You should repot your plants roughly every year or every other year. You can choose either to repot your plant into a new and bigger pot, or to replace the soil in the existing pot. The best time for repotting is in spring.
For my part, I’m not that organized and I make a lot of mess with soil, so I try to do my repotting outdoors – or else I put bin bags down on the floor before I get started. You will need a new pot, potting compost and leca balls or gravel.
1 Give your plant a good soaking before you begin.
2 Carefully pull the plant out of its existing pot, making sure that the rootball comes with it.
3 Carefully remove some of the soil from around the rootball.
4 Put some leca or gravel into the bottom of the new pot, followed by a little potting compost.
5 Place the plant in the centre of the pot. The top of the rootball needs to sit about 2.5cm (1in) below the rim of the pot, so adjust the compost in the base accordingly.
6 Fill the space around the plant with compost, adding some to the top.
7 Carefully pack the compost around the plant so that the top roots are covered.
8 Give the plant another good soaking. Voilà! That’s it.
HANDY HINT
It’s best to repot newly purchased plants straight away so that they get a good start. Most plants are grown in greenhouses so that they look as good as possible when they are in the shop, and as a result they’re usually too big for their pot. When repotting a plant, choose a pot with a diameter that’s a few centimetres (1–2in) larger.
If the plant has a strong rootball and you want to keep it in its current pot – meaning that you only want to replace the soil – you can prune away some of the larger roots when you repot it.
Always use new, nutrient-rich compost to give plants a good start. Previously used compost is low in nutrients and can also contain pests and diseases. After a few weeks or months, when the plant is growing well, you can add a little plant food.