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Garden Gate Gardening: Repotting
Root Relief

Knowing when and how to repot a pot-bound plant makes a big difference.

Potting benchI recently visited by childhood home. The "huge" bedroom I'd shared with my two brothers looked smaller than any room in any house I've lived in since. I tried to imagine it as my bedroom now. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

I guess moving is just one advantage humans have over plants -- especially container-grown plants. Unless you move them, they stay in the same "room" all their lives. Some plants, like snake plants (Sansevireria spp.) and many cacti, are reputed to like being root-bound. I've found no research to back this statement or deny it, but I do have a 15-year-old snake plant that's been in the same pot as long as I've had it, and it seems to be doing just fine.

It also hasn't grown much, which is the main reason you need to periodically move your container plants into larger pots.

Stunted growth, deformed limbs or leaves and a general decline are all cues that your plant may be pot-bound. Pot-bound or root-bound are terms for when roots of a plant outgrow a pot and begin to spiral around the inside or poke through the drain holes. Gently slide the plant a few inches out of the pot to see if roots are spiraling.

The solution to pot-bound plants is moving htem into slightly larger pots. This process is called "stepping up." The value of doing this is threefold. First of all, you solve the problem of restricted root space. If the roots can't grow, there is a direct impact on plant health, size and bloom.

The second value to stepping up the plants is that you replenish the soil. Frequent waterings leach most nutrients out of it. With this in mind, you may want to replace all the soil when up step-up.

The last advantage is aesthetic. Over-grown plants in small pots look (and often are) top heavy. Placing them in larger pots balances the plant physically and visually.

Regardless of why you repot, I suggest you do it in early spring. This coincides with the flush of active growth most plants experience during that time of year. Follow this link to Repotting Plants to see step-by-step how you can repot.

In regard to the pot itself, make sure that if it's not new, it's clean (you can sterilize it with one tablespoon of bleach mixed with a gallon of water). Select a pot a couple of inches larger than the old one. If you use too large a container, the soil will hold more water than the plant needs and you'll end up with more root growth than you need and a decrease in flowers and foliage. So, monitor your root-to-pot ratio and your plants will love you 'til the end.

-- Todd Steadman

Provided By Garden Gate Magazine
(c) August Home Publishing Co.
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Reprinted with permission, HouseNet, Inc.


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