I have an echeveria that will most likely stay in the same pot forever. It is lovely, with big, plump, succulent leaves, and apparently healthy, enjoying its sunny spot in the dining room window. It drinks up about a tablespoon of water per week and requires little else. If it weren’t so attractive, I would probably think of it as the living embodiment of inertia.
All of that is fine, because the echeveria leaves me more time to repot those plants that have outgrown their current containers. I have a couple of them right now, including a muscular African violet and a rambunctious streptocarpus. If I don’t repot them this weekend, either the plants will burst right out of their pots, or they will begin the process of dying. I don’t want either of those things to happen, so I have to get down to the job.
How do you know when a plant needs repotting? The most obvious sign is that the top growth is wider than the diameter of the container. There are other signs as well. A root-bound plant will take up water very quickly. My two vigorous babies need water about twice as often as the surrounding plants. With some plants you may even see roots emerging from the topsoil.
If you remove a root-bound plant from its container, you will see that the roots completely contain the growing medium—the root ball will be the same shape as the container, with a network of roots easily visible from every angle. Roots may also be emerging through the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.
All of those roots are screaming, “Help us!”
Some people are as afraid of repotting as they are of other necessary plant chores, like pruning. However, if the alternative is watching a lovely plant languish and die, it is important to put those fears aside. The job is extremely easy and the rewards are great.
Prepare for the task by laying down some paper or plastic to contain the mess. Set aside fresh potting mix and a trowel, as well as a watering can. The new container should be one or two inches larger in diameter and depth than the current pot, giving your green baby some elbow room.
Once you are set up, check your plant for dead leaves and stems, and remove them. If the top growth has gotten wild and crazy, as with some tradescantias and ivies, trim it back by one or two thirds. Once the plant is tidy, get it out of the container. Sometimes this is easy—you can just grip the top growth and pull gently. Sometimes it is harder. I find that putting a finger in the drainage hole and pushing the plant out can work well. If the plant is resistant, you may also have to use a small knife to work around the edge of the topsoil, gently prying it away from the sides of the pot.
I usually put a coffee filter or a piece of paper towel in the bottom of the new pot so the fresh potting soil won’t flow right out through the hole. If you are repotting a large plant, you may want to put some drainage material, like small stones, in the bottom. Add potting mix so that when the overgrown plant goes in, the top of its current root ball will be level with the top of the new pot. Insert the plant, and fill in around the sides with the fresh potting mix, firming it as you fill. I find that using a large funnel for channeling the potting mix as I fill in around the sides goes a long way towards easy clean-up and less frustration. When the plant is in and the soil is tamped down, water well and, if possible, return the newly potted specimen to its old location.
Plants and people tend to acclimate better to change if we are in familiar surroundings.
But what do you do if the root-bound plant is large to enormous and you don’t have room for a bigger container? The answer is root pruning, another job that terrifies many people. It shouldn’t, as it is not rocket science or even open-heart surgery.
To root prune, cover a large area with a tarp or other mess-catcher, lay the potted plant down on its side, and push or pull it out of the container. Before you replant, wash out the container. Take an old kitchen knife or garden knife, and slice away about one quarter of the root ball at the bottom of the plant. Slice off about an inch of the root ball all the way around the sides. Discard all the trimmings. Put a coffee filter and over the drainage hole, add some drainage material if desired, and enough soil so that the top of the plant’s current root ball is level with the top of the pot. Position the plant in the newly-cleaned container, and fill in around the sides with potting mix, firming as you go. Water and replace the plant in its former location.
The whole repotting process, including root pruning, is easy, though you may need an extra pair of hands if you are root pruning a big bougainvillea or other giant specimen. Feed with regular plant food, diluted, if necessary, according to manufacturers’ directions, and provide that food on the same schedule that you used before the great repotting.
Good gardeners should be fearless and undaunted by garden varmints, nasty weather, wet feet and repotting. Remember that if a plant is dying, whatever you do will either save it or fail to prevent the inevitable. If that happens, it opens up the door to new plants and fresh possibilities. Life is hard—plant care is generally easy.