The Number 1 Killer of Houseplants

Repotting a tired plant is one of the best things you can do for it but it comes with the risk of killing it by accident if you make this mistake or this mistake or even this mistake. These are just some of the repotting pitfalls we really need to avoid to make sure we don't end up killing our plants and instead have the best collection on the block. I've endured the painful consequences of these mistakes over the past 10 years of owning houseplants but now I'm going to share with you everything I've learned the hard way so you can start repotting like a pro. So you might be sat there thinking why even bother with all this repotting malarkey? The plant seems perfectly happy with her lot in life so why open a big can of worms and start messing around with the soil and whatnot? Leave her be. Sure this is an option but you're just not going to get the best out of your little green pals. First the plant is really going to struggle to grow big and strong if you keep her all cooped up in a little pot. The more the roots have room to grow the more she'll push out lots of stems and leaves. Size up the pot regularly and the plant will size up too. Simples! Second you might have found the perfect decorative pot for your little lass from your local charity shop and you need to put her into a pot that is the right size. Thirdly you might have noticed a bunch of annoying flies buzzing across your face while you're watching the latest episode and not realized that they are most likely coming from the soil of your plants. If they have indeed become a breeding ground for fungus gnats then you'll want to change the soil. Fourthly you might have realized after suffering through a couple of my videos of course that your plants are suffocating in a potting mix that is not chunky enough so a change is in order. Fifthly and lastly your plant is root bound. So root bound we hear this all the time don't we but what does it actually mean? When is a plant root bound? Well there are three levels of root boundedness. This is level one and as you can see it's not too bad at all. Lots of soil still in the pot and the roots aren't circling at the bottom in any significant way. This guy would continue to happily live in his pot but will probably need upsizing in a few months. One to keep an eye on. This gal is level two. She's got some legs that are starting to swirl around the bottom of the pot because they've got nowhere else to go so we could do with upsizing her today to set her back on track and this my plant friend is level three. Really we want to avoid level three. It shows we're neglectful parents and our dear darling might not forgive us. This guy should have been repotted a year ago at least so we best get on and sort him out which we will in a jiffy. Now you don't have to pull your plant's trousers down to necessarily tell if your guy is root bound. There are a few things that should act as a warning sign if you begin to notice them. Fast drying soil is a sure sign your little guy is at level three. It means the roots have taken over the pot and there's no soil left to hold on to moisture so whenever you give him a drink he needs another one just a couple of days later. Slowed growth is another dead giveaway. Got a plant that just doesn't want to grow big and strong no matter how much fertilizer you give it? Check the roots my plant friend he's probably at level two at least. Have you noticed that your little gal seems to be on her tippy toes like she's coming out of the pot all by herself? This is the roots going all level three taking over the pot and pushing the plant up and over. What about a bunch of southern yellowing leaves? This happened to my Aglaonema and pulling her out of the pot revealed the dense matter roots that needed more room to grow. Again this is because there is less soil in the pot to provide nutrients to the roots so we get some yellowing and then we have roots coming out of the drainage Now this doesn't always mean your plant is at level three. If you're a bottom waterer like me then the roots are just trained to follow the moisture at the bottom of the pot so it could be par for the course for a level one-er but still well worth a check though. Diagnosing the cause of symptoms like this is so much easier with the help of my free plant troubleshooting handbook that you can download by following the link in the description to this video. Is it too little or too much nutrients? Too much sun? Too much water? This will point you in the right direction and best part is it's completely free. Check it out. I'm going to show you exactly how to repot your green friend in a sec so that you can avoid things like this but first putting your plant into the wrong new container could spell disaster for your little guy so we need to get that spot on. First is size. Size does matter, in the plant world at least. This is the basic rule. The larger the pot the longer it will take to dry out. Don't take a wee plant like this and plonk it into a container like this. There'll be too much soil for the size of the root ball that'll stay wet for too long and potentially rot those precious roots. Now they say to only go one size bigger than what you've already got but I like to break that rule and go a bit bigger than that. Going a tiny bit bigger would just mean you need to repot again in a few months and I ain't about that life. Unless you've got succulents and cacti don't use these, not unless they're glazed. Terracotta is porous i.e. it has tiny holes in that lets air and water escape so any plant that goes in there will need watering much more often than a plant in a plastic pot. Great for arid dwellers but not so much for our tropical friends. If plastic is a bit too ugly for you then just do this and clear plastic pots like these are great because you can snoop on the roots easily and if you're a beginner then drainage holes at the bottom is always a great idea. Keeps your gals and guys from sitting in a swamp. You can pop them straight into a pretty pot without holes of course but it just means you have to know what you're doing with the watering. This Peperomia has been living in this pot for a couple of years now and he's still with us so he can be done. The option I go for 95% of the time is plastic inside decorative, nice and easy. So there are five basic steps to repotting a plant. Step one, pull his trousers down otherwise known as removing the container. Hang on Mr Sheffield, when should we be doing this? Only in spring right? Actually no, repotting can be done any time of year. As long as you don't live in a fridge the roots will continue to grow all year so have no fear about repotting in winter. I've done it countless times. So expose his private parts and assess the damage. I like to do this when the plant isn't soaking wet otherwise it just creates an almighty mess in my kitchen. If you're at level three with your guy then you'll need to do a massage of the sides of the pot to get him out. Sometimes they can be very reluctant to get their nappy off. If you're still struggling then scrape the sides with a knife or something. Try not to hack into the roots too much although that's not a major issue as you'll see in a sec. When you feel like he's ready to show his head pull the crown of the plant gently. Get a sturdy grip of the main part of the plant so you don't rip any stems or leaves or even behead him entirely. Phew, he's out in one piece. Step two, tease the roots. Now don't go mad here. If the plant is level two root bound then a light untangling of the bottom bits to stop the swirling motion is plenty good enough. Level three might need a bit more fondling but it's not necessary to break everything apart. If you are struggling to untangle because she's gone a bit level four then hack off the end with a nice sharp knife. This won't kill the plant trust me. I've done this lots of times and they still love me. I think. Step three, place into a new container. Grab your container of choice and put a layer of soil at the bottom and then pop your little guy on top. Now this is where you can easily kill your plant. Make sure the soil line is where it was originally. Don't go deeper, this is crucial. You can get away with going a bit higher but going deeper has potential to rot the stem at the crown of the plant which would be a disaster. I know it's tricky to anchor the plant into the soil sometimes and to avoid her tipping over it's easy just to pile more soil up against the stem but she really won't thank you for it. If things are a little floppy it won't matter too much. Things should start to anchor down soon enough and straighten out nicely. I like to line up the crown of the plant with just underneath the lip of the pot and then backfill around the soil. There'll be lots of air pockets in and around the roots so give the pot a tap here and a bounce there. Make that booty dance. Double check that the soil is at the same level as it was originally. This really is the number one plant killer. Now it's also a great idea to leave some space between the lip of the container and the soil, more for your own sanity than anything else. Go too high and water always over spills when you give her a drink. It's an absolute nightmare. Step four, water. This is one of the most important parts of repotting and where I see grave mistakes. You might be thinking that you only gave the plant a drink a couple of days ago so you won't need another one now but the truth is watering after repotting is crucial even if you only watered yesterday. It settles the soil around the roots by getting rid of hidden air gaps and make sure the soil is as close as possible to the roots. Don't worry about over watering. You can't over water by giving a drink so soon after his last one. Over watering is much more about continued watering over weeks and months keeping the soil saturated and rotting the roots in the process. I always notice holes in the soil after watering because an air pocket has been filled so I go back in and top up with a bit more salt and eating it all up. Step five, prune back foliage. This is optional but I like to give my plants a wee haircut after to get rid of any split ends or strands that are losing their colour. It'll help the plant focus on growing new roots in his new home. Nothing drastic, just a few light cuts here or there. You might be a little unsure of what needs a cut and where and how to do it. It can feel a bit unnerving can't it? We don't want to cut off too much or cut in the wrong place and end up killing our beloved plant do we? Well this video is here to help as I show you exactly what you need to do to prune a bunch of your plants like a champ. So make sure you check it out and I'll see you there.