To give us some tips on how to repot a plant, we chatted with plant experts and enthusiasts Maria Failla, founder of Bloom and Grow Radio, and Nora Schaefer, former greenhouse worker at Strange’s Florist and current plant mom to 63 houseplants. While each plant will have different needs, here are some general signs that your little buddy is outgrowing its pot: When you pull it out (gently!), a plant that’s ready to be repotted, it will have a web of roots that have grown to densely cover the sides. You’ll have an exact copy of the inside of your pot made by roots." Failla says that rootbound plants are often confused with underwatered plants since they show similar symptoms: frequent wilting, yellow leaves, and quick-drying soil. It’s not a bad idea to repot houseplants that are fresh from the plant store too, since you don’t know how long they’ve been sitting in those plastic pots. “If you buy a pot that’s too big, when you water your buddy, the roots will be surrounded by moisture for too long,” Schaefer adds. “Excessive moisture breeds mold, fungus, and the perfect home for pests.” Your new, slightly larger pot should have a drainage hole. Without a drainage hole, there is nowhere for the water to go, and you run the risk of drowning your plants’ roots. If you fall in love with a pot that doesn’t have a drainage hole, you can either (safely) drill holes in the bottom or plan to set one of the plastic planters with premade holes inside your larger, decorative pot. Voilà! Plant problem, solved. Finally, avoid bottle shapes or pots that get narrow at the top. The roots will naturally shape to it and then you’ll have a lot of root breakage trying to wrestle the plant out the next time you need to repot. However, these are some signs that your plant friend’s new pot is too big: White is the founder and editor of UnSung Literary Magazine, a flash fiction and poetry publication focused on offering artistic space for marginalized voices. She is also a guest editor with Quail Bell Magazine and the co-host of Critiques for The Culture, a podcast where media is dissected through humor and a sociopolitical lens. She is a lover of words, inquisition, and community and has used her role within both literary and organizational spaces to make room for folks who are often cast aside.
