germ-free, although they use up a lot of energy and are dangerous for children and pets because they blow hot steam into the air. There are also others called "Verdunster". Basically there is an area that is regulalry soaked in water and air blows through and that water evaporates. They tend to be on the big side and they are not as efficient on short-term. They need a few weeks to stabilize the moisture in the air and you need to change the filters very regularly to avoid bacteria and other germs nesting in there. You can read up on the article here though I don't think it helps you as it is in German: www.test.de/Luftbefeuchter-im-Test-Viele-pusten-Keime-in-die-Luft-4957429-0/ After reading that, I googled some more but I never found anything contradicting the claims of the teat. So I looked for other options. But I also only have to rise 5-10% moisture level, that's not as big as I imagine you would have to rise. I just googled "humidifiers and germs" and found a few pages with information. Maybe that can help you

[@michelejones4282]

Thank you Silvia! I'm going to do some research on this. I think the main benefit we get (besides the plants) is are sinuses don't dry out & my husband doesn't snore as much!!🤣 I've always trusted medical studies from Germany (I'm a Nurse Practitioner). I will find someone that can translate the article for me. Again thank you my dear for answering my inquiry! Have a blessed day & happy plant growing! 🪴 Michele 💜🌱

[@michelejones4282]

My phone translated article into English! 👏 Ty

[@pudik2008]

Love your honest answers and really enjoyed your potting up! Love the new moss poles and in our own country Yay!!”

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@jerryghoujalou5150]

I enjoy watching you. I’m in Canada you give me hope I’ve been killing so many plant but now you inspire me. I’m doing a lot better. Thank you for your help and I also enjoy watching you. Keep the good work.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Cheers:)

[@AmandaSmith-qj5yb]

Thanks for answering all my questions! These Q&A vids are super helpful! +1 to Aj and Growing grounds!

[@sydneyplantguy]

She’s a legend 👏🏻👏🏻

[@ejquintanilla734]

I love your videos! Your expressions and side comments are hilarious 😂

[@sydneyplantguy]

Haha thank you :)

[@sylviaschnieder9555]

I am really enjoying your content and learning a ton about how to best care for some of my plants. From the great white north of Winnipeg Manitoba Canada, thank you for taking the time!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@Dyeguy117]

Love the video. I appreciate all the time you are taking to share with us. Content creation can be tedious. I absolutely love your approach to how you’re keeping your plants. Honestly, I’m not trying to copy and paste what you are doing but to me, everything you’re doing with your plants just makes total sense to me and the aesthetic matches my idea(s) already. Oh side note, your mic was picking you up potting up the plants, but to me, it wasn’t too loud, distracting or annoying at all. Well call it “Planting ASMR” 😂

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :) glad you find some inspiration & value in my videos :) happy growing !!

[@sunnymelbourneplants]

You are just such a cool humans with amazing plants 🌿😍 thanks for all the fun whilst taking us along the ride! It's always fun and so instructive 💯😉

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@naffy0325]

A video on different poles/support would be amazing!!!

[@SparkleInMoonlight]

Super useful video. I got a coco coir pole for my Painted Lady and apart from giving her support, it´s useless - I´m definitely going to make a moss pole for her and follow what you suggested. She is very keen to root into a pole, but doesn´t want the coco coir :-) So she asked for it :-)

[@beautifulstems1631]

Hello, I love you’re videos! Could you do a watering video, when you’re watering the potting medium for you’re plants? I see other KZbinrs who do it and I find it to be very relaxing🥰🤗☺️

[@stayswampy]

You have given me the perfect ideas for trying moss poles for my aroids! I'm really excited to try it out on my own including your watering technique! :D

[@sydneyplantguy]

Happy growing :)

[@justinamontgomery2618]

Hi :) It will be fun to see your burle marx fantasy grow in your home and this spring and summer for you....I wonder how big your leaves will get in your home....I think you will like this plant if you are just starting out with it! Also your ring of fire climbing will be so nice to watch as well....love repotting videos......it went well with your mic.....we all love the sound of substrate falling into pots, no bother at all....thanks for all your hard work making videos :) Will you ever try hoya in the future? I have a feeling they would love you :) see you soon.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :) i’m not a fan of hoya so not planning on getting any :P

[@ashatempe7073]

Liked the video- to the point! Agreed with grow lights light 💡 comment - “plug in and let it work”-that’s me!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@amelise]

Loving your YT channel! I was inspired by your experiment of using aroid mix in poles but left out the other ingredients and just used the coco chips for moisture and nutrient retention. I agree the coir poles you get in Bunnings are useless for holding moisture so very pleasantly surprised the plain coco chip in poles is working well for me. Whereas a moss pole would be bone dry in 1 day my coco chip poles only need watering once or twice a week and my plants are so much happier My issue now is I have many moss poles I want to convert to coco chip!

[@sydneyplantguy]

I’m actually experimenting withba coco chips pole atm too :)

[@amelise]

@@sydneyplantguy I would love to know how that's going for you! I found watering the Coco chip poles water sometimes runs through without absorbing, it helps to have a small 'plug' of spag moss in the very top to absorb the water like a sponge and slowly distribute it to the Coco chips. I am thinking about trying a combo Coco chip + spag pole to get that balance of water retention and watering ease but not sure how to structure it.

[@sydneyplantguy]

It’s still early days so not much to share yet but yes I find watering the coco chips much harder & messier

[@roseaguilar1295]

So many new ideas learned from here…watching from the Philippines - really enjoying your videos… thank you

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@Wendy-zl8kv]

I learned a lot, thank you!💚🌱

[@ellysejoann4806]

Hello from Perth WA 🙂 love all your videos 🙌

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@kit513]

Oooh 31:40 that's me! Thank you for answering my question... 😁

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks for asking :)

[@Nurse2sandoval]

Awesome and informative 😊thank you

[@wanglabtydc1803]

Of all Q&A. I like question 23 the most ‘Did you spend a lot of money on your collection?’ The reason why people kept asking you is bcoz they wish you spent whole lot of money too like they did. So they don’t feel so bad, after killing so many of their expensive plants 🤣 Unfortunately only few like you make it through. The rest, not quite wkwkwkwkwkwkw Anyway thank you for sharing your valuable lessons. So that the rest of us don’t keep spending and killing plants. Appreciate King of moss pole.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@joankennes3230]

To encourage growth on the bottom part of a plant that has become bare you can notch. Unplantparenthood has a great explanatory video on this. Do consider the bottom leaves will suffer as they will not get as much growth hormones and nutrients because these will now be used for side shoots at the bottom. You can't have it all: bushy AND tall with big leaves...

[@joankennes3230]

Edit: the TOP leaves will suffer.

[@hollyyyyy3775]

Yay! Hopefully next time you answer my question ☺️🪴🪷

[@sydneyplantguy]

Sorry if yours didn’t make it but I replied to all the messages on the community tab as well :)

[@Chai_586]

Surely you could custom your diy moss pole like putting plastic wrap on half or something to help retain moisture

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yes you can :)

[@debbiey9452]

Use Mosquito Bits to get rid of fungus knats. 3 treatments two weeks apart worked for me.

[@g.nypaver734]

Question, what kind of bottles are those? Can they be purchased internationally?. Love your videos learned a lot and I am changing my soil in my pots to the medium that you have and adding moss poles

[@rowenalatorre4872]

Watching from the Philippines 🇵🇭.☺️

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@lc9215]

Weeeeee!🚿😂 Great video once again thanks🙏🏻

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@MrClementChee]

Greetings from Malaysia. I love your videos and learned from much from it.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@cajbrg]

Was there a reason using your hands and forgetting the "shovel"? 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank You for the answer about "humidity"... but my wife will kill me (she doesn't know a new "haul" will arrive shortly)

[@sydneyplantguy]

Hands are the best tools !!:D

[@tresoramandine2037]

A little hello from South of France, i want to thank you for your generosity, a lot of advices, very usefull, thanks a lot for share us all of that

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :)

[@savannamm]

Your monstera adansonii makes me really want to put mine on a pole before it gets too big but I really don't want to buy another grow light for it 😅

[@apvlee5890]

Pls do make a video on different support types

[@sydneyplantguy]

Easy :)

[@user-qo4yw8rf3g]

Loving the plastic pots. I can't find them here in Singapore.

[@EniEniEni]

I really have no problem just putting the bottles upside down as they are without a lid or anything. I just push it down into the moss and the moss blocks it enough not to pour too fast, even if its dry to begin with. Sure it spills a lil bit just as i flip them over but its barely noticable if I do it fast. So my tip would be not to be so gentle, just smash em in there XD

[@sydneyplantguy]

Hahaha agree !! But i have had so many comments saying they can’t figure it out so i thoughts let’s really break it down :D

[@clearwaterbeachhomesearchm5957]

I keep the lid on water bottle. Just put holes in lid. You already said this in moss pole Video. Am I the only one who watches your entire video. 😆

[@ibsunshinesu6011]

Reference to question why growth has been stagnate after moss pole installation. I know all the plants in poles on social media are impressive. And truly, 90+% of my plants on poles, LOVE it. They mature more quickly and size up massively. AFTER adaptation phase. Which in my experience. Outside greenhouse. San Francisco temperatures w room humidity 50-60-%. Is that the first new leaf on pole reverts in size. Then, bingo! They take off better than before. So 2 months. Is too soon to tell! Quarterly check ups!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Agree :) that repotting shock is not specific to plants on a moss pole though. Usually the case where u repot something or change the conditions, moss pole or not :)

[@ibsunshinesu6011]

@@sydneyplantguy precisely! Any repot, transplant, transition… most of my plants need more than 2 months to take to. Moss pole is no exception. Except the success rate of seeing gains is nearly 100%!

[@anum1963]

I really enjoyed the video. Can you please have a camera closer to your table?

[@plant-a-holic]

Thanks again for a great video! I’ve watched several of yours so far and also the Q&A‘s you did with the LECA queen… Wanted to ask about the plastic you used on your moss pole ..that is , the plastic backed one? Yours seems to be a rigid gray sheet of plastic? Can you tell me more about that, please? I ordered a recommended shelf liner that was in a list that people said would be good from IKEA to use since it was difficult to find in the USA… Arrived today and it’s rather flimsy and doesn’t look like it will have enough support/rigidity? Thanks again!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :) They are GrowVertical poles (check @grow.vertical on instagram :))

[@rixogtr]

SPeaking of fungus gnats, I bought Natural Pine Bark at bunnings, got it home, made my first aeroid mix, planted moss poles with plants and after 5 minutes the whole place was crawling with those little bastartds. Sprayed them with neem oil which I think I measured incorrectly so now I'm on needles whether I infest my whole house with gnats or have killed my plants with neem oil. Any idea how to get rid of gnats from a bag full of pine bark ? don't really want to throw it away if there's a chance how to save it

[@tvernile]

Love it!

[@Chai_586]

My first plant was lucky bamboo.

[@slinkyboo-boo]

💚💚💚

[@ranntubemy]

good info...thank you..💚💚💚💚

[@Rapteme7]

Great! 👏👏

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@alexissteve6631]

I’ve found that springtails eat the decay and the fungus gnats can’t breed as easily so if anyone gets fungus gnats then definitely get some springtails

[@sydneyplantguy]

Great tip :)

[@thecrystallak3]

If you ever get tired of making videos, please reach out and I will edit them for you for free. Just the knowledge you give is worth it!

[@sydneyplantguy]

Haha :D thanks for offering :)

[@NewbiPai]

9:20 thats great nice job

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thanks :)

[@aylaloup-lestatJun]

Thank you for this vidéo 💚🇫🇷🙏

[@LebedasAbenteuer]

🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@kokoro9301]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but i thought some of your plants in the back ground are creepers not climbers? is there anything different you do for them?

[@sydneyplantguy]

No they are all climbers :)

[@elmerbaez6784]

Have you ever considered to sell some of your plants!!??? You have a very big collection.

[@sydneyplantguy]

I sometimes sell or swap plants :)

[@heberjoctanuc4915]

Hi, from México 🌱🌄

[@sydneyplantguy]

Hey :)

[@HogwartsBasement]

😂 gnats are the Bain of my life 😢 however I’ve foond that hydrogen peroxide helps prevent the mould that they love

[@inesgoncalves7962]

I am thinking of getting my first moss pole.. if I put a water bottle tipped over wont it water the soil too? When do i know when to water the pole?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Watering Moss Poles #tutorial kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn-ldHyKZZ1joaM

[@archanasharma1428]

What about the fertilizer

[@sydneyplantguy]

Already adressed in the first Q&A

[@TwentyThree-23]

You live in Australia... I live in New England... I'm going to definitely have a harder time growing the same plants you have. I'm so sad!

[@sydneyplantguy]

You definitely do but nothing u couldn’t overcome :)

[@killodendron]

"Be more patient" 😒*me staring at the same albo monstera cutting that hasn't done a single thing in 2 years* (except grow roots)

[@sydneyplantguy]

Well you have certainly been patient!!! Albo monsteras aren’t the easiest to propagate & get going :/

[@jasonh402]

Hi Brad! Wait he's not here today 😢!

[@sydneyplantguy]

He was sleeping :(

[@Алина-с6ц8я]

Столько информации и как жалко что я не знаю английский и не выучила его,а могла бы столько нового для себя найти.

[@tjcuillier7024]

Love your content! I live in the US and am having an extremely difficult time finding the clear pots being used here. Absolutely nothing available locally. Anyone in comments know where they can be ordered online?

[@killodendron]

Hey! I actually use the clear containers used for food storage/takeout. I got a big box with three different sizes off Amazon a few years ago. It's really easy to either drill or burn holes in the bottom.

[@natalierobinson6330]

Try looking specifically for 'orchid pots' in the UK I could only find them branded for orchids

[@saraconard6269]

Same for US. If you search for orchid pots, you should be able to find some. I just purchased some from Amazon. They are definitely more expensive then the nusery pots I normally use.

[@tjcuillier7024]

@@saraconard6269 Thank you, appreciate your response. I've ordered those before, but I'm really looking for the taller clear pots.

[@tjcuillier7024]

@@killodendron Thank you for the response. I've tried the orchid pots, but they're not as clear nor as tall. I'll have to try looking for take out containers in the dimensions I'm looking for.

[@basharkhan5161]

Would a clay ball pole work in case anyone can’t find good sphagnum moss? Finding light weight media that doesn’t fall off the wire mesh is a challenge in Canada where sphagnum moss is difficult to come by post pandemic

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yep i have seen people making it work but the watering would get quite messy in an indoor setting

[@qrxzl]

I have a few small plants of which the tips of the new aerial roots turn black as soon as they touch the moss of the moss pole. Am I not keeping the moss moist enough? Or might there even be some chemicals in the moss? I use dried sphagnum moss that i just buy online.

[@sydneyplantguy]

Mm most likely the roots dried out and hence they turned black :)

[@qrxzl]

@@sydneyplantguy damned, yeah that's what i thought. i really need a new milsbo cabinet for higher humidity, but ikea in germany does not seem to get them back in stock any time soon :D

[@Epiphalactic]

I'm sure I'll see it in another video but why clear containers?

[@sydneyplantguy]

To assess root health :)

[@charlimorrison5025]

Would you use the aroid mix for marble queen, glacier pothos, satin pothos…

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yes i use it for all aroids :)

[@ChristyD97]

I've been trying to use moss poles for about 8 months now, but none of my plants will attach. Now I think I understand because the poles are off Amazon and have a solid wooden pole and the moss itself is quite compact (coco coir). I'm going to go buy your suggested materials and try your poles. I have more than 300 plants in my collection, but none of them have height or real big leaves. Your content is eye opening and I hope to see some results. Consider me a new subscriber:)

[@sydneyplantguy]

Thank you :) glad I was able to open up a new perspective :) happy growing

[@doreenlow1782]

❤do you shower your plants leaves?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yes :)

[@darrellperkins716]

I wanted to ask, where can I find the clear pots the you use with your moss poles and what size are they?

[@sydneyplantguy]

My Top 10 Tips for Plant Parents kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHbaY5WAa5mAo7M

[@plantchito-dendroni-i1988]

Hi! I do think, we do have the same taste about plants. Wanted to ask bout grow lights, any suggestion? From the Philippines.

[@shaneequam1]

That's the issue I struggle with

[@sydneyplantguy]

Check out my growlight setup: Houseplant Tour Part 2 - My Wall of Poles - Velvet Philodendron kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXSYeaqNoL92p5o

[@dollycaldwell4938]

how do you keep the moss from seeping out of the bottom of you moss pole?

[@sydneyplantguy]

As the moss has quite long fibres it just holds itself in place

[@shaneequam1]

For people mostly counting on grow lights, which ones would you suggest?

[@sydneyplantguy]

34:55

[@normalguy7898]

I wish I had a cool German accent too.

[@darrellperkins716]

Where do you get your pots?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Bunnings

[@jasminesalgado6531]

What is the name of the first plant he is reporting?

[@sydneyplantguy]

Anybody who listend & watched it would know :)

[@deebee1326]

For whoever asked Question 25 just go and watch the Alocasia video 😂😂😂 and will answer your question

[@sydneyplantguy]

😂😂😂

[@anilis7096]

Добавь пожалуйста титры на русском🍀🌿🍃

[@Kikimalikki]

Can I be your friend 😭😭😭😭

[@tanya.quintieri]

Are you German? :)

[@sydneyplantguy]

Yes I grew up in Germany :)

[@tanya.quintieri]

@@sydneyplantguy thought so. :)