How to Repot A Plant?

A common question is when and how often should plants be repotted. While repotting in general is necessary to give roots more space to grow, replenish plant nutrients, improve airflow, and alleviate salt/fertilizer build-up, there are some signs which mean a re-pot is needed sooner rather than later 🙂. These include;

• Circular root balls around the perimeter of the inside of the pot, and/or poking through the holes in the bottom of the pot. When root growth is restricted the plant uses up available water and nutrients quickly.
• If the leaves droop (wilt) and then stand up after watering, it might mean that the roots aren’t getting enough water and it’s time to re-pot in a slightly larger pot. If the roots are drooping and stay that way after watering then the plant might have root rot so best to take it out and check it since continuous dropping means the roots aren’t able to absorb water.
• An exposed crown or root ball means that the potting mix has settled and/or shifted, and usually top-dressing the plant by adding a little extra mix is enough and repotting is likely not necessary. 

💚 Pro-tip - while some people will say that it’s ok to reuse potting mix (i.e. mix that was used for another plant vs. leaving it in when top-dressing), we don’t recommend it. Why? Because any potting mix will compact over time, lose nutrients and water absorption and retention ability, and become more prone to disease. As such, we always recommend using fresh potting mix when re-potting any plant. If you divide the cost of your potting mix over the number of plants it’s being used for and the length of time the plants are in it, you’ll generally find that the cost per plant per year is relatively small, while the upside in having a healthy plant is very high 🙂!