How to Know When to Repot a Plant

Depending on how fast your plants are growing, they should be repotted and fed with nutrients every 12 to 18 months. For slow-growing plants, soil replenishment alone is sufficient. But how to tell whether my beloved house plant needs a new home? Here’s a few signs that show, your indoor plant needs a repotting:

The plant is pushed up from planter

The first signs of overgrowth can be seen from the outside. One has to look at the size of the houseplant - is its crown much larger than the pot under, has it remained heavy and can't stand alone, or is it pushed up from the planter?

All of that indicates that the root system inside the pot has grown so much that it pushes the plant itself up. This usually leads to rapid dehydration, as there is no longer enough soil in the pot to maintain a moist environment for the plant.

Plant root bounding or overgrowth at the bottom

Have you lately spotted that your indoor plant roots are growing through the drainage hole at the bottom of the planter? You should inspect the roots by taking them out of the pot. If they are taking up more space in the pot than the soil, or circling around be sure to be sure that the plant will need to be replanted in a bigger pot.

Often the roots go right for the holes and are not thick in the pot, so root prune may work as well. You do not want to permit the roots to encircle the pot on the inside or you will create a deadly problem for the plant down the road.

Slowed growth in peak growing season

If the plant is properly nursed, has a healthy root system, is planted in nutrient-rich, aerated and well-draining soil, and has a enough space in the pot, it will grow rapidly in the spring and summer seasons.

If a plant stops growing or is dropping perfectly healthy leaves, it’s usually a light issue of a plant's health problems. If you look at an unhealthy plant, you will see that it dies more than it grows.

Soil selection for indoor plant potting is critical to plant health. Choose a potting mix or soil that is well aerated and will provide your houseplants with good draining and nutrient-retention. 

At formyplants.com you will find professional grade potting mix for most loved house plants such as Monstera, Calathea, Philodendron, Alocasia, Anthurium, Strelitzia, ZZ plant, Sansevieria and other foliage house plants as well as succulents, cacti.