THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO REPOTTING YOUR HOUSEPLANTS
Like humans, houseplants often need to upgrade to bigger living quarters when they have outgrown their current ones. Your houseplant may need repotting if it’s looking less than stellar these days! If you’re unsure how to repot your precious plant baby, follow this guide to learn how to repot any houseplant successfully!
Does Your Houseplant Need Repotting?
Unnecessary repotting will cause unnecessary trauma to your houseplant, so first, let’s dive into some telltale signs that it’s time to repot a houseplant:
It’s top-heavy and won’t stay upright.
The base of the pot is full of roots, or roots are poking out of drainage holes.
It has browning leaves.
It has minimal new growth beyond what you would expect of a plant in dormancy.
You have to water it more frequently than before.
It is lifting out of its pot.
Keep in mind that some of these signs, such as your plant looking a little unhappy, may indicate that it needs a bit of a soil refresh rather than a whole new pot upgrade. A plant in distress can also indicate other problems such as over-watering, underwatering, disease, or not meeting its light requirements, so be sure to rule these out before repotting your houseplant.
Try repotting if you’ve tried adjusting these other needs for your plant and still not looking its best. Spring is the ideal time to repot your houseplant because it will have the entire growing season to establish; remember, you’ll only want to repot once a year at most.
Repotting Supplies You Will Need
Before you start repotting your houseplant, do a quick inventory of your supplies and ensure that you have all of the essentials to carry it out successfully. These include garden gloves, a trowel, a sharp knife, scissors, potting soil specific to the plant time or a high-quality all-purpose soil, and your plant’s new pot.
If you are reusing an old container or pot, give it a thorough scrub to prevent any disease or bacterial issues that may be lingering from its previous tenant. When you select the new pot for your houseplant, it is important to only go up in size by an inch or two. If you repot a houseplant into a pot that is too big, it can have a hard time re-establishing itself.
How to Successfully Repot Your Houseplant
Start by gently loosening the plant from its pot without tugging at its stems. Use your knife to pry it gently from the sides of the pot, support it at its base, and turn the pot upside down slightly to encourage it to drop out of the pot.
Next, shake off excess soil and check the status of your houseplant’s roots. If they are bound together, loosen them gently from the root ball and be sure to cut away any dead, rotten, or damaged roots.
Now, you can add a few inches of dampened soil to the bottom of the new, clean pot. Dampening the soil will help to ensure it will absorb moisture evenly when you water your freshly repotted houseplant. Once that is done, gently lower your precious plant baby back into its new home.
Then, add soil around the plant to secure it in place in the pot, packing it down gently to avoid air pockets. Leave half an inch of space from the top of the pot to avoid overflowing water. Now, you can water your plant until its soil is moist.
You may need to add a small amount of extra soil once it has settled in the first couple of days, and don’t be too concerned if your plant looks like it is struggling to start; it’s all a part of settling into its new home. Keep your houseplant out of extreme temperatures, drafts, or harsh light to make things a little more comfortable and not stress it out further.
Repotting your houseplant may seem intimidating, but it gets easier with practice. If you need some help with it, stop by Dammann’s Garden Co. to talk to one of our houseplant experts. We also provide potting services if you prefer that a professional take over the repotting process for you!