Repotting Plants Helps Them Grow

Unless you decide that every plant you ever intend to grow needs to go in the ground outdoors, learning how to repot will be a big deal. Besides this skill is great even for helping get outdoor plants growing on the right footing before replanting them in the ground.

The key to successful pot growing lies in not only caring for the plant's day to day needs correctly, but also understanding when it's time to give them a bigger home. Whether you're waiting for an outdoor plant to get big enough to place in a garden or you have a collection of house plants you'd like to keep growing in pots, knowing the signs that it's time for a repotting is important.

In general, it's time to repot or replant when you notice these things:

* If the plant's roots are starting to poke through a pot's watering holes at the bottom, it's time to repot.

* If the roots are starting to grow outside the pot, consider repotting or replanting.

* If the plant is starting to overflow its container or appears at all cramped in its quarters, consider a new home for it.

To properly repot plants, do the following:

* Pick out a container that's bigger than the current one. Make sure you give the plant some room to grow because constant repotting is stressful for plants.

* Before transplanting the plant into a new home, layer the bottom of the pot or container with rocks, pottery chips, wood chips or other similar items to help with drainage and keep soil in the pot.

* Pick out a good potting soil and fill the rest of the container up with it. The soil should stop at about an inch below the pot's top.

* Carefully transplant the plant into its new home. Take care not to damage roots if at all possible. Be certain to properly water the plant once it's secured in its pot.

Remember when repotting, plants that undergo changes even meant to be beneficial for them, can suffer some stress. Be certain to give the plant lots of TLC following the transplant and don't forget to keep up with its maintenance schedule. This means remembering not only to water and feed it, but also provide the right amount of sunlight.

Whether your garden is indoors or out, knowing how to properly repot plants can help keep the foliage you have looking great. Just take care to repot only when it's necessary and continue to provide the right attention when the job's done and your plants should please you with their growth.