Hello Friends!
Container grown plants require occasional repotting to keep them healthy.
You must not only know WHEN to repot but also know HOW to repot a houseplant.
Today we will look into some important Rules on Repotting like When to Repot your plant
and Very Important Tips on How to Repot your Houseplants.
That�s Coming up..
Repotting houseplants might seem like a simple task, but there is always a risk that your
plant may not do well after repotting.
What you need to remember is: Repotting should not be done Just like that or too frequently.
Generally for most plants, repotting once every one or two years is a good approach.
So Now will quickly look into some points that indicate If your plant really Needs repotting:
So You need to look out for certain signs that indicate your plant needs repotting.
1.
If You see lots of roots coming out through the drain hole which indicates that the plant
is root bound.
Also if You find matted roots near the soil surface.
And When you remove the root ball, you see Root Bounding � that is a compact masses
of roots tangled around with hardly any space for the roots to grow further.
2.
Then look for Other signs like: 3.
The plant experiencing slower than normal growth specially during the growing season.
4.
Water runs quickly through the pot and comes out of the drain hole in a flash.
It happens when there�s not enough soil to catch the moisture or also if your soil
too sandy.
5.
Poor flowering and fruiting 6.
Leaf dropping are all signs of plant distress.
Plants give these signals because they�re not able to draw enough nutrients and moisture
from the roots and the soil.
If you experience some of these signs, it�s likely a good time to repot your plants.
However, in order to avoid harmful effects of repotting, you need to follow certain rules
and tips of Repotting your plants.
Here are some helpful basic tips and guidelines for repotting houseplants.
� PREREQUISITES or things to check or do before repotting:
o Water the plant the day before you plan to repot.
o Perform Repotting in the evening hours to prevent shock to the plant during sunlight.
o To Remove the Root Ball, Gently Tap the rim of the pot to a hard surface like a table
or counter.
This is to loosen the root ball instead of pulling it with force.
o If the root ball resists to come out, run a knife between the pot and the root ball
to loosen the root ball.
o Then finally, Inspect the root ball for things like: any root worms or maggots, and
also any root bounding to decide whether you want to repot in a larger container or perform
root pruning.
Well, after this, we look into: � Choosing the Right Container: It�s very
important to choose a pot that is of appropriate size for the plant.
Like, You should never pot a 6 inch pot plant into a 14 inch or a very large pot.
Go Step by Step, Choose one or two steps higher, like 6 inch pot, you can plant in 10 inch
pot and so on.
� Drainage Holes: This is probably the most important factor you should consider.
If you do not make enough drainage holes at the bottom of the pot, your plant will stand
in water and lead to root rot and death of the plant.
Some people advise on adding a heap of clayrich soil pressed to cover the holes, but this
is not wise and can lead to root rot from water stagnation.
Instead, use a mesh or a piece of green net or even a piece of cloth or some pieces of
broken pot or even pebbles.
If you use a broken piece of pot, make sure to keep the curved surface towards the bottom,
because if you keep it flat on the drainage hole and cover with soil, it can block the
hole.
Then comes � Choosing the Right soil: . When it comes
to soil requirements, it�s important to choose the type of soil suitable for the plant
species and variety.
As a general rule use a well draining nutrient rich soil.
You can watch my related video titled Universal Potting Soil from a link in description.
� Teasing the roots.
During repotting, it�s important to �tease� the roots out of the root-ball.
This promotes and speeds up the growth and branching of new roots into the new soil.
So, How to tease the roots?
If the plant is not root bound, just release some roots from the bottom and sides of the
plant.
And if it is root bound, you need to do Root pruning that is cutting away some coils of
roots that have grown around the bottom of the old pot.
You can also perform root ball cutting with a sharp knife to perform root pruning.
� Then Next for repotting, Place a handful of compost into the pot�s base.
Place the root ball ro the plant if you have removed the soil completely and make sure
your plant it exactly in the center of the pot.
Then add additional soil to cover the empty space.
Make sure the surface of that root ball is below the rim so you can cover it adequately
with compost and have good space for watering your plant.
� Then Gently tap the pot to remove air pockets and level the soil from within.
� After repotting, it�s important to give the plant a good watering.
You can also water the plant with Epsom salt solution to counter this transplant shock,
this is discussed in detail in my previous video.
� Place the plant in good indirect sunlight atleast for a week.
So, there we have it folks, those were some of the golden rules of repotting a plant.
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Happy Gardening!