Transplanting House Plants: A Simple Guide for You

Transplanting house plants is a process that should be done every 12 to 18 months so that they can freshen up in their new home. Transplanting is not only done to plants that are root bound but to every house plant as it is crucial for their overall growth and health.

You can also transplant the house plants to add a touch to your room with a modern, stylish pot. If you wish to learn more about transplanting house plants, read this article.

How to Transplant House Plants Using Simple Ways?

To transplant a houseplant the best way, you should get a new pot, have a fresh potting medium, remove it from the old container, and prune the damaged leaves. Also, check for diseased roots and then plant your houseplant in its permanent home.

1. Engage in Preliminary Checks

If you are not sure whether to transplant your plant or not, check for some obvious signs so that you do justice to them. If you see the roots protruding through the holes on the pot, know that the plant is due for repotting. You can also repot house plants if you notice the mineral salt build-up on the surface of the growing medium.

You should also transplant if the potting medium is drying out quickly and the plant is growing slower than its normal days. You can also place your plant in a new pot because it’s the right time to do so. For example, plants like the Chinese Money Plant and Dragon tree should be repotted every two years. You can also repot your plants when they are root bound although there are some exceptionals that like those conditions.

2. Choose the Right Time

Transplanting house plants should be done early spring through late summer because that’s the growing season of indoor house plants. The house plants enjoy enough space and more nutrients during this period as they are active. We discourage repotting house plants in winter as they are in the dormancy stage during this period so, they may fail to develop and finally die.

You should also repot house plants when the weather is cool and shady. The best time to do this is on a cloudy day, the morning or evening. The hot sun can stress the plant as it may dry the already shocked leaves and roots. The seedlings may be highly affected as they can dry faster than old plants.

3. Get the Right Pot

You should consider the size of your indoor plants and the spot to place them when transplanting so that you can get the right pot. The pot should be two inches larger in diameter for tabletop pots and four inches bigger for floor containers. When repotting house plants into bigger pots, make sure the containers are one to two inches bigger for slow-growing beauties and two to four inches larger for fast-growing ones.

The pot should be the right size. If you grow the small plant in an oversized pot, the result will be more potting medium and water. You are wasting the resources and it may result in over-or-underwatering. Your plant won’t get enough air for the roots and they will have a slim chance of surviving.

4. Get the Correct Potting Medium

Your plant thrives well in nutrient-rich soil. So, with time, it will use up all the nutrients in the potting medium. The soil becomes hard and no longer retains moisture, thereby the need to repot your houseplant using a fresh substrate.

The new potting medium should be the one that drains easily. It should also retain moisture. You should use the recommended type of potting mix for each plant. Plants are unique, so they prefer different potting media but the best soil for repotting indoor plants should contain perlite, peat moss, vermiculite, and coco coir.

Do not use garden soil on potted plants as it is too dense. The garden soil contains sand and clay that may not allow free air circulation. Then, your plant’s roots will be deprived of oxygen. The plant may find it difficult to flourish

5. Irrigate the Plant Prior Transplanting

You should water your house plants prior to transplanting so that it becomes easier to uproot them. You should do this three to four days before the transplantation process. Watering will not only help in the easy removal of the plant from the container but it also hydrates the plant. The risk of transplant shock is reduced if your plant is hydrated and it will establish quickly in the new pot.

6. Prepare the Working Spot

This process can make your room dirty. So, make sure you spread out some newspapers to collect all the dirt. To reduce too much work, you can do it outside if the weather is conducive. Be prepared to mess up your space and have dirty hands.

You can obviously wear gloves to protect your hands and also make sure the tools like the scissors, new pot, water, and fresh potting soil are available before you start transplanting. The gloves can also protect you from those plants that can irritate once they get in contact with your skin, for example, a prickly cactus.

7. Uproot the Plant From the Old Pot

You should carefully invert the pot so that the plant may not be damaged if you mistakenly drop the container. Then, hold the plant by its main stem and tug it slightly. If the stem is thin and fragile, hold the surface of the topsoil and ease out the clod of roots and the substrate. The plant should slip smoothly out of the container into your hands.

If this method fails, try loosening the potting medium in the container using a flat blade or knife. Then, you can successfully pull the plant out of the pot. Put the pot-shaped clod on the ground or the newspapers.

If you are repotting plants from nursery, do not remove the soil around the roots. This will help the seedlings to establish quickly in their new home.

8. Check the Root Ball

It’s time to gently remove the potting mix around your plant by shaking it. You can also wash the root ball with water to remove the substrate and allow it to dry while preparing the new pot. After that, closely check the roots to see any damaged or diseased roots that need to be pruned. If there are any, use a sharp pair of scissors or garden shear to trim them.

Maybe you are not willing to change the size of the pot because the plant is still okay in that old one. Or you want to downsize the plant, trim the outer one or two inches of the roots around the whole root ball. You should also trim off 25 percent of the roots.

You should also trim the discolored and damaged leaves or stem. Trimming these can also be done to reduce the size of the plant so that it will match the pruned roots.

9. Prepare the New Pot

Put the fresh potting mix in the new pot. Add soil at the bottom part of the container only. If you are using the original pot, make sure you clean it thoroughly with bleach and dry it before adding new soil to disinfect it. Please note that the pot should have enough drainage holes.

When repotting house plants drainage should also be a main concern. If you are going to use a pot without drain openings, add an inch of charcoal or pebbles at the base of the container. You can also add pebbles or charcoal before putting the potting soil so that excess moisture is collected in this area. Your pot is now ready, you can safely put the plant.

10. Placing the Plant In A New Pot

Gently take your plant and place it in a new pot. You can now add more growing medium but make sure you maintain the previous level. You should firm the soil using your hands but be watchful not to damage the plant’s roots. After that, water your plant thoroughly.

The transplanted plant can experience shock and show some signs of wilting. Do not panic as it may recover. Give it time to get used to its new environment. Also, do not be tempted to water it daily thinking that it is thirsty. You should also place your plant in a shady spot and keep it moist but not soggy until established.

If the plant is too big that you cannot transplant it, change the growing medium only. As you will note, the question “How to change soil in large potted plants,” is answered by a list of a few steps. You should do top dressing by removing an inch of the topsoil and then add fresh compost manure. Your plant will get fresh nutrients and its water-absorbing capabilities are improved.

11. Transplanting Aftercare

You are recommended to closely monitor your house plants for a maximum of 14 days. Some leaves may dry and fall off because of the stress they experienced during the transition process. Do not be afraid if the stem hasn’t dried out. The plant will develop new shoots once settled.

You can also add a weak sugar solution to your plant. It can act like a transplant shock preventer if you add it during the process. If you apply it after the plant has already been transplanted, it helps to reduce the recovery time of your plant. Use the plain sugar we use in our kitchens and if you don’t have it, get it from any grocery shop.

Once the plant is used in the new home, you can expose it to light conditions according to its sunlight requirements. You can now exercise plant care the usual way. Do not add fertilizer to a newly repotted plant because it is establishing its root system as well. The fertilizer can burn new roots that are developing, so give your plant four to six weeks before adding it.

Conclusion

You are now filled with the zeal to practice what you have learned from this article. Do it and experience the exciting journey of repotting your house plants. Below is a summary you can quickly run through.

• You should water your houseplant prior to transplanting to hydrate them and soften the soil so that it becomes easy to remove the clod from the old pot.
• Use a pot that is slightly larger than the old one when transplanting your plants.
• You should use a fresh potting medium that will provide more nutrients to your plants while draining water easily.
• You should transplant your house plants in spring through summer when they are actively growing.
• Transplanting house plants should be done in cool weather to reduce the risk of shock.

It’s now time to experiment with what you have learned from this article. Keep your plants healthy by giving them a fresh home and enjoy the little, beautiful nature in your room.