When I dove into houseplants saw general rules provided to inquiring new plant owners and the advice is good to follow especially as a newbie but the one thing that made me anxious was the thought of repotting every year for my plants. I just saw myself shelling out money on pots that were only going to last maybe a year before I’d have to buy another! I couldn’t imagine storing them all in my apartment and felt bad for thinking of just ignoring that general guideline.
Like with any hobby the rules are more like guidelines (except safety rules!) Good in general for plants and beginners but as I learned more about the plants I owned the less I was concerned about repotting. Repotting as in putting the plant into a bigger pot – not just refreshing the soil.
A few of the plants I own generally prefer to be snug like a bug in a rug in their pots so repotting every year isn’t necessary like my peace lily, yucca, sansevieria (dracaena now) to name a few. Succulents (and cacti?) I’ve heard can be in the same pot for years although if that’s the case I would refresh the soil at least every year or two.
Signs that my plants may need new pots are:
- No new growth for a while (different than dormancy)
- Pot is beginning to be deformed if the plant is in a nursery pot
- Declining when other pest and diseases have been eliminated
Below are some other indicators that can be a sign that a plant needs repotting, but some things play into them so I don’t only rely on them:
- Roots coming out of the drainage holes
- reason: roots follow the water goes and accumulates so obviously they’re going to gravitate towards the drainage holes
- Needs frequent watering / drying out too fast
- reason: the potting mixture has broken down and the soil looks dried out
I have a raven ZZ plant for a few months now and I absolutely love it. It hasn’t pushed out any new growth for me and the last couple of month it must have had a growth spurt with its roots because the nursery pot has no flexibility when I squeeze it and feel roots. So I need to get some potting soil this weekend to add to my inorganic mixture to repot the little guy. I don’t know if I want to put it in a big pot or a slightly bigger pot, so I have to figure that out before I repot him I’m off to read opinions on if ZZ plants like space or not. Wish me luck!