How to Repot a Plant
Learn how to repot a plant the right way. Whether you have an indoor plant or an outdoor plant, it's important to know how to do it correctly.
Instructions
STEP 1: WATER YOUR PLANTS BEFORE RE-POTTING
- 2 or 3 days before re-potting, water your plants well. This will help with the process since the soil will be moist and manageable. You can also moist the new soil in case it feels dry. Of course, this is only when needed.
STEP 2: GET A BIGGER POT
- One of the reasons for re-potting is to change the pot because the plant has outgrown it. Choose a larger pot than your previous one making sure that it's not only larger but also deeper. The kind of pot you need to get will depend on your plant so do a little research about your plant beforehand. A pot with good draining holes is also something very important. This will guarantee that your plants won't be rotting or sit in water.
STEP 3: COVER THE DRAINAGE HOLES OF YOUR POT
- While having good drainage holes is important, it's also as important to make sure your soil doesn't come out through them. We only need the water coming out and to achieve this, cover the draining holes with something like coffee filters or paper towels.
STEP 4: PLACE A LAYER OF NEW SOIL IN THE NEW POT
- Pour enough soil so the roots have enough space to grow into but be careful not to fill in too much. We don't want the roots to spill over the top.
STEP 5: REMOVE THE PLANT FROM THE OLD POT
- This is the most nerve-wracking step when it comes to re-potting because if we are not careful enough we can damage our plants. To prevent damage and successfully remove the plant from its old pot, place your hands at the top of the pot then turn the pot upside down. Gently move the plant side to side so it gets loosened and falls out of the pot. This is why watering the plant before re-potting it's a great tip. It will make everything easier.
STEP 6: PREPARE THE ROOT BALL
- Before placing the plant into the new pot, check the root ball and if needed prune the old roots to help uncover the new ones. After pruning, untangle the roots to encourage them to grow outward and have better contact with the soil.
STEP 7: SET THE PLANT IN THE NEW POT
- Gently place the plant into the new pot making sure it's centered. Look carefully into all angles so the plant it's not placed too close to the sides. After placing the plant into the new pot, fill the pot with soil around the root ball making sure not to fill the pot completely. Let about 1” below the top. You can press into the soil after filling or just fill normally.
STEP 8: WATER YOUR FRESHLY RE-POTTED PLANT
- After placing the plant in its new soil and pot, water well to encourage the plant to soak in the nutrients in the new soil. It's important that you know that after re-potting, it's not recommended to apply any fertilizer or move the pot outside to direct sunlight.