When You Should Consider Repotting Plants

​Dr. Jonathan Vrban, a Family Medicine practitioner, worked his whole career helping his patients and educating new medical residents. In his free time, Jonathan Vrban enjoys maintaining his yard as an amateur gardener.

Repotting plants is a skill all gardeners must learn at some point. It can be especially useful to repot plants in the late winter or early spring, when plants prepare themselves for springtime growth spurts. However, gardeners should not repot plants simply for the fun of it. Rather, they should remain vigilant for one or more signs that a plant is ready for a new, larger home.

Any plant that has ceased growing may be a prime candidate for repotting. Related physical indicators include a generally pale color and weak, straggly petals and leaves. Another visible sign is the appearance of a plant’s roots. If the roots have grown thick and tangled in a tight circle at the bottom of a pot, the plant should be repotted to allow the roots to expand. Similarly, if roots have begun to sprout from the bottom soil, potentially exceeding the parameters of the pot, gardeners should search for a larger pot.

In the event that a gardener waters his or her plants only to discover that the water has run to the bottom of the pot and drained without being absorbed by the plant, repotting is advisable. Any plant kept in a pot without drainage holes at the bottom should be repotted immediately. Finally, if a plant has grown top heavy and consistently falls to the side, a new, roomier pot should be secured for it.

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