Le Mie Ricompense
When should I re-pot my plants?
When it comes to plants, there's a fine line between conscientious care and, well, fussing. We get a lot of emails from plant parents who are concerned a plant they've recently received already needs re-potting - meaning their new decorative pot needs an upgrade too.
In reality, plants only need their soil replenished about once every two years. Bloombox Club never ship plants that need to be re-potted urgently but to ensure that plants arrive in the best condition possible, they need to have an established root system - roots are not just for collecting water, they also serve to keep your plant in place. To make sure your plant is as hardy as possible, we don't send yours out until it's securely in place.
There's a lot of confusion and misinformation around re-potting, so we're here to clear some things up.
Myth: visible roots mean you need to re-pot urgently
Fact: all plants have different root structures and different preferences when it comes to pot size. Some plants even perform better when they're very tight in their pots (root bound), such as the Linear Hanging Hoya and the Ponytail Palm, one of our previous Classic sub plants.
Visible roots are only one of a number of signs that your plant needs re-potting and should not be taken in isolation. Sometimes, when plants are put into new containers, they put their energy into throwing out one or two long roots to assess the limits of the space they're in - meaning visible roots can also be a sign that your plant was recently re-potted.
Myth: your plant will suffer if you don't put it in a bigger pot
Fact: most people think re-potting is about giving your plant space, but it's actually about replenishing your plant's nutrients. There are some instances where it would be advisable to size-up, but on the whole it's your call. Soil is one of the key factors that contribute to your plant’s overall health, along with water and sunlight, so every year or two it needs some new nutrients to guzzle.
Myth: you shouldn't tamper with your plant's roots
Fact: you should be gentle when you're re-potting your plants, but don't be afraid of giving the roots a little trim and make sure that you brush away as much old soil as possible.
Myth: the bigger the pot the faster your plant will grow
Fact: if you want to encourage your plant to grow faster, you should re-pot it once a year during the growing season, in a larger pot to encourage growth. But you should never go up in intervals greater than 6cm diameter.
For more about how to re-pot, check out Mama Botanica's video for Bloombox Club.
Please share your re-potting tips and experiences with us social media @BloomboxClub #bloomboxclub
