Scarborough Seashells: house plant care

I was in the store today where I bought some pretty glazed pots and soil so I could repot some of my house plants into larger containers. When I checked out, the cashier mentioned that she had plants she knew needed to be put into bigger pots but she wasn't sure how to do it.

It dawned on me that maybe there were some folks out there who might be scared to repot for fear they'll do something wrong and kill the plant.

It's really pretty easy. First off, I assume you have a plant in need of a larger home. If you plant has stopped growing or if you can see roots poking out, it's time to upgrade.

When shopping for your new pot, make sure you only go up 1 size. Also, make sure that there is an adequate drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.

When you get your pots home, scrub them with hot water to get them good and clean. While they're drying, you should water the plants that are ready to be repotted and let the water drain out of them fully. (Wait 20-30 minutes)

In the bottom of each pot, place a single layer of small rocks or gravel (I used some clean beach stones that I've had accumulating in jars in my studio)

Next, add a layer of potting soil and then saturate it using a spray bottle.

Remove the plant (with its root ball intact) from it's current pot. If the roots are tightly bound together, loosen them gently with your fingers

Place the plant into its new container. Fill in around the plant with more potting soil.

The new soil level should be about 1/4" over the existing root ball; about 1/2" from the rim of the new pot. Be sure to press the soil in firmly so it doesn't settle later. Spray down the new soil layer with more water and you're done!