Module 3 · Soil & pots — roots need air too
lesson 3.3
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Lesson 3.3 · 8 min
Repotting basics
After this you can repot a rootbound plant without shocking it.
You repot for two reasons: the plant has outgrown its pot, or the old mix has broken down into airless mud. The signs are roots circling out of the drainage hole or spiralling around the root ball, water rushing straight through, or a plant that dries out almost as soon as you water it. Spring, as growth picks up, is the friendliest time.
How to repot
- 1.Choose a new pot just one size up — two to four centimetres wider — with a drainage hole. Too big a pot holds too much wet soil.
- 2.Water the plant a day before so the root ball slides out in one piece.
- 3.Ease the plant out and gently loosen any tightly circling roots so they can grow outward.
- 4.Add fresh airy mix to the bottom, set the plant so it sits at the same depth as before, and fill around the sides with mix.
- 5.Firm it in lightly — no gravel layer — water thoroughly until it drains, and top up any mix that settles.