A Beginners Guide to Repotting House Plants
Repotting your house plants does not have to be difficult. A few simple steps is all it takes. Once your plants have become pot bound, their roots will fill up the entire pot and there will not be enough soil to hold any water for your plant. Often, the water will just run through to the saucer and your plant will not be able to drink any. Ideally, you will want to repot your plants every year or so. But who has time for that? I wait until I notice that my plants have outgrown their pots.
Time to Repot Your Plant?
If your entire plant comes out of its pot very easily, chances are it
is ready for repotting. Once it is out of the pot, take a look at its
roots. Have they grown to fill almost the whole pot? Is there very
little soil left? Then it's time to repot your house plant. In addition,
the soil in the plant will have built up with salts and other
impurities from tap water. Repotting will give your house plants a fresh
new home. A good place for some more information is
www.wikihow.com/Repot-a-Plant.
Size Matters - Choosing the proper container
When you repot your house plants, it may be tempting to put them into a
much bigger pot so that you will not have to repot it for a long time.
Bad idea. This will kill your plant. Too much water will be held in all
that extra soil and the roots of your beautiful plant will rot. No
roots, no plant.
When you repot your house plants, try to use a
pot that is one size bigger than its present pot. This way, your plant
will get just the right amount of fresh new soil and the right amount of
room to spread out a bit.
Make sure that you choose a pot which
has drainage holes in the bottom. If there are no drainage holes,
excess water and impurities will build up and rot the roots. Make sure
that you also have a good fitting saucer to catch any water that runs
out from the bottom of the pot.
Potting Soil
There are myriad types of potting soil. There is soil for succulents,
soil for African Violets, soil for cuttings and more. Unless you are
specifically repotting any of these types of plants, you should try to
find an all purpose mix. You will have to note if the new potting soil
comes with fertilizer in it. If it does, make sure to read directions
and hold off on additional fertilizer for a while. For some more
information about potting soil, check out
www.plant-care.com/best-potting-soil.html.
Repotting
Gather the plants together which need to be repotted. It is much
easier to do them all at once if possible. I usually do this in the
kitchen as it will be a bit messy. Give yourself some room to work and
clear away any dishes or food which are sitting around.
Most of
your house plants which need repotting will pop out of their pots pretty
easily. If they do not, try running a knife all around the inside edge
of the pot to loosen it up. Once your plant is out of its old pot, take a
look at its roots. Do they all look healthy? If you see any that are
squishy or rotten looking, remove them.
Get the new pot ready.
Make sure that it is clean and disease free. If there was another plant
in it, you should clean the pot thoroughly. If the plant that had been
in it was diseased, you should probably sterilize the pot with bleach.
Cover over any drainage holes with small rocks or bits of newspapers.
Make sure that the water can still seep out, though. Now, place a small
amount of potting soil in the bottom of the pot. Place the plant into
the new pot and see how it sits. You will want soil to cover the plant
to the same height as it was before. Is the plant at the proper level in
the pot?
Once you've got it in correct position, loosen up the
roots just a little. Do this gently so that you do not damage them. The
idea is to get them growing outward again into the new soil, not just
staying in their little ball.
You can now position the plant in
the pot and add the rest of the soil. Make sure that the plant is
straight as you fill up the pot. You will want to tamp out any air
pockets that might be in the soil, but do not pack it down too hard. A
few firm presses should do. This will also help anchor the plant in its
new home.
Watering
Once you have finished the
repotting process, your plants will need a good watering. You will want
to let water run down through the soil and eliminate any remaining air
pockets. Water your plants so that water runs out of the bottom drainage
holes. This way, you will also know that these holes are not blocked.
You may also want to use this time to give your plant a bath. Before
you put it in its new pot, consider putting it under gently running
lukewarm water. Make sure not to damage any leaves or roots while you do
this. Your plants will love having fresh clean leaves which are free of
dust and pollen.
Congratulations
You have
successfully repotted your house plants! That wasn't so bad, was it? If
you would like some more information on repotting house plants, visit
www.plant-care.com/repotting-house-plants-why.html. Your house plants
now have fresh soil and nutrients in which to grow. They can expand
their roots and, in turn, will grow to new heights. You will be rewarded
with beautiful living, growing house plants for a long time to come.
