Repotting Houseplants
Rick Pudwell, Director of Horticulture at the Memphis Botanic Garden demonstrates how to repot a houseplant and gives some tips for healthy, happy houseplants.
The first plant he repots is a sansevieria, otherwise called a mother-in-law tongue. The plant he is working with has grown for many years in a small pot. Rick teases out the roots to stop them from circling. The new pot he uses has a drainage hole at the bottom, which you want. He puts some broken clay pot shards in the new pot over the hole. This allows good drainage but keeps the soil from falling out. He uses a potting mix and fills soil around the plant so it sits in the pot at the same depth as the previous pot. He also makes sure the soil level is below the top of the pot to prevent water from running over the sides. He packs the soil around the plant to hold the plant and soil in place. Finally, Rick places the pot on a saucer to catch the water that will run out the bottom. Rick then gives watering instructions for this plant.
Rick then repots a Croton. This particular plant has a poor root system. Most of the roots have rotted away from overwatering. The plant is also laying down in the pot. Because of the poor condition of the root ball Rick selects a smaller pot than he was originally going to use. He sets the plant at an angle in the new pot – so it is growing straight up – and fills in the soil. Then he uses a bamboo stake to hold it up.
When he is done repotting the plants, Rick gives general houseplant care advice. Most houseplants are from the tropics so they do better when watered with luke-warm water. He also recommends getting a small spray bottle and spritzing the plants in the morning to give them a little humidity. Houses are usually drier than tropical plants prefer. For fertilizer Rick recommends fertilizing from March to October with a liquid fertilizer at half the strength recommended on the box. He also gives advice on how to control insects on houseplants.
Related Videos:
Building a Self-Watering Houseplant Pot
Repotting Aloe Vera
Related Resources:
Indoor Plants - Transplanting & Repotting
Repotting Houseplants
Caring for Houseplants
The first plant he repots is a sansevieria, otherwise called a mother-in-law tongue. The plant he is working with has grown for many years in a small pot. Rick teases out the roots to stop them from circling. The new pot he uses has a drainage hole at the bottom, which you want. He puts some broken clay pot shards in the new pot over the hole. This allows good drainage but keeps the soil from falling out. He uses a potting mix and fills soil around the plant so it sits in the pot at the same depth as the previous pot. He also makes sure the soil level is below the top of the pot to prevent water from running over the sides. He packs the soil around the plant to hold the plant and soil in place. Finally, Rick places the pot on a saucer to catch the water that will run out the bottom. Rick then gives watering instructions for this plant.
Rick then repots a Croton. This particular plant has a poor root system. Most of the roots have rotted away from overwatering. The plant is also laying down in the pot. Because of the poor condition of the root ball Rick selects a smaller pot than he was originally going to use. He sets the plant at an angle in the new pot – so it is growing straight up – and fills in the soil. Then he uses a bamboo stake to hold it up.
When he is done repotting the plants, Rick gives general houseplant care advice. Most houseplants are from the tropics so they do better when watered with luke-warm water. He also recommends getting a small spray bottle and spritzing the plants in the morning to give them a little humidity. Houses are usually drier than tropical plants prefer. For fertilizer Rick recommends fertilizing from March to October with a liquid fertilizer at half the strength recommended on the box. He also gives advice on how to control insects on houseplants.
Related Videos:
Building a Self-Watering Houseplant Pot
Repotting Aloe Vera
Related Resources:
Indoor Plants - Transplanting & Repotting
Repotting Houseplants
Caring for Houseplants