Re-potting Plants & Free advices

Hello again!

And welcome back, today we are going to learn about re-potting a plant. Before getting our hands dirty, we should know when and why do we need to re-pot a plant. So, let´s talk about it.

Repotting is process where you remove the plant from an old pot and pot it in the new. Trust me, it´s certainly, as easy as I made it sound. But before that we need to know few things.

If you are still considering the option of buying plants and do not know exactly from where to start then check this out: (plant lessons for beginners) And then come back to this one so that you can better relate to it.

Why and when to re-pot?

It is usually a better option to consider repotting the plants when you have just bought a new plant. This is done basically because the pot that the plant comes in are mostly temp pots/soil and are small. Repotting is also required when the plant gets too old and you observe a stunted growth. This again is necessary because the manure has lost its fertile and nutritive values and the roots are malnourished.

Personally, I do the repotting on the very same day of buying so that it gets the shock once and for all but, if the plant is too delicate then I let it adapt for 3-4 days and then do the repotting. The day I plan to repot the plant, I make sure I water less that day.

For repotting all you need:

Hand gloves, pots, clay balls, soil, basic gardening tools (viz.  pruning shears, garden fork, hand trowel), water jug and some old newspapers.

I usually end up wearing hand gloves only on those days when I have long nails and I don’t want mud to be stuck in, otherwise I do it bear handed as I like to do it care-freely. Again, that is only possible when you´re working with small plant, for big ones you need good grip to handle the plant and the tools. So, do what best suits you.

I hope you have bought a pot a size bigger than the one in which it is potted, this is because the plant will grow bigger and its roots will require space to spread. Talking about pots, we see 2 major variety of pots in market those are clay and plastic.

Which is the best? Clay pot are the traditional one but the problem that I find with these pots is that they hold water on its body; which means the plant will never have dry soil unless you stop watering the plant completely. No doubt it is best suited for plants that like moist soil. So, depending on the plant you also need to consider which pot to buy. I personally prefer the plastic ones because they do not hold water, they are light in weight, so quite easy to handle. And if you too opt for plastic one then don’t forget to get the one with hole/holes in the bottom; the clay pots usually come with holes in bottom. But no harm in double checking.

Let´s get it done!

Lay some newspapers in the area you work, so that you save yourself from the later efforts of cleaning everything. If you are using a clay pot then you might want to sit near the plant´s location, this will be easy on you to place the heavy pot.

Cover the hole at bottom with porous material. You can use filter paper for this. This will make sure that no soil is drained out through the hole when the excess water passes.

(Optional) Now put some clay balls as the foundation layer. This basically helps in absorbing water from the soil yet holding it to itself, so when the plants get too dry, these balls fulfil the thirst.

Next you put soil, now there is a trick to how I use my soil. I add a bit of fertilizer to the soil, mix it well and then I start putting it in the pot. This helps the fertilizer to spread uniformly over the entire soil. Add a good layer of soil, then place the plant at the centre of the pot and then ask someone or with your other hand fill up the surrounding space with soil. Before doing that, you need to loosen up the soil that came along with the plant and then untangle the roots, remove the soil stuck to the roots and now it´s ready to go into the pot. Be very care, because you do not want to injure anything. Keep filling till it reaches 5-7cm of the pot´s brim. Press the soil lightly to skip all air bubbles. Make sure that the plant is upright, deep enough into the soil, if not than make it happen. Repeat the same for all you plants.

If you are into combination potting or cross potting of plants which is basically potting 2-3 different types of plants in one pot, then be sure of the types of plants you pick. This is a very sceptic approach as it is immensely necessary that all the plant you wish to unite have same requirements to one another. As long as you have that clear in mind, you won´t go wrong.

Now place the pot to its right location and water it.

Pointers and Advices:

We all try our best, but we still tend to forget! So, don’t worry I have tried to put together all information that is necessary.

As humans get effected by weather change, plants are no different. Plants also get effected by fluctuations in temperatures. They may turn pale and start losing leaves. In most of the homes/offices, the temperature is usually set to an optimum, throughout the year and if there are no temperature changes, in such situations the plants will have no problems.

But if your house/office is one of those which have heaters working in the winter and ACs during the summer then you certainly will have to keep a keen eye on your plants while temperature change. Placing a plant anywhere near the heating bodies/heater or in direct contact to the AC can be a mistake. Heaters dries off the soil soon and ACs causes slow evaporation of moisture from the soil but still effecting the plant to dry off. So, you should be careful while choosing your plant space.

Placing your potted plant into a decorative outer pot or in a jute bag certainly makes the plant stand out! But make sure you do not over water the plant making the plant roots water-clogged for long. Place a dish or a plate under the pot so that extra water is accumulated in it.

Going for a vacation is great, but who will take care of the plants, is the question to worry. If you have friendly neighbours than you can ask them to plant your plants. I don’t not have anyone around to take care of my plants, so as an alternative I have got a watering system which makes my life easy while I am enjoying my vacation. You too can get one of those if you have no one to take care for your lovely plants. You can easily find it online.

Misting the plants helps in getting rid of the dirt on the leaves, making them breathe again through their blocked pores.

Happy planting!