Every one to two years, you should move your houseplants to a new pot to help them grow and prevent root rot. Repotting can give a houseplant new room to grow and increase its plant life.
How Do You Repot a Houseplant Correctly?
Choose a Container for Soil Repotting Selection
Half the fun of caring for houseplants is watching them grow. Starting with a seedling or sprout, watering and nurturing the plant until it reaches its full growth potential means you’ve given your vegetation the attention it requires to thrive. With new growth comes repotting, a gardening task most people prefer to avoid doing. Repotting a houseplant into a slightly larger pot will give it more room to grow and spread its leaves.
Repotting your houseplants makes the soil moist and full of essential nutrients. Please perform this care step to avoid wilting leaves, reduced growth, and dry soil. Although challenging, repotting your houseplants is doable if you have the right tools and a plan. Make sure that you have a plan before getting started so that if any complications or adjustments are needed while repotting, you will be much more prepared to adjust.
When Should You Repot Your Houseplants?
Fortunately, repotting your houseplants is an occasional task. It is an assignment performed infrequently. Repotting should be done every one to two years on average, depending on the size of the plant and how quickly it grows. Overgrown plants, on the other hand, may necessitate more frequent reporting.
Let your plants develop in their current pots rather than rushing to give them new ones. Putting them in a larger pot than necessary can restrict growth, stop or delay blossoming, and raise the risk of root rot since there’s more soil than needed, and it retains water longer.
Signs Repot Your Houseplant
The longer you care for your houseplants, the easier it will be to determine when they are ready for a new home. Because, as you care for them over time, you begin to develop an understanding of the plant’s requirements simply by seeing it daily. Here are a few common indicators that it’s time to repot your plants.
It needs more water
The regularity with which you water your houseplant is the most telling clue that it is time to repot it. Suppose your plant is continuously drying out, which can cause yellowing leaves or brown tips and requires many weekly drinks. In that case, upgrading to a larger container may be time-consuming.
It is sinking. Keep in mind that you will not want to overwater or underwater your plants.
You may also notice that your plant has started to sink into its pot because the potting mix breaks down and gets dense over time, which stops water from draining well and gives your houseplant’s roots less room to grow.
It Has Become Rooted
Roots visible through the drainage holes of your container indicate that your plant is ready to be repotted. Houseplants that get root-bound (seeds swirling at the bottom of the pot or attempting to escape via drainage holes) must repot to allow the roots to grow more freely. When this happens, you must be extra cautious because repotting could harm the root system.
When Should You Repot Your Houseplant?
Choose the optimal moment to repot your plant to give it the best chance of adapting to its new surroundings. From April to the beginning of summer is the best time to plant because growth usually gets better as the days get longer and the sun strengthens. Indoor plants do well in these outdoor settings. They also recover faster after being moved and grow more quickly at this time of year.
Selecting a New Houseplant Container
When choosing a new vase for your houseplant, gradually increase the size over time. Just as you wouldn’t dress a newborn in clothes for a 6-year-old child, the container you choose must be slightly larger than your houseplant’s existing container. You should only increase the size of your pot by a third each time.
Choosing a pot with drainage holes slightly more significant than the plant will help keep the soil from getting too wet and rotting the roots. Containers made of plastic, terra cotta, or ceramic are all excellent choices.
Selecting the Best Houseplant Potting Soil
When putting your plant into its new vessel, you will need fresh potting soil, and the type you choose will determine how well it grows in its new home. Repotting houseplants requires a potting mix specifically formulated for indoor circumstances. This soil type provides the proper nutrient and moisture balance for houseplants.
A loose, porous media comprising bark, charcoal, and perlite can help with drainage and water retention, critical to preventing root rot. Use a 50/50 mix of orchid potting mix and ordinary potting mix to reach these conditions. The orchid’s bark mix, charcoal, and perlite in the orchid mix help drainage and air circulation around the roots. Mix the two in a separate container, and then add water slowly to ensure no water-repelling spots in the pot.
Repotting Your Houseplant
Now that you’ve chosen your container and soil, it’s time to repot your houseplant. Before you take your plant out of its pot, could you give it a good drink of water? Help wash away any salts that have built up over time. Once the soil is wet, carefully remove your plant from its pot and start repotting it.
Remove the plant from the pot. If it doesn’t budge, scrape the container’s interior with a knife to release the roots.
Remove any surplus soil from the roots with care.
Remove any dead or damaged roots and remove any surrounding seeds carefully.
Fill the bottom of the new container with a thick layer of potting mix.
Fill in the potting mix around the edges of the pot with the plant.
Tap the dirt gently to remove air pockets.
Water the plant thoroughly and allow any surplus water to drain.
Put the pot somewhere well-illuminated.