Just like you keep growing and your shoes get too small for your feet, a plant’s pot gets too small for it as it grows. When this happens, the roots take up so much room that there’s no space left for water and nutrients. This is called being ‘pot bound’.
Plants can also be repotted when they are brought home from a garden centre or when you just want to change the decor.
A plant will tell you if it needs repotting. It’s leaves will start turning yellow and they may even drop off and when you water the pot, it will either overflow over the edges or go straight down the sides and out the bottom without soaking in.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- Gardening gloves
- Garden trowel
- A new pot that is larger than the old one
- Premium potting mix
- Square of shade cloth (just larger than the bottom of the pot)
STEPS
- Thoroughly water the plant that is getting repotted. This will help it survive.
- Place the shade cloth at the bottom of the new pot so that it covers the holes. This stops the soil from falling out but still lets the water drain.
- Use the trowel to put potting mix in the bottom third of the pot.
- Take the old pot off the plant. If it’s small enough, put your hand flat on the top of the soil with your fingers either side of the stem and use this to hold the plant as you tip the pot upside down. It should slide out. If it’s too big, ask a friend to help.
- Place the plant into the new pot. Make sure the top of the root ball is 2 cm lower than the top of the pot. If it isn’t, adjust the potting mix.
- Use the trowel to shovel more potting mix around the sides until all of the spaces are full. Don’t let the potting mix get higher than the root ball of the plant. Make sure the soil is 2cm lower than the top of the pot as this will help keep the water from overflowing.
- Water the plant very well so that the soil is wet all the way through and put it in a spot that it will enjoy.
Pot bound plant that needs repotting.
Planting flowers into a beautiful pot. Now it just needs to be watered with a watering can.