Welcome to the first of the Houseplant How-to blog post!
Today, we're discussing transplanting your plants -- a question we frequently get! Transplanting is important in order to reinvigorate your plants. It's an opportunity to remove old roots and soil, and restructure the root zone.
Before we get started, you're going to need some tools:
MATERIALS
- Gloves
- Organic houseplant soil blend
- Pot(s)
- Tray or dish to catch soil (optional)
When transplanting any of your plants, try and do so when the soil is mostly dried out. This will allow the root ball to maintain its structure and is less likely to damage the roots.
PROCESS
- Start by tapping the sides and bottom of the pot to loosen the rootball. If you are moving from flexible plastic pots, you can squeeze the sides of the container to loosen the soil. (tip: If moving from ceramic, you may have to use a garden spade to break the soil from the pot's wall)
- You should then be able to pull straight out, assuming the plant is mature. If the root zone is not adequately developed, try flipping the plant upside down and allow gravity to pull the soil from the pot.
- Now with the rootball over your tray or surface, massage/brush away excess soil that isn't apart of the root ball. We want to expose some roots. Open up the rootball so its footprint is larger than before. Don't be shy here, roots are fairly resilient. Let the extra soil fall into your container -- we'll mix it in with the new soil later.
- Grab your new pot, and fill in the pot with soil until you can stand the plant up and the base of the plant nearly reaches the top of the pot. (tip: when selecting the next pot, don't go too big, but make sure the rootball has an inch or two in each direction.)
- Once you have the position in the pot correct, hold the plant steady, and fill in the voids with potting soil. Fill until about 1/2"-1" below the lip of the pot. Press down gently on the soil above the plant to make sure it is stable, but make sure to not over compact the soil.
- Finally, water slowly. Do not flood the soil. Water a little, wait for it to absorb, and repeat. The soil may sink, so just add back soil as needed.
That's it! You did it! Let us know what you think about this new blog in the comments, and stay tuned for the video!
What topics do you want to read or watch about? Let us know below!
@ Erika – a couple ways to know when it’s best to repot:
1. When substantial roots are growing through the drainage hole of the pot!
2. When the plant is drying its soil out rapidly, making it need water much more frequently!
Hope this helps :)
@Cecilia – If the plant is from us, we always transplant so that it won’t need to be moved for 6-12 months!
I’m new to plants, do I have to take my newly bought (indoor) plant from the plastic pot and transplant it to a new pot?
Is there a good rule of thumb for knowing when plants need to be repotted? I got a small peace lily from you and it seems to be growing up and showing some root nubs at its base…time to re-pot?