How to Repot a Large Houseplant

Sometimes those wonderful large houseplants we have nurtured for years begin to get top-heavy and tilt, bend or lean. And the soil tends to dry out very fast. And leaves turn brown lower on the stems. These are all signs that it's time to pot those plants into larger containers. Here are some tips on how to re-pot a large houseplant into a larger container.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• bigger pot
• crocking: broken clay pot shards or 3/4" gravel for drainage
• Fresh potting soil
• Water

1. Re-potting a large houseplant is a little more complicated than doing the same for a smaller plant. Most larger plants can be heavy yet fragile. If the pot is unbalanced and the plant is pot-bound, the root system has too little space to support the top-growth and will struggle to take up sufficient nutrients and water. The ideal place to re-pot a large houseplant is outdoors, weather permitting. Otherwise, either do it in an area that is easy to clean up, or lay a waterproof tarp or other covering over the space you will be using. Re-potting a large houseplant WILL be messy!

2. 
   Washing the foliage of a large houseplant

   If you can bring your plant outside the easiest way to wash off accumulated dust and dirt is with a good spray from a garden hose. If the weather doesn't allow for this, move on to the next step of re-potting.

3. 
   Root-bound root ball of a plant that NEEDS repotting

   Carefully lay the plant and its pot down on the ground or floor and gently pull off any dead leaves. Remove the pot. If you are lucky, the pot will pull off easily leaving the soil-bound roots on the ground or protected surface. If you aren't so lucky, you will need to work the plant out of the pot. You may have to cut off any thick roots protruding out of the bottom drainage holes in order to remove the pot.

4. Once the pot is free, set your new pot nearby. I would recommend using one to two sizes bigger and, if possible, a heavier weighted pot material than simply plastic. Smaller plants are best moved up just one size at a time as they grow so they don't retain too much water, but a large plant has a well-developed root system and can usually handle a considerably larger pot. Clay and ceramic make decorative pots that look great for interior decoration and will add weight to the root area to keep a large plant better balanced. Always make sure you include a drainage tray beneath your plant to protect floors.

5. 
   Broken clay shards as drainage crocking

   Fill your new pot with a layer of drainage material at least a couple of inches deep. I like to use broken clay pot shards, but 3/4" gravel works well, too.

6. 
   Add a few inches of moistened soil.

   Then add a few inches of slightly moistened high-quality potting soil. You can mix your own soil or buy one premixed. Most indoor plants are quite accepting of commercially bought soils.

7. 
   Loosen the roots.

   Remove any bent or broken roots from your plant's root ball. Some people recommend removing all the old soil, but I prefer to loosen just the outer edges of the root ball rather than traumatize all of the inside roots.

8. 
   Set the plant in the pot with any stakes you may need.

   Set the plant's root ball on top of the layer of new soil in the new, larger pot. If your plant has weak stems, staking it will help it stand tall. If you are staking your large houseplant, it helps to have another person hold the plant while you set a stake parallel to the houseplant's stem and push the bottom down into the drainage area. You can do this by yourself, too.

9. 
   Water the whole pot well.

   Then refill the pot, covering the bottom of the stake and the root-ball together. Fill the soil level so it is even on the plant stem to where it was in the old pot. Do not plant your plant deeper even if the pot is large enough to allow you to do so. Press down the soil all around and water the pot thoroughly until the water runs out the bottom of the pot. This, of course, will be much easier if you are outside. Otherwise, once again, be sure you have plastic under the pot to protect your floor.

10. 
    Happier repotted large houseplant!

    Now you can tie the stem(s) of your plant gently to the stake with soft plastic horticultural green tape. Move your newly re-potted plant back to its old quarters, dust off leaves and clean up the mess. Water again the next day to be sure the soil is well settled in and let the surface dry out before the next watering. Once you have re-potted your large houseplant, it should grow greener, healthier and happier for years to come.

11. 
    Home sweet home

    For more information on potting soils and large houseplants, please check the Additional Resources below.

Resources

• Potting soil recipes
• Article on Large Houseplants

[lelai]

on 1/17/2009 oh thank you. my palm tree needs to be repotted soon., I was just too scred to hurt it. Now I know that it is not that bad, I am doing it soon. 5*

[OliviaJane]

on 1/13/2009 Great article- just what I was looking for.