How To Re-Pot Indoor Plants

The long daytime hours of late spring (and summertime, for that matter) are like rocket fuel for indoor plants. With the greater temperature levels and increased light, your plants just wish to spread their roots and grow, grow, grow

To make the most of the peak growing season, this is the ideal time to re-pot or pot up your houseplants. Whether you’re putting your plant into a new vessel or just refreshing the soil in its current house, your plant will be so appreciative for the included space and nutrient boost supplied by re-potting, and will reveal its thanks by creating great deals of stunning new development!

Here’s a couple of suggestions about how to re-pot indoor plants to ensure they’re as pleased and healthy as possible.

Re-pot vs Pot Up

Did you know that plants do not necessarily have to be moved into brand-new containers to reep the advantage of a spring re-potting? Actually, if you’re going to graduate your plant to a roomier vessel, you’ll be potting up your friend, rather than simply re-potting. Re-potting your plant into the same container works marvels by releasing and revitalizing the soil up root space. When your plant has actually ended up being root bound or overcrowded in its container, potting up ought to just be done.

1. Water your plant thoroughly a day or more prior to you prepare to re-pot. This will make it easier to get your plant out of its pot, and make sure that it is hydrated, which decreases the danger of shock.
2. Carefully eliminate the plant from its pot. Depending on the degree and the size to which it is root bound, you might have to turn the pot on its side, or have a friend hold the pot while you grab the plant. For extremely root bound plants, slide a butter knife around the border of the pot to loosen roots
3. Carefully loosen up the root ball. Shake away excess soil, taking care not to damage the tender roots. Clip off any brown, black or noticeably harmed roots with sharp shears. For highly root bound plants, or if you plan to simply re-pot without potting up into a bigger planter, trim up to 2/3 of the root mass beginning with the bottom and sides of the plant.
4. If re-potting just, discard staying soil from the pot, and tidy away sediments with warm water. If potting up, pick a tidy new pot that is no more than 2 in size larger than your plant’s old house– excessive space slows growth and can lead to root rot
5. If potting into a container with out drainage, we advise including a. 5 layer of activated charcoal to the bottom of your pot. Some folks advise a layer of pebbles at the base of any pot to improve drainage; however, it’s uncertain whether this assists, therefore long as the pot has drainage we leave out pebbles. Next, a layer of fresh potting soil to the bottom of the pot so that the base of the plant will be about.5 listed below the rim of the pot.
6. Place your plant in the new pot and fill in with soil till all roots are covered and air. Company soil carefully to ensure that there are no air pockets, however take care not to squash fragile roots Water lightly so that the new soil is damp, but not sopping damp.

What To Do After You Re-pot Your Plant

After re-potting or potting up, plants tend to enter a period of shock. Don’t worry– it’s normal! Plants might appear thirsty and wilted, however take care to refrain from watering till about a week after re-potting to make sure that any roots harmed during re-potting have healed. Throughout the healing period, location plants in a cooler, shadier spot.

The majority of potting soil includes fertilizer. To prevent from harmful and over-fertilizing your plant, you can hold off on fertilizing for about 6 weeks after re-potting.

5 Reasons To Re-pot Indoor Plants

1. Fresh Soil– Nutrient Increase
   Your indoor plant soaks up the majority of its food through nutrients in the soil. Gradually, the soil becomes progressively depleted. You might notice that after a couple of seasons of thriving, your plant produces little brand-new grown, off color leaves, or is simply usually unhappy. Even if you fertilize frequently, re-potting (or potting up) with brand-new soil supplies a nutrient increase that will provide your plant what it needs to thrive.
2. Better Watering
   Ever see that when you water, it appears to right away immediately permeate out of the bottom of the pot? Your plant is most likely root bound– a condition in which the plant needs brand-new area so badly that the roots have twisted around and around the outside of the pot. This develops channels for the water to flow through which is why a root bound plant is very challenging to actually water. Maximizing these roots through re-potting will help your plant get the water it needs to keep its thirst satiated and leaves rich.

   

3. Space to breath = Brand-new Development!
   Another factor to free plants from being root bound is to promote brand-new development. A more powerful, growing root system will make your plant better and grow faster.
4. Disease Avoidance
   Ever over water your plants? Do not worry. We all do. The problem is root rot– when roots end up being damaged from over-watering, they turn dark brown or black. They’re prone to disease in this state, and really are not able to take in water (which is why an over-watered plant can sometimes seem thirsty). Clipping off these damaged roots helps a plant recuperate from being over-watered and your best line of defense against fungi and disease.
5. Conquer and divide– Plant Infants!
   Numerous can be divided to free up space and make brand-new plants when plants get too crowded! Re-potting time is the perfect minute to take advantage and divide spin-offs and puppies into self-sufficient plants.

Tip: If your plant is stressed out, wait to re-pot! For example, if it’s wilted from thirst, best to soak it and enable the plant to perk back up prior to re-potting. Attempt to prevent re-potting in severe weather condition, like heat waves, which can add stress.