Watching your plants flourish eventually means upgrading their pot size to give them more room to grow — but how do you know when it’s time to move up to a bigger pot? As you grow more familiar with houseplants, you will learn to recognize the signs that your plant might need a little more room to stretch out. This guide helps identify when to repot your houseplants
When Should I Replant?
- The start of the growing season (early Spring)
- 2-3 weeks after bringing a plant home from the nursery
- When you can see roots poking out of the bottom of the pot
- When a plant has been growing vigorously, then suddenly slows down
- When a plant that is sucking up water faster than you can water it
To check, carefully remove your plant from its current pot (this is easiest to do when the plant is dry). Once you can see the soil normally hidden by the pot, check if your plant is rootbound: if your plant’s roots are looking smashed into the shape of the pot, growing directly against the sides of the pot, winding around in circles, and/or there’s a lot more roots than substrate -- it’s rootbound. In that case, you’ll want to gently loosen the roots and transfer your plant to a container with room to grow.
How to Repot — Step-by-Step
- Prepare your materials: your plant, a new pot, and fresh soil
- Remove plant from its current pot and inspect the root ball. The roots should feel supple. If the plant is root-bound, gently unwind its roots so that they can be redirected to point downwards. For plants with a substantial roots system, it’s okay if some of the roots get disrupted or torn – for a healthy plant, a small amount of damage (no more than ⅓ of the root mass) will encourage the plant to set new roots and establish itself in the new soil
- Fill the new pot about ⅓ - ½ of the way deep with fresh soil
- Gently place the plant inside the new pot, coaxing the roots to point downwards
- Fill fresh soil around the edges and on top of the plant. Tip: Ensure at least a half inch of space between the soil line and the rim of the planter so that it will not overflow when watering
- Compress soil just enough to keep the plant in place – you want your new soil to stay light and fluffy
- Give your plant at least 24 hours to acclimate in the new soil before watering
- Ta-da! Your houseplant is ready to grow into its new home!
Refreshing Your Plant’s Soil
Repotting doesn’t always have to mean sizing up. Over time, the soil will become compacted and depleted of nutrients as they leach off during watering and the plant uptakes those critical minerals into its foliage. You can ensure your plant has a fresh, nutrient-rich foundation just by replacing the substrate and returning it to the same pot. Houseplants appreciate fresh substrate once a year, so it’s a great practice to refresh your soil every spring as your plants get ready for the growing season.
It’s also possible for perfectly healthy substrate to become compacted, so try gently agitating the soil with a dowel, chopstick, knitting needle, or other long object every few months to aerate the compacted soil for breathability.
Tips:
Not all houseplants are fragile, but they can be sensitive to sudden shifts in growing conditions. Unlike in nature, your plant only has a small amount of soil to meet all of its needs. ‘Transplant shock’ is a real phenomena when the repotting process puts extra stress on the plant.
- Choose the right pot size – not too big. Many plants will focus their growth on their root systems rather than the visible foliage and therefore fail to thrive. Choose a new pot with 1 - 2” of extra space.
- Try to retain some of the soil surrounding the root ball to preserve the plant’s soil microbiome.
- Wait to water – best practice is to let plants sit at least 24 hours (longer for plants like cacti that need minimal water) so their roots can acclimate to the soil without getting waterlogged.
- To ensure your plant gets enough moisture during the transition, consider watering the plant before repotting.
- Careful not to overwater — the greater volume of its new pot often means you plant will need to be watered less often.
