Repotting Flowers

Potted plants are great for many reasons we have discussed in other articles that can be found here. If you do choose to go with potted plants, you do have one very large problem. Plants, like any living thing, will grow over time, and their roots will start reaching out. If the plant does not have room to grow, it will not get the water it needs, even if you water it constantly, and it will quickly start to die. Give your plants the room they need to grow by repotting them when necessary.

Different plants have different requirements for root space, so some will have to be repotted several times a year during the growing season, and some will not need to be repotted at all. Most plants will fall in between these two, needing to be repotted once a year to once every two to three years.

The main signs that a plant needs to be repotted are that the roots are growing out the bottom of the pot, the plant needs frequent watering, or the plant wilts shortly after watering. If you face any of these problems, it is time to repot.

Start the process by getting a new pot that is about two to three inches larger in diameter than the put your plant is currently in. Turn the current pot upside down, being sure to put your hand on top of the soil with your fingers around the plant so it will not fall to the ground. You will probably have to bang the upper lip of the pot against something to loosen the plant, but be sure not to break the pot.

Once the plant is out of the pot, you should have a big ball of roots and soil, which is called a root ball. Gently disturb the roots of the plant. If the roots are too tight, you may need a knife to score and pull the roots apart.

Put something at the bottom of the new plant to prevent new soil from going out of the drainage holes, like a piece of a clay pot that has broken. Put enough soil into the bottom of the pot so that the top of the root ball is about an inch from the top of the pot. Put soil all around the root ball, but do not cover the top of the root ball. Press the soil down, but do not pack it. Finish up by watering the plant until the water drains out the bottom of the pot. You may want to repeat watering several times.

As a side note, when you go to repot your plant, do not do so if the plant is flowering or it is ailing or dormant. Do it only during the growing season, or you could hurt your plant more than you help it.