Tips for repotting indoor plants

Plants grow just like people. They grow bigger and simply need a bigger home. You can’t have a toddler put on a baby romper. The same goes for plants.

It is certainly not necessary to repot a houseplant every year. Especially not a cactus or succulent plant. Even without a plant growing visibly, repotting can be good for the plant.

3 reasons for repotting your houseplant

1. When you repot a plant you give it a larger flowerpot too. To fill the pot you need new fresh soil. This new soil is full of nutrients that the plant has already used up in its previous pot.
2. A larger flowerpot also gives the plant extra space for the roots to grow. This allows the roots not only to grow bigger, but also firmer. You not only stimulate the roots, but also the plant itself to grow.
3. Repotting an indoor plant in time also prevents the risk of root rot. Why is this? The new soil contains more oxygen. As a result, water can move around better in the pot, which reduces the accumulation of water in the roots.

6 steps for repotting your plant

Step 1: Choose a larger flowerpot

Repotting starts with the right preparation. Therefore, buy in advance a flowerpot that is 20% larger. If you now have a 16 centimeter flowerpot, then the next pot should be at least 19 centimeters.

Do you have a 20% larger flowerpot at home? That’s absolutely great! Please clean the old pot beforehand. In this way you can prevent any remaining soil from causing unnecessary bacteria.

Step 2: Remove the old pot

The most convenient way to get a plant loose from its pot is as following. Lift the pot and keep it on its side. Shake gently, and try to loosen the plant with the shaking.

If the plant is still in a growing pot you can gently push the pot by its sides. In this way the soil will come loose from the pot. If this doesn’t work enough you can eventually cut the pot loose. Make sure you do this as close to the side as possible, so you don’t damage the roots unnecessarily.

Step 3: Remove old soil

If you have been able to remove the plant from the old pot, it is best to remove some old soil too. When the soil is still formed as a pot you can remove large parts of the soil by hand.

As soon as most of the old one has come loose you can shake the plant back and forth for a while.

Step 4: Add hydro grains, vulcastrat and fresh soil

Then it’s time to provide the new flowerpot with a good soil. Sprinkle a layer of hydro grains or other soil cover (gravel, pot shards etc.) on the bottom. How high you should put the layer of ground cover its best to read the packaging. This can vary per species.

Then apply a layer of fresh potting soil to the ground cover.

Step 5: Put the indoor plant in the flowerpot

Once you have formed the soil, you can place the plant in the middle of the pot. It’s best to push the plant a little. At least then you know for sure that the plant is in the middle.

Step 6: Fill the pot with soil

When the plant is nicely in the flowerpot you can add the rest of the soil. It is best to add a little extra soil on different sides of the plant each time. Otherwise it can happen that the plant will still be placed at an angle in the pot.

1. Repot new plants directly, instead of waiting until next year.
2. The best time to repot is the spring. A plant gets a lot of new energy after repotting. It wants to grow, and in spring the plant can best use this energy. If spring doesn’t work, summer is also a good period!
3. If possible, choose a flowerpot that is 20% larger and has a drainage hole. If the pot does not have this you can often create the hole yourself with a cordless drill.
4. Place a water meter in the pot. This way you can immediately see when the plant does and does not need water. The water meter is placed before you put the plant in its new pot.