It’s the time of the year again when the plants awake from the Winter sleep and began growing and cheering us again. However, if we want to make sure they’ll be growing healthy and strong, we need to check their roots and repot if needed or at least change the soil into a new one.
So, where should we start?
First of all, check if the plant needs a new pot or if it’ll be enough to change its soil. You can do that by checking the bottom of the pot (if it has holes at the bottom, if there are no holes – the plant definitely needs a new pot with them). If the roots can be seen then it’s a sign that the pot became too small for this plant and it’s time for a larger one. Also, you can tell that the plant needs a new pot if the roots are pushing the whole plant to the top of the pot or if the top of the plant is too heavy for the bottom to hold it straight.
Usually, the plants need to be repotted every 12 or 18 months, depending on how fast they grow and the environment they’re in. I prefer to do the repotting every early Spring and make sure all my green fellows are doing okay.
As it can be told if plants need repotting without taking them out of the old pot, I do the checking beforehand and then buy the larger pots if I don’t have them already or plan which pots can get the new owners – this way I don’t need to buy all brand new pots and avoid frustration when repotting. Well, and of course I get some drainage pebbles and enough new soil rich in minerals.
One more thing which should be done one or two days before repotting is watering. The plants should be well watered because it makes it easier to get them out of the old pot without harm.
Time for repotting – what to do?
Prepare the workspace and have all the equipment near you. The plants, new pots, soil, rubbish back, a watering can and a spray bottle should all be next to you if you don’t want to make the place messy and covered in soil.
I like to begin with the new pot – adding the drainage pebbles at the bottom and making sure the water won’t stay there for too long. Then, I add some new soil, just enough for the plant to be in the right height. After that, I take the plant out of its old pot and take away around 1/3 of the old soil and loosen the roots so that they could grow into the new soil. When the plant is put in the new pot, I fill the sides with pot and make sure there’s enough place left at the top of the pot. The thing is, if the soil will be even with the pot, the whole water will run out of the pot and probably none of it will soak in the soil, that’s why at least one centimeter should be left from the top. When the
This is it, quite simple but very important for every indoor plant. After all that, I