SO YOU’VE BECOME a plant parent. Outside of watering your green darlings and making sure they get enough sun, the next most important aspect of plant care is to look after your plant’s roots. After all, the roots are how your plant feeds itself, so they need to be healthy.
Conventional wisdom is that newly-bought plants won’t need to be repotted for a year or so, but in my own experience this isn’t always the case and, in fact, I’d say nearly all the houseplants I buy actually need to be repotted within a few weeks or months of buying them.
But how do you know when a plant should be repotted, how should you do it – and why is it needed in the first place?
Signs your plant needs a bigger pot
The most telling symptom that your plant needs to be re-potted is that some roots are poking out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. This is a sure sign that the root structure has gotten too large for the container. Other ways that you can tell are: if roots are growing at the surface of the soil, if you are having to water frequently or if water is draining straight through the pot, or if the plant is disproportionately bigger than the pot.
To be completely sure, try tilting the plant on its side and sliding it out of the pot. If it won’t budge, or if you see more roots than soil, or roots that are circling around on themselves, then its pot-bound. It’s usually best to repot plants in spring, but if the plant is really not thriving and is suffering from the lack of space, then go ahead and repot when it needs it.
First, loosen those roots
When a plant gets pot-bound or root-bound, the roots start going around and around inside the pot, forming a tightly woven ball. Sometimes when you repot a plant the root ball is so tightly compacted that the plant doesn’t even realise it has more space in its new pot, so the roots just stay scrunched up and the plant won’t thrive for you.
It’s important to loosen up the root ball a little to encourage the plant to spread out. Tousle the outsides of the root ball with your fingers; once a few roots have loosened away from the root ball you should be good to go.
For very compacted root structures, sitting the pot in a tub of water for an hour or two or holding the root ball under a fast running tap or a shower head (always room temperature water) should help loosen it.
Now, prep your new pot
When I’m repotting plants, I choose a new pot that is one size up. A container that’s overly large for the plant can prevent it from taking in water fast enough, meaning the plant is left sitting in soggy soil, which can lead to root rot.
Rinse your pot first with warm soapy water to remove any diseases or bugs. Lay a handful of pebbles in the bottom of the pot – this helps with drainage and stops the potting mix from falling through the drainage holes. Then put in a layer of potting soil. A general-purpose mix is fine for most plants but some species, like orchids or succulents, need a very specific growing medium.
It’s time to re-pot your plant
Place your plant in its new pot, ensuring that the level of the soil is a centimetre or so below the rim of the pot, this might take a bit of adjusting by adding or removing some pebbles or soil to get it sitting at the right height. Don’t be tempted to fill the soil right up to the top of the pot or the water will pour over the sides every time you water it (speaking from experience here!).
Ensure your plant is centred in the new container, and then begin filling around the sides with potting mix. You might need to use a stick or hand trowel to help get the soil down the sides of the pot as you don’t want to leave any gaps. Tamp it down firmly, but not too tight. Give freshly repotted plants a good watering, but then leave them for a week or two to settle in – a little drooping is normal in the first few days while the plant recovers.
Finally, gently remove any baby stalks
Some plants propagate, or make new baby plants, in funny ways – you may notice little miniatures of your houseplant springing up around the base of the parent or on stalks of their own. Depending on the type of plant, these may be called pups (like with aloe vera), chicks (in the case of some succulents), or suckers (which is what spider plants make).
Whatever you call them, these babies will contribute fairly quickly to overcrowding in the pot and will take energy away from the main plant, so they can be moved into pots of their own. How you move the babies will depend entirely on the type of plant, so research carefully first. Adorable little plantlets make great gifts for friends and family!
Follow Gráinne @parsekus on Instagram for more home hacks and décor inspiration.
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