I just bought a new Milan (Aglaia odorata) and want to repot it. The soil is extremely hard, should I keep it?
The potting soil of the newly bought Milan (Aglaia odorata) is that kind of extremely hard yellow clay soil. How should I repot it? Should the original soil be removed?
When repotting a Milan (Aglaia odorata), if its original soil is that kind of very hard yellow soil, we had best remove the original soil. If you keep the original soil and use loose, breathable, soft soil to fill around the sides of the pot, then after watering the yellow soil will not absorb much water at all and will stay in an awkward state. Watering simply will not penetrate, and its original roots cannot absorb water. Leaf drop, flower drop, wilting and similar conditions will then appear.
This season is the growing season for Milan (Aglaia odorata); it is either flowering or growing. If we repot it, we can completely remove all the original potting soil. This is what we call bare-root repotting. When removing the original yellow soil it carried, you must be careful. Either soak it off thoroughly with water, or use a faucet to directly wash off the original yellow soil, and try to damage its roots as little as possible. The less the roots are damaged, the faster they will recover.
When potting it up, be sure to remember to use loose, breathable soil for the potting mix as much as possible. You can appropriately add a little pine needle soil, because Milan (Aglaia odorata) is a flower that likes acidic soil, and adding a little pine needle soil can supplement the acidic substances it needs for growth. Spread its roots flat in the pot; do not wrap them all in a ball and put them in the pot. When filling with soil, try to let the soil come into thorough contact with the roots. After potting up, you must water it thoroughly. The purpose of watering is to let the potting soil and roots come into thorough contact without leaving gaps.
After potting up is complete, prune the branches appropriately, cut them back, or remove all the overly dense and overly thin branches, and place it in a cool, ventilated place. Every morning and evening, spray it with water at least once each time. Increase the air humidity a bit. Ventilation must be good. When the soil surface is dry, water it thoroughly in time. After about a week, it will be able to successfully recover from transplanting. The purpose of spraying water is to keep its leaves from wilting and let the leaves absorb some water to supply the plant's growth consumption, because its roots have not yet grown well.
When you see that the leaves are no longer wilting and have regained their vigor, and new buds have emerged, gradually increase the light for it. Put it in a place with sufficient light. Then just return to normal care.
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