If you are an experienced houseplant keeper, you might be able to convince others of your competence at repotting. However, those who do not have much experience repotting have to be afraid of the experience. You realize there are many variables to take into account when choosing the right pot and making the switch, and how one wrong move could mean the demise of your happy plant.
Even though it can feel overwhelming, repotting is an important skill for any gardener (indoors or out) and like most other tasks in life, it simply requires confidence, common sense, and a certain amount of know-how.
In this repotting guide, we’ll explore how to master a few key principles that will help you find the best pots for each plant each time.
Pot Selection: How to Choose
When is it time to repot?
If your plant has been in the same pot for years, you may want to get it replanted (or at least a root checkup). Common signs that a plant needs more space or fresh soil nutrients are:
- A visible depletion in the quality or quantity of soil (soil level has fallen or appears drier and hardened)
- Branches can grow out the bottom, top edges, or bust through the pot.
- Water runs right through the pot instead of saturating the soil in the plant, or the plant seems to be extremely dry and needs more water than it used to.
- The plant is obviously top-heavy or awkwardly large for its pot. Its roots cannot grow through the soil.
Usually, plants will need to be repotted once per year, although some slower-growing plants might only require topdressing. Spring is the best season for repotted plants. Plants are emerging from winter dormancy and have required fresh nutrients and new space to grow. This is also a nice warm greenhouse that dries out the soil quickly, so repottings to reduce the risk of root rot are a good idea after the first month.
Repotting your houseplants in the summer is also a convenient option if you missed spring. However, repotting on very hot, dry days cannot be done without stressing your plants. In autumn and winter, when your plants are dormant (or going dormant), they’re likely to want to not be disturbed since they’re hibernating. In winter, even fresh soil can be overwhelming to some plants, leading to root rot.
Stressed plants may be repotted for a pick-me-up, but this is a common misconception. Sometimes, a plant needs to be repotted (in need of fresh soil and a larger pot), but in many instances, this will only make it stressed further. Repotting is a significant change for a plant and its delicate root system and should only be carried out when absolutely necessary.
Isn’t a bigger pot going to help your plant grow bigger and stronger?
It is crucial to consider the size of your new pot in relation to the old one when deciding what size pot to choose for your houseplant.
Many people believe that plants will grow taller if potted in a larger pot as if a goldfish in a fishbowl. Houseplants prefer little to no space. Roots fill a space when they have food and space, but often rather slowly. Thus when you repot into a much larger container, the roots have to pull water from the soil too fast, leaving it too wet and drowning them. Smaller amounts of soil dry out more quickly, allowing more oxygen to reach the roots, which are necessary for plant survival.
You should size the pots only a few inches at a time. Most pots fit loosely into a system in the horticultural industry called 2s. There are no hard and fast measurements here; most pots fall in this range.
A pot of approximately 6 inches in diameter will probably need to be replaced with one of 8 inches in diameter. When shopping for a new pot, it may be helpful to bring a measuring tape with you and know the measurements of the ones you have now. Most nursery and garden center workers are knowledgeable and happy to offer repotting advice.
Drainage Demystified
The pots could be hollowed out, but some are flat. When you’re trying to get your plants in something practical and beautiful, it can seem too complicated to pay attention to these details, but every indoor gardener should aware of enough about drainage to make their preferences for pots much more satisfying.
Simply put, a pot with drainage holes is almost always better for plant health than one without drainage. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use a pot without drainage, but if you’re a beginner with limited knowledge about pots, drainage holes will simplify your care regime.
In a pot with drainage holes, excess water is allowed to trickle out through the roots instead of settling in the bottom of the pot, where it can cause fungal infections or root rot. Cachepots are small plastic pots without drainage. They are great for decorative purposes when used with plastic nursery pots (with drainage). If you do not want the sight of plastic, you can cover any gaps or edges with Spanish or sphagnum moss. Most nurseries carry plastic liners if you want to protect the interior of your container or basket.
One reason is that gardeners often think that lining a pot with pebbles or shards of clay are as good as drainage, which has been shown to be false by numerous sources including Washington State University and Fine Gardening. However, the myth persists.
Even so, some people prefer pots with no drainage and have a knack for knowing how much water to add to them. The cultivation of plants is a highly individual pursuit and ultimately about cultivating joy in our lives, so do you. If you are going to pot directly into a cachepot, certain plants are better candidates than others for this application. Cacti, succulents, and some semi-succulent tropical plants such as Sansevierias (snake plants) are good candidates for self-watering because they need water infrequently, which minimizes the risk of overwatering.
Here at Pistils, we use activated charcoal chips for direct planting in any container without drainage. Charcoal functions as a sponge for moisture, unlike pebbles, and also prevents the growth of disease-causing bacteria.
What About Soil?
When repotting, you don’t just want to get a bigger pot. You also want to refresh the soil, so don’t just transfer the old soil. You should never use soil from outdoor areas. Potting soil is much more nutrient-rich than ground-up dirt. You should use a sterilized bagged mix, roll it up tightly, and keep it in a cool, dry place to prevent insects from attracting.
One thing to consider when repotting is the different types of plants that require different potting mixes, such as carnivorous plants and African violets. Cactus and succulents require a special mix that drains quickly to mimic these plants’ natural environments. We mix our own cactus soil by liberally mixing pumice (popcorn-like volcanic rock) into potting soil. This loose mixture dries quickly.
Many epiphytic plants naturally grow in the moss and leaf litter of tree branches in the rainforest, getting dampened and dry during quick succession, which is why they prefer a mix that can absorb some moisture but still have lots of air flow.
Most epiphytic plants will start out with just one part of orchid mix combined with two parts potting soil, although experimenting with different combinations is always fun.
Retention of Moisture
When choosing the right pot, consider the material the pot is made from as well as its effect on plant care.
Overwatering is a problem for many people, so it would be wise to buy terra cotta pots that are unglazed. Plastic or glazed clay will not dry out as quickly as unglazed clay, since they have a smaller porosity. This allows them to retain moisture much longer. Additionally, you might consider adding extra pumice into all your plantings.
Add pumice, orchid mix, or terra cotta to your plants if you’re more likely to forget to water them. These will cause them to dry out more quickly and need water more often. A moisture meter can help you determine when it’s time to water.
Roll your sleeves up
Throughout history, people from all over the world have turned to repotting as a dirty, tender ritual every springtime. Consider the day as a treat by choosing a day when you are free to repot in an outdoors space. If it is a shared space, note that soil and leaf matter take a long time to decompose, so be respectful of others’ space. If you don’t have an outdoor space, spread a large sheet of newspaper or a tarp out where you can spread the dirt and easily clean up the mess afterwards (you’ll have to — dirt gets everywhere).
Since many soil mixes contain woody material that can leave small, irritating splinters on your hands, gloves are optional but can be useful. It’s time to plant your seeds in the new pot you picked out: gather your plants, your pottery, and your soil because it’s time to get started!
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