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A Guide To Repotting Houseplants

Hello, you lovely lot! This week’s blog is a guide to repotting your houseplants. Did you know that summer is one of the best seasons to repot your botanical beauties? That’s because plants enjoy most of their growth at this time of year. Switching up your houseplants’ environment can help them flourish and thrive, so we thought we’d share our top repotting tips with you to show you how to get the most out of your green beauties.

Read on and don’t be afraid to get in touch if you have any more questions at the end.

The Benefits of Repotting your Houseplant

If you’re a newbie plant parent or haven’t repotted a houseplant before, you might be wondering how repotting can benefit your green beauties. Well, it’s good for a number of reasons but mainly because it’ll give them more space to grow. During the repotting process, you’ll prune the roots, leaves and renew the soil, getting your beautiful botanicals ready for a new period of growth.

It’s natural for houseplants to outgrow their original pots, so repotting is a normal part of being a plant parent. Of course, each plant is completely unique and has different requirements, but the benefits of repotting are the same.

Repotting your plant:

  • Leaves more room for plants to grow
  • Allows more air to get through to the roots
  • Eliminates poor soil and provides essential nutrients
  • Prevents the roots from becoming root bound

If you’ve made it this far with your plant – congratulations! Keeping a houseplant alive is no mean feat, so reaching the repotting stage means you’re doing a fabulous job. It’s now time for the next steps…

When Should You Repot a Houseplant?

Knowing when to repot a plant is key. Spring and summer are the main growing seasons in the plant world because the daylight hours are longer and there’s more natural light and warmth. This gives your botanicals the perfect opportunity to enter the next stages of growth.

Repotting plants in spring and summer also gives the roots enough time to grow into the new potting mix. Nutrients in the soil deplete over time, so replacing the soil gives your houseplants new fuel to thrive. Without the right nutrients, your botanicals will struggle to grow and may eventually perish. One final thing – if you’re looking to divide and propagate your plants, it’s best to do it when you repot.

If you’re wondering how to tell when you should be repotting your houseplants, there are plenty of signs that indicate it’s ready to move onto its new home. During spring and summer, look out for these things:

  • Your plant looks too big for its pot
  • Your houseplant isn’t experiencing any new growth, or it’s slowed right down
  • There are lots of roots growing out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the growing pot, meaning your plant’s become pot bound. You can double-check this by gently lifting the plant out of its growing pot and inspecting the roots
  • The roots are pushing the plant out of the pot
  • The plant’s top-heavy and topples over easily
  • You find yourself watering your plant far more often than normal because it dries out so quickly

You may not notice all of these things at the same time, but even one or two is enough to indicate that it’s time to repot your green beauty.

How Often Should You Be Repotting your Houseplants?

Once you’ve repotted, you should aim to repot your plant every 12-18 months, depending on how quickly it grows. However, slower growing houseplants can stay in the same pot for years before they need a change of scenery.

How Do You Repot a Houseplant?

Repotting indoor plants is far simpler than you may think. And when you’ve done it once, you’ll know exactly how to do it in the future – perfect for indoor jungles with plenty of fabulous botanicals. There are three simple steps to follow when repotting your houseplant:

1. Remove your plant from the pot.

  • Turn your plant on its side and pull it out of its growing pot while gently holding it by the stem.
  • Loosen the roots and prune off any small, very long thread-like roots. Be careful not to remove the thicker roots at the base of the foliage when you prune.
  • If you find that your plant’s pot bound, untangle the roots and give them a little haircut.

2. Prepare your plant’s new pot.

  • Remove some of the existing indoor soil around the plant, as your botanical needs fresh new soil to continue to grow.
  • Pop the new soil into a new larger growing pot. Don’t forget you’ll need houseplant soil for indoor plants if repotting your houseplants and succulent and cacti soil for succulents and cacti.

3. Plant your botanical into its new pot.

  • Pop a layer of fresh potting soil into the plant’s new growing pot and press it down.
  • Centre your plant in its new pot.
  • Add soil around the plant by pressing it down until it’s secure and sitting nice and straight.
  • Give it a little drink, then pop it in its new ceramic or belly basket.

What Size Pot Should I Choose for Repotting?

Choosing the right sized pot is an important step to allow your houseplant enough room to grow. However, there’s a fine line between having a little growing space and too much. As a rule of thumb, choose a pot that’s around 2-3cms bigger for small plants and 5cm for larger houseplants.

When you’ve finished repotting your houseplant, why not treat yourself to a lovely new ceramic or belly basket? We’ve got a range of styles and sizes, including our signature metallic dipped pots and seagrass belly baskets. Take your pick!

What Happens if You Don’t Repot your Houseplant?

Plants that become pot bound aren’t able to absorb the nutrients or water they need. Over time, the roots will have nowhere to grow, which will make the plant feel stressed. The leaves will start to wilt and fall off, and the plant will begin to die. Some plants can handle this much better than others, so the outcome does vary between botanicals.

Top Tips For Repotting Your Houseplants

Repotting becomes much easier over time once you’ve done it once or twice. But for houseplant newbies or enthusiasts who need a helping hand, here are the golden repotting plant tips you should follow to keep your green beauties as happy and healthy as possible.

  • Try not to repot your plant too late (after spring or summer), as it won’t have enough time to re-adjust to its new home.
  • Water your pot a few days before repotting to help make it easier to remove when the time comes.
  • We recommend using houseplant or succulent/houseplant compost – unless your botanical has specific soil requirements.
  • Be very gentle when removing your plant. Never pull or tug, or you may harm the flowers, leaves or roots.

If you follow these top tips, you’ll become a repotting expert in no time!

And remember we have a wide range of pots and baskets so you can keep the same stylish look and feel while repotting your houseplants.

Keeping Your Plant Healthy Beyond Repotting

Once your green beauty’s happy in its new home, it’s a good idea to treat it to a little TLC with misting, watering and nourishing plant food. You can find all of these on our website.

Zab Plant Mister

Our gorgeous houseplant mister will keep your plant happy and healthy with a spritz of water every now and then. Available in copper and brass this gorgeous mister holds 300ml of water and is the perfect combination of function and style.

Watering Can

These chic watering cans are made from durable stainless steel, with the cutest mango wood lid and an ergonomic handle that makes it comfortable to give those little green babies a drink. Available in two colours (brass and copper) and two sizes (medium and mini) the elongated spout makes it super easy to water houseplants and succulents whenever they need a drink.

Plantsmith Perfecting Houseplant Care Mist

Made with a complete blend of 17 essential ingredients to aid growth, including kelp extract and humic acid, our Plantsmith Perfecting Houseplant Care Mist stimulates growth and gives houseplants a boost. It also contains lavender and avocado oils to deter pests. Mist your repotted plant 2-3 times a week all year round to take your houseplant care to another level.

Plantsmith Fortifying Houseplant Tonic

With potassium, magnesium and iron for strong, glossy leaves and long-lasting flowers, our Plantsmith Fortifying Houseplant Tonic is a professional formulation houseplant food with 13 essential nutrients and kelp extract to stimulate cell growth. Simply shake the bottle well and mix 5ml (or four pumps) into a litre of tepid water and apply it to the base of the plant.

Plantsmith Beautifying Leaf Shine

Our 100% plant-based Plantsmith Beautifying Leaf Shine contains cold-pressed natural oils that enhance and condition the leaves’ natural shine. The grapefruit extract provides anti-fungal protection and removes dirt, dust and grime to enable your botanical to photosynthesize.

We hope this guide’s helped you with repotting your houseplants. If you ever get stuck, we’re only an email away. Get in touch with us with any repotting questions you have at [email protected] and we’ll happily offer any additional tips and advice to help you on your plant ownership journey.

Lots of love,

Team TLB xx

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