Everything You Need to Know About Repotting Plants
In this guide, you will learn:
- What 'repotting' means
- Signs of when to repot plants
- How to repot plants
- Why repotting plants is important
- The 5 golden rules for repotting plants
What is repotting?
As is natural for any healthy plant, eventually, a plant will outgrow its nursery pot, so will need repotting!
While repotting plants may sound like a daunting task, with a little guidance, even those with the least green thumb will find their inner gardener.
How to tell if your plant needs repotting:
- Roots poking out from the bottom of your plant's nursery pot
- Roots pushing out above your plant's pot
- Your plant is very top-heavy and looks like it will topple
- Typically your plant may need repotting every 1-2 years.
If you can see one or multiple of these symptoms, then your plant likely needs repotting.
How to repot plants
- Find a new appropriately sized plastic nursery pot to re-home your plant - it should be a few fingers width wider than the existing pot; make sure it has drainage holes at the bottom of the pot, which are essential in order to water your plant correctly
- Carefully ease your plant out of its current pot (gently pressing on the sides of the pot and encouraging the root ball out will help)
- Add fresh potting soil into the new pot and pack it down, adding enough so that the top of the root ball is a few inches below the rim of the new pot
- Gently untangle the roots of your plant
- Carefully place your plant into the new pot and add potting soil around the plant roots, until the plant is securely standing upright, gently pressing down to remove air pockets
- Don't fill the pot right up to the brim with soil as it may then be hard to water
The Benefits of Repotting Plants
Repotting plants can provide many benefits for the overall health and care of your plants. By repotting your plants, you can locate and reduce the risk of diseases such as root rot and prevent unhealthy, waterlogged soil. Keeping on top of repotting when your plants begin to show any of the symptoms listed above, is an important step as a plant owner to allow new and healthy roots to grow instead. Allowing your plants more room to grow, provides more air circulation to the roots and produces higher amounts of essential nutrients for your plant. In addition, repotting plants also allows you to multiply and split out a plant into lots more baby plants, replacing just the one with many!
5 Golden Rules to Follow for Repotting Plants
1. Best Practise For When to Repot Plants
Repotting plants is best in spring time, before your plant enters its main growing phase helping it to quickly re-adjust to its new home.
2. Before Repotting Your Plants
Water your plant a few days before repotting, this will help you to ease your plant out of its current nursery pot
3. What Soil to Use for Repotting
We recommend using Peat-free Houseplant Compost when repotting your indoor plants.
4. Be Gentle when Repotting
Be careful when rehoming your plant and don't force or tug.
5. Plant Pot Sizes for Repotting
Choose a pot that is 2-3cm larger for small plants (<20cm pot) or c.5cm for larger plants. We recommend to always repot into a Coconut Coir Grow Pot and then out this within your new decorative pot.
Need Any Additional Advice? Contact Us Here or Alternatively, Visit Our Plant Academy for More Guides on How to Take Care of Your Plants.