It’s time to repot your houseplant if you see any of these signs, according to experts.
Keller & Teller Photography
All houseplants eventually outgrow their pots.
Let a plant get root-bound, and it will fail to thrive.
Credit:Keller & Teller Photography
But how often should you repot your houseplants?
It depends on several factors, including thetype of houseplantand the amount of light and water it gets.
Here’s how to tell when you should repot, according to indoor plant experts.
There isnt a strict timeline for repotting, says Paris Lalicata.
There are so many variables as to how fast a plant will outgrow a pot.
I have a pencil cactus thats been in the same pot for 10 years.
Heres what to look for.
Those roots are searching for nutrients and water they cannot find in the pot, Lalicata says.
Generally, a plant whose roots are poking out will be completely root-bound.
A larger pot and fresh soil is overdue.
It is drying out fast because there is very little organic matter remaining in the soil to hold moisture.
There’s also a good chance the root-bound plant is tipping over because it’s top-heavy.
Ideally, a container should be as wide as the plant.
Tall plants especially need a bigger pot to stabilize them, says Carli Paluzzi.
They need the weight of the soil to offset the height of the plant.
A 4-foot-tallfiddle leaf figin a quart-sized pot is probably root-bound and probably also falling over because of gravity.
Compressed Soil
Old, tired potting soil will get compacted.
There will be less soil in the pot, and you may think your soil has disappeared.
Watering also displaces the air in the soil and causes the soil to compact.
All of this will make your soil shrink in the pot, Lalicata says.
Soil is food for a plant in a container, says Carli Paluzzi.
If your soil gets worn out or your plant outgrows a pot, the plant slowly starves to death.
Gently easing the plant out of its container quickly reveals the cause of the problem.
Repotting into fresh potting soil may help save a plant in this situation too.
