When and How to Repot Indoor Plants
All houseplants need to be repotted from time to time to keep them healthy and thriving. But how do you know your plant needs repotting?
Repotting is the time to pamper your plants with fresh soil, inspect the roots, check for plant pests, do a little pruning, and move them to bigger pots if necessary. Once you know how and when to repot your plant it’s super easy, so keep reading.
When to Repot Plants
Signs that tell when your plant needs to be transplanted to a new pot:
- The soil dries out more quickly than usual.
- Roots coming out of the drainage holes are a sign that your plant is root-bound. The roots are filling up the pot and have begun to circle it, preventing water from reaching the root system.
- It has been a year or two since it was potted up. The soil will be depleted of nutrients and appears dry and hardened. Time for fresh soil.
Don’t transplant unless it needs it. Newly purchased plants do not automatically need to be repotted, and if your plant is flowering, wait to repot until after it finishes blooming.
Best Time to Repot
Repot in late winter, or early spring. Plants come out of winter dormancy and start their growing season. Your plants are full of energy and will be in the best shape to go through the adjustment of repotting.
You can repot a plant at night or during the day, it doesn’t make a big difference. So if you have the time to focus on repotting your plants at night, do it.
Need a plant care refresher? Check out the Beginners Guide to Basic Indoor Plant Care.
What Type of Pot to Use
If you want your plant to grow larger, r
If your plant doesn’t need more space, just fresh soil, simply transplant in the same size pot. In this case, you can reuse the same pot. Wash the pot thoroughly to remove any possible insect eggs, fungal spores, or other disease-causing contaminants. Use one part bleach and nine parts water solution to disinfect the pot.
Use plastic pots for plants that like moist soil. Clay pots can be used but will need more frequent watering since terra cotta is porous and water will evaporate quicker. These pots are better for plants that like the soil to dry out more between waterings.
Whatever container you use, it must have a drainage hole or your plant will almost certainly die of root rot sitting in undrained soil.
Choose the Right Soil
For the right potting soil, visit your local plant nursery or garden center. Most of these stores carry specialty potting mixes for such plants as orchids, African violets, Monsteras, or cacti and succulents. You also can mix your own soil if you know your plant’s needs and preferences.
How to Repot your Indoor Plants
Every potted plant needs to be repotted from time to time. Find out how you know it is time to repot your plant, and how to do it.
Tools
- Scissors or pruners
- Newspaper - to keep your work area clean
- Skewer or Chopstick - to help loosen the roots (optional)
- Garbage bag - to dump old soil in (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare your plant.
Water your plant the night before you are planning to repot.
The potting mix should be nice and moist. If the plant has been well-watered it should slide out of its pot easier in the next step. - Remove your plant from the old pot.
Carefully turn your plant on its side, tap the pot to loosen the soil. Support the main stem in one hand (do not pull on it!), and use your other hand to gently remove the pot.
If your plant is really root-bound, you might need to carefully slide a knife around the sides of the pot until the plant is free. A long, thin knife with a serrated blade works well for this.
A little water around the edges can help loosen it, too.
If the pot is made of plastic, squishing it gently will separate the soil from the sides. - Inspect roots and remove old soil.
Gently tease out the roots, and remove old soil and dried out roots. A skewer or chopstick can help with this.
Be gentle, you want to try to disturb and damage the roots as little as possible.
You may need to prune some of the longer roots back to control the plant's size and keep it in its current pot. - Place your plant in the new pot.
Place a handful or two of potting mix in the new pot.
Position your plant in the middle and up straight at the same level at which it was growing.
Keep the surface of the root ball slightly below the rim of the new container. Add or remove some soil from the bottom if needed.
Fill the space between the root ball and the sides of the pot with more soil. Tap it down gently but don't compact it.
Notes
Repotting is a good time to also remove any dead leaves from your plant, and if needed give your plant a light overall pruning to encourage branching.
How to Care for Your Plant after Repotting
When your plant is in its new pot, keep it in a bright spot, but out of direct sunlight.
Let the plant rest for at least a few days before watering it. You want to give any roots that might have been damaged some time to heal. Damaged roots cannot absorb water, and are very susceptible to rot.
After repotting wait at least four to six months before using any fertilizer. The potting mix usually already has slow-release fertilizer in it.
Need to repot a cactus? Get all the steps to give your prickly plant a new pot without getting hurt!
Great article. I did not know to wait a fre days after planting to water. I was wondering if you ammend your soil with anything. I have been reading about adding perilite to help indoor plants drain and vermiculite to retain water in outside plants. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Jeanie. I don’t have an exact houseplant soil mix recipe that I use, but I do mix some perlite in already well-draining soil.
My plants seem to like it. 🙂
Hi Deborah! Do you recommend wetting the potting soil at all before repotting? Or a timeframe for watering the plants before repotting? Thanks in advance!
Hi Mary, you mean wetting the potting soil in the old pot? I don’t really have a set rule, but I usually water the night before repotting. It is easier to remove the plant when the soil is a little moist. Hope this helps, thanks for your comment!