A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 MING ARALIA

Hi all
I'm new here and hope someone can help me out.
Many many yrs ago I had a ming aralia and just loved it. I fertilized it once (burned it0 and it dies. Today, I bought one from , of all places, Walmart! Looks very nice BUT the tiny rocks on top of the soil are GLUED ON, literally. Will this plant live? Has anyone ever had any plant with stones solidly gued on the top of the soil.? Is this purposeful or ??? I'd appreaciate any responses. Thanks!

Hi there,

Those glued together pebbles are usually found on the surface of bonsai plants. Is your Ming in a very shallow Bonsai pot?

The pebbles are decorative and serve no other purpose. They do make it hard to water properly. It is probably best to remove them.

Let me know if you need any Ming care instructions.

Thank you! I AM concrned about those pebbles interfering with the plan't health. The thing is, they are SOLIDLY glued in. What else can I do ? (Yes, it is a rather shalow pt) Thanks for any add'l advice.

Can you post or send me a photo? My e-mail address is willcreed@HorticulturalHelp.com

Sorry, my digital is not working. It's a beautiful Ming Aralia. The soil is down there (presumably! :>) and then it just looks like pebbles as decor BUT when you touch them they are ROCK SOLID cemented in! I was actually wondering if perhaps this was done to 'bind' the plant (?) The one I had 25 yrs ago was just soil/no pebbles.
Thanks.

The roots growing in the soil is all that is needed to bind the plant in place.

If you could provide a more precise description of the planter - its shape, width and depth - that would help.

OK, it's a round, shallow pot with soil (it is covered by these pebbles but I have faith that it's there :>) and a saucer underneath. It it about the size of an average saucer/small plate. On top of the soil are the pebbles , SOLIDLY (hotglued??) in . Hard as cement ! The plant is already to start to look a bit 'droopy'.

I am not trying to belabor the point, but I need a more precise description than "shallow." Can you measure the width and the depth of the pot that the plant is potted in?

2" deep and 5" across. I watered it today and the water all went through and into the saucer. I repeated and drained the saucer and then misted the plant and put it back into 'diffused' sunlit area. This is truly all I can describe.

OK, that is very helpful. From the pot dimensions I know that your Ming is being grown as a Bonsai. The glued pebbles are there primarily for decorative purposes.

To water, I suggest that you submerge the entire pot in water for about 5 minutes. This will allow the soil to become completely saturated. Then let it drip dry for a few minutes. You will need to do this once or twice per week. The worst part of the pebbles is that they make it nearly impossible to feel and monitor the soil moisture.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you so much! I would never have thought to immerse the pot that way. I will let you know how it comes along. I truly love this plant.
THX!

I saw these ming aralias at Walmart the other day and thought of this thread and asked the woman working in the garden center about how to get that off. She said she had one at home and she just took a screwdriver and a hammer and lightly tapped around the edges and it came right off.