Planta
Back to Anything about plants

How do I know when to repot my plants? A lot of them are still in the… | Anything about plants | Planta community

Jodi’s jungle

How do I know when to repot my plants? A lot of them are still in the plastic pits that I bought them in.

4 likes 12 comments

12 comments

  1. Britt

    There are a few different things. If they are happy leave them. If the soil is hydrophobic then repot with fresh soil. If the roots are growing out the bottom then repot into a bigger pot. If they are looking sad but nothing care wise has changed take it out of the pot and examine the roots, if they are getting root rot, cut off bad ones with clean snips spray lightly with hydrogen peroxide and repot into a pot a bit smaller depending on root ball size.

    3 likes
    • Jodi’s jungle

      Thank you for the reply Britt! It’s greatly appreciated! Can you tell me what hydrophobic means? I’m a new plant mom 😋

      0 likes
    • Mandrakes&More

      Hydrophobic means that the soil doesn’t want to absorb the water. The water will either run really fast through the pot (basically straight through) or the water will sit at the top of the soil and take a few minutes to actually sink in. Either of these signs, or if the soil is pulling away from the sides of the pot, means it’s hydrophobic, aka too dry to actually do your plant any good

      2 likes
    • Britt

      Yes! What @mandrakes&more said!

      0 likes
  2. GreenLeaf

    Good rule of thumb, 50% (or more) roots to soil ratio = time to upsize. Wait a day or two after watering and you should be able to gently lift the whole root ball out of the pot to check. Only go up 1-2” larger than the root ball.

    2 likes
    • Jodi’s jungle

      How do I know how big the roots are? Do I need to pull them out of the pot every so often?

      0 likes
    • Amateur plant mama

      I feel like you notice when your plant is going through water faster than usual or otherwise acting up and nothing else seems wrong.

      2 likes
    • GreenLeaf

      If your plant is doing fine there is no need to check. Once you start to see signs that you think it might need to upsize, then you should check the roots. As others have said: - new growth getting smaller/slowing during growing season - dries out quickly - older leaves yellowing more quickly - gentle squeeze of the pot and it feels solid - roots starting to grow out the bottom (don’t only rely on this one though)

      1 like
  3. Waspinator

    If you ever do orchids, their roots tend to grow out the bottom drainage holes or up out of the medium when it's time to repot. It's best to wait until you see new root growth starting, which happens after flowers fade in most species. It's also a good idea to repot new ones since nurseries sometimes use packing materials or seedling media that's not healthy for adult orchids. If you ever get a cattleya, look up detailed potting instructions; they're more finicky about timing

    1 like
  4. jmrearick

    I love all mine to clear nursery pots 1-2 weeks after I buy them so I can monitor the roots.

    1 like
    • Jodi’s jungle

      That’s a great idea! Thank you!

      1 like
  5. Luke

    Just went through this with my tall (7 feet) bird of paradise plant in the off-season. What tipped me off was that: 1) the original plastic pot was bulging out on one side, and 2) water would not get into the root ball when I watered it (it would just roll off the side of the pot). I might've made too big of a jump (from 2.2 to 7 gallons), but I'm hopeful she'll make it through. Here's a picture of the rootball.

    Attachment 1 of 1
    1 like