--- title: "I am relatively new to plants so I need some help. I had a self…" description: "I am relatively new to plants so I need some help. I had a self proclaimed “plant person” come help me repot some plants. All the plants that she repotted she…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/CykmLp9bYgp2Tu0BjqoHld?language=da" community: "Anything about plants" author: "Lace" published: "2025-06-25T00:37:37.400663Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/OKcBLmghK8LFihQVV-X5ETTVp9bOf0MPeeAWuU-mi7g/AXhXcT1GSi6Gvu5sLKVNmA.webp?size=large" --- [Fællesskab](https://getplanta.com/community.md?language=da) / [Anything about plants](https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg.md?language=da) # I am relatively new to plants so I need some help. I had a self… _Opslået af Lace den 2025-06-25_ I am relatively new to plants so I need some help. I had a self proclaimed “plant person” come help me repot some plants. All the plants that she repotted she used an all purpose soil and mixed in perlite. The problem is, the soil drainage is not great. The water essentially sits on top for quite some time and it takes forever for water to come out the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. My arrowhead and my aloe are not doing well and my pothos already died. (We also repotted my zz and monstera but they seem to be fine). My question is this: should I repot them again? I know repotting can shock the plants for a minute so I don’t want to double shock them and I don’t want the extra fertilizer in the new soil to kill them either. What do I do? (The repotting happened a week ago) ![Vedhæftet fil 1 af 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/OKcBLmghK8LFihQVV-X5ETTVp9bOf0MPeeAWuU-mi7g/AXhXcT1GSi6Gvu5sLKVNmA.webp?size=large) ## 8 kommentarer ### Emma kommenterede den 2025-06-25 I would give it another week/few days before repotting them in the correct conditions but depending on the plant they might be more resilient to shock! The sound of “all purpose” plant soil scares me! #### Lace svarede den 2025-06-25 Ya, like I said, one of them is toast, two of them are looking not so great and the two seem to be doing fine so I’m gonna watch the two “fine” ones for now but it’s the two “not so fine” ones I’m worried about. Especially the aloe since I know that one for sure needs better soil drainage. The soil she brought over was miracle grow potting mix that she added perlite too. ### LD2 kommenterede den 2025-06-25 Do you have drainage in the bottom of that pot? If not, you will want to repot into something that has drainage. #### Lace svarede den 2025-06-25 All the pots have drainage holes, that’s one of the reasons why I realized how slow the water was moving through the soil. ### Ashley kommenterede den 2025-06-25 I have repotted again a week later after realizing the soil was terrible. Def repot when you can. ### PrettyLittleThings kommenterede den 2025-06-25 I haven't used an all purpose soil and I don't know what it looks like? If ever, I would add a lot of perlite and/or pumice to it to make it fast draining. As in 50-70% perlite/pumice. Soil might be too compacted. Chips and barks is optional for me. Also, coco coir is my fave (with added ammendments). A week wait should be good if I see them still struggling. If they got worst like barely roots left, I'll go to water propagation mode to try and save. ### Sunny kommenterede den 2025-06-25 All purpose is probably a mix like Miracle Gro which typically contains peat moss. Moss holds moisture like a sponge. Add to that the oversized pot shown that’s too big for the small plants to use up all the water before root rot begins. This combination is likely killing your plants. Low light can add to the stress, if that’s an issue. I recommend removing the soil now to check for and remove root rot. Root rot is mushy dark and smells like a swamp. Cut off all the rot. Toss the soil. Disinfect pots, roots and tools with hydrogen peroxide. Put the pothos in a 3” or 4” pot just big enough for the roots. Get a mix without or with little peat moss. Fox Farm brand is very popular. I’ve never used it. But, people swear by it. I mix my own. Aloes need pots just big enough to hold them with no excess soil. Plant it separately from the pothos which needs more water. Aloes need a succulent/cactus potting mix. No moisture holding moss in cactus mixes. Get a potting mix labeled for succulents. Get pots with lots of drain holes. 🪴🍀 ![Vedhæftet fil 1 af 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/wefqOljjhEOiS9LRzOB1-QhxkVJiB4A5DGumXhnNrhs/4f-3hOEvS8-2TO5FUXFkfQ.webp?size=large) ### Waspinator kommenterede den 2025-06-26 Tip for using all purpose mixes with peat: you need to water a lot more on the first watering, or pre-soak, or bottom water for the first watering session. Peat moss gets weird when it's fully dry. Sometimes it actually repels water, other times it gets soggy, and sometimes it expands too much to form an impenetrable brick of moist. Making sure it's thouroughly absorbed water the first time goes a long way towards getting it to act normal --- _Planta-fællesskabet (https://getplanta.com). Alle kan læse med. For at slå op, kommentere og like, hent Planta-appen: https://getplanta.com/download_