Repotting Houseplants | Everything You Need To Know
Repotting houseplants; WHEN, WHAT and HOW.
The WHEN is really important, because unless your plant is in distress, you should never, ever, repot your plants between Fall and Spring.
This is because many houseplants go dormant during the winter months, even when kept indoors all year round.
Going dormant means that they radically slow their growth process down during these months.
Disrupting their roots by repotting them during this time, will cause more harm than good.
The “WHAT to consider” is also important because there is no point in repotting houseplants into wrong pots!
And finally the HOW; which is as equally as important as WHEN and WHAT.
Do you know why? (Here’s the WHY!!!)
Because even though you may think the actual repotting steps are simple and don’t require instructions, I bet you there are at least a couple of steps you were not aware of, and that are critical for your plant’s health!
For example, did you know that repotting houseplants is not just about placing plants in bigger pots, but also about replacing their potting mix?
That’s right! Fresh soil provides new nutrients for your plants!
So let’s dig deeper into these repotting houseplants aspects.
when is a good time to repot houseplants?
As mentioned before, you need to be careful about repotting houseplants.
Repotting is not the universal solution to your plant’s problems.
It’s also worth mentioning that you don’t necessarily need to repot a plant the moment you bring it home from the store or the nursery, (unless you bought it in a big box store and it was neglected for weeks!).
I actually rarely repot my plants after I take them home from the store.
For two reasons;
- Plants need to acclimatize themselves to the new environment of your home first. That’s already a big stress for plants, let alone changing their pots too.
- There is no need to.
Unless your plants are unhealthy, you should hold off until the Spring before repotting them, even if it looks like they are bursting out of their pots!
Here are the reasons why your plants need to be repotted and when is the right time to do that.
1. spring time
- The pot looks too small for the growing plant. You notice a significant disproportion between the pot size and the volume of stems and leaves. Most of the times, the pot will feel very light as the soil will absorb water super fast.
- The plant tips over. This happens when the plant structure grows in height and the weight of its stem is leaning one way. The pot is too little and light to counter balance the heavy stem’s weight.
- Roots are tight inside the pot. Some plants enjoy being root bound, or having tight roots. Peace Lilies are perfect examples of this. But there are circumstances in which, even these plant’s roots are too crammed inside their pots. A good indication a plant needs a new pot is when you remove the pot and all you can see is roots and no soil.
- Roots are sticking out of the drainage holes. A tiny bit of roots it’s ok, but a few full circles around the saucer’s worth of roots, it’s too much!
- New leaves are all twisted and curled up. This happens in full plants, when there is no more room for leaves to grow, and they try to twist and turn to find the next available spot to unfurl.
It looks like Little Phil’s pot is too small compared to its stems and leaves volume.
This Echeveria is about to tip over to one side as its pot is now too little and not able to support the weight of its leaning stem.
This Peace Lily rootball is clearly too crammed and in need of a new pot!
This Jade Plant roots are telling me repotting is really overdue!!!
Leaves all twisted and curled up are also a sign that plants need to be repotted.
2. year round
- The plant is struggling due to poor drainage. It’s tough to distinguish signs of poor drainage from those of over and under-watering, or even lack of humidity. However, if your plant is struggling and it’s in a pot without draining holes, don’t question whether it’s a watering or a draining problem. Just get it out of there! Don’t wait until the Spring!
- The plant is infested with pests. Pests can be hard to identify. If you notice little bugs on their leaves and a sticky substance all around the plant, it’s aphids. If you notice white, fluffy moving bugs, it’s mealy bugs. If you notice tiny little black bugs concentrated in little webs at the leaf connection with the stem is spider mites. You can blast these 3 bugs with insecticidal soap every 3 days or give your plants a shower. However, if you notice tiny little white bugs jumping around on the topsoil, you need to take your plant out of its pot, shake off its dirt as much as possible and completely wash as much soil off the roots as you can, before repotting it into a new pot with fresh potting mix! (More info on this to come!)
Poor drainage is a major issue for plants. It causes roots to be waterlogged, rot, and decay, which is pretty much a death sentence for a plant. If your plants is suffering due to poor drainage, wait no more! Repot it at once!
Only this time plant it in a pot with drainage holes!
Gnats, thrips, whiteflies, fruit flies, are all common houseplants pests that live on the soil of houseplants. Some are easy to kill with insecticidal soaps or natural home made remedies, but others can be really stubborn. This is when fully washing roots and repotting with fresh soil comes in handy!
what to consider when repotting houseplants?
Now that you know more about WHEN is the right time to repot your plants, let’s take a look at WHAT are the important aspects to consider when repotting houseplants.
1. proper pots
I wrote an in-depth article about How to Choose the Best Pots For Your Plants. You can read it for more detailed info. Here are the fundamentals for the benefit of this specific article.
Choosing the proper pots for your plants means choosing pots that allow your plants to thrive.
In order to do that you need to be familiar with the plant you are dealing with, as different plants have different needs.
For the most part, these fundamental aspects apply to the majority of houseplants;
- Pot size. As a rule of thumb, when you replace your plant pot, never go much bigger than the current pot size. One size bigger is recommended, two is max. (i.e. if your plant has outgrown its 4″ pot in diameter, replace it with a 6″ pot). When you repot a small plant, it’s critical you don’t repot it into a pot that is too big. A pot too big for small roots, means too much soil, which retains too much water, which will eventually drown and rot the roots, killing the little plant! ☹️
- Pot material. I like terracotta pots because even though they are porous and absorb a lot of the water you give your plants, they will never retain moisture like plastic does.
- Pot drainage. This is really one of the most critical aspects for pots and plants. Make sure your pots have draining holes. (Continue to read for more info).
2. proper drainage
I have mentioned it before, and I am going to mention it again; proper drainage is everything for the health and survival of your plants! I even wrote an article about it!
If water has no way to flow out of the pot, it accumulates at the bottom of it and eventually, the roots of your plant will become waterlogged and die.
This is especially true for the overbearing plant parents that tend to overwater their plants!
3. how to plant in pots without drainage holes
You can consider repotting houseplants into decorative pots without draining holes by using strategies that will allow your plants to drain water properly.
Even though proper draining pots are still better, these strategies may work with certain plants, in certain environments.
Here are the 4 simple solutions I propose in my article on this particular subject, (the article has pictures to give you a visual idea of what I am talking about);
- Place plant in a draining pot inside a decorative non-draining pot.
- Place plant in a draining pot with a saucer inside a decorative basket.
- Place plant in a draining pot with draining pebbles in a decorative non-draining pot.
- Create a draining layer inside your non-draining pot
I do not recommend these strategies for all plants. It works well for slow growing plants that don’t require much watering, like Haworthias, small Dracaenas, and Jades.
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how to properly repot houseplants
Here are the step by step to repotting houseplants.
Some steps are probably obvious, but others may be new to you.
Remember; the point of repotting is not exclusively to replace the plant’s pot, but also to wash off the roots, trimming the damaged areas and provide your plant with fresh potting mix.
1. prepare the work surface, tools and material
I really like to have everything I need, when I need it, because I know my hands are going to be dirty and the last thing I want to do is to go look for tools I forgot.
So I prepare my work surface before I do anything else.
My work surface is my kitchen counter. I cover it with a waterproof transplanting mat. It is very convenient as it contains all the dirt and spills!
Then I grab the right potting mix depending on which plant I am repotting, (tropical, cacti and succulents, or generic), perlite, my gardening tools, pots and saucers, and watering cans.
2. prepare new pot and saucer
I always place a saucer underneath the pot so it collects whatever soil may comes out during the repotting process.
3. mix the proper potting soil with perlite
I mix the right potting mix for the plant I am repotting with a good amount of perlite. I add perlite to pretty much all my mixes because I really like the added drainage it provides!
4. remove plant from its existing pot
Since I work in the Kitchen, I always slide out the existing pot over the garbage bin so it grabs all the soil that falls off.
If the plant is in a plastic pot, I squeeze the pot all around to loosen the soil and let the rootball come out easier.
If the plant is in a hard container like terracotta, concrete or ceramic, I use a knife to loosen the soil along the perimeter of the pot.
In both cases, I tilt the pot upside-down to help the plant slide off its pot, rather than forcefully pull on the plant’s stem(s) to get it out.
5. gently shake off the existing soil
Once the pot is out, I gently shake off as much soil as I can before washing the plant under running water. This is a delicate process as you want to avoid breaking the roots.
Try to break the soil without damaging the roots.
All the soil that comes off of this plant needs to be discarded.
This soil has no nutrients left. Furthermore, if you are repotting your plant because of a pest infestation, you want this soil out of your house!!
6. wash the rootball thoroughly
Once you’ve taken off as much soil as possible by hand, it’s time to wash your plant’s rootball under running water.
Washing your plant’s roots will improve your plant’s health.
Make sure you plug your sink before your run water!
It may take you a while to wash all the soil off of the roots. You may not even be able to get it all out, but make sure you run enough water to flush out all the pests!!
Examine your roots for any decaying spots. If you see any, trim them off!
7. place plant into its new pot
Now you can place your plant with its clean rootball into its new pot already filled with a mix of soil and perlite.
8. add soil to fill the pot
Slowly add potting mix to fill the pot up to the bottom of its rim.
9. water your plant
Give your plant a good drink.
There is a school of thought against watering plants that have just being repotted.
In my opinion, water helps both the roots and the soil to settle.
In-fact, you may even notice that after watering your newly potted plant, the soil level will go down in your pot, or you’ll see some “craters” in the soil, where the watering can poured the water.
That’s the new soil settling in the pot. You may want to add a bit of soil after this first watering to even out the top soil level, (or not, not everyone is as OCD as I am!!)
while you are repotting houseplants you should consider
Since you’ve already dedicated some time to repot your plants, you should go all the way and consider, cleaning its laves as well.
Cleaning plant’s leaves is not just for the look. Sure, who doesn’t appreciate looking at beautiful, shiny leaves?
Believe it or not, cleaning plant’s leaves, it’s mostly about their health!
In-fact, dust-free leaves allow your plants to perform photosynthesis more effectively.
You can check out this article on How to Clean Houseplant Leaves to learn more about cleaning leaves with home made natural products.
My Stromanthe leaves before and after cleaning them with a home made, natural cleaning product.
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Perfect timing on this article! I have a bursting Chinese Money plant that desperately needs repotting (amongst others in the house that need some Spring TLC)! Thanks for the helpful tips and tricks!
Veery happy to be of assistance!
Interesting that you wash the root ball. I’ve been growing houseplants for approx. 45 years and have never done that. My plants do very well. Having said that, I see the wisdom in doing it especially with pests or disease. I will be doing that in the future and look forward to seeing any improvement. Thanks for your helpful information 😊
That’s great to hear! Let me know how it goes!