No-Stress Plant Repotting

The key is to make a template in the soil using the old pot. If you do this, the plants won’t even realize they’ve been repotted.

First, I choose a pot usually a half-inch to 1½ inches larger in circumference than the pot the repotting candidate is in. The depth doesn’t seem to matter. Some plants should not be repotted into a much larger size because, oddly enough, some plant roots like boundaries. I think it’s better in general for roots to go deeper than to spread outward.

I then de-pot the plant, being very careful not to disturb the soil. It’s a good idea to water it before you de-pot so that the soil will stay together.



I fill the new pot about halfway full of soil, put the empty pot that once held the plant into the bigger pot, and start filling the smaller pot with dirt packing it down. Once full, I start directing the soil around the edges into the new pot by gently pushing it toward the sides.





Once the soil is snugged down completely, I very carefully lift the old pot out, leaving a template of the old pot. I then gently drop the plant into the template and sprinkle, very sparingly, soil on the top.





The plant won’t even know it has been repotted.