How to Pot Plants
Whether you are potting (transplanting) a house plant or an outdoor plant to be placed in your garden, deck or patio, the procedure is the same. You may want to pot a plant you just purchased into a more attractive container. Or, you may want to move a plant that has outgrown its current pot to a larger pot. If you follow a few important steps, you will have a perfectly potted plant every time. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Choose a container with drainage holes. Although, there are potting containers without drainage capabilities, they should only be used for decorative purposes. A second pot, with drainage holes, can be placed inside a container without them as long as the inside pot does not sit in standing water, as this will cause root rot.
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Place a layer of gravel, rocks or marbles in the pot. This bottom layer will help ensure good drainage, prevent the soil from escaping and keep the roots from becoming waterlogged.
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Pour enough general purpose potting soil into the pot so that the plant will sit at the same level at the rim of the new pot as it did in the old pot (about 1 inch). Pack the soil down. Moisten the soil.
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Remove the plant from the old pot. Hold the plant stalk between your thumb and four fingers. Turn the old pot upside down and tap on the bottom. The plant should come right out. Loosen the root system.
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Place the plant in the center of the new pot and pour soil around the sides of the plant until the level of the added soil is even with the top of the soil around the plant. Gently press down on the sides to anchor the plant. Add more soil, if needed.
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Water the potted plant thoroughly.
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Tips & Warnings
If you choose a terra-cotta pot, soak it in water overnight so it does not leach the water from the plant when you pot it. If you are re-potting a plant that has been outdoors, pot it as it begins its growing cycle (this may be different for different plants). If you wait until it is dormant, usually winter, the plant does not have enough energy for the roots to establish themselves.
Resources
- Photo Credit kurki15 at Flickr
