Hello! Happy March! Happy Almost-the-Middle-of March! And Happy Almost spring! Whatever you do today – DO NOT LOOK OUTSIDE! Your cabin fever will only spike!

So, let’s just stay inside today with our inside plants. Let’s pot around with re-potting our potted plants. Please, anything to get away from all those small seeded flower, herb, and vegetable seeds that we have been talking about turning into toilet paper seed tapes and disks for the past few weeks.

So – re-potting . . . This repotting chore is usually tackled late winter or very early spring while those houseplants are still dormant, before they begin their active growth. But should all houseplants be repotted? Let’s take a closer look.

Most houseplants are usually bought at an immature stage of growth. So this means that they are relatively small-sized and easier to transport and to market. And it’s cheaper that way. As these houseplants start to thrive in your house, most active growers will need larger quarters after a while.

Keep in mind that as the top growth takes off, so does the bottom growth, the root system. Those plants will need progressively larger pots as they continue to grow. This process is called re-potting or potting on. So we might just be tempted to take that actively growing plant and just plop it into one big, gigantic pot that will take forever for that plant to outgrow. And actually, it will take forever, too! That’s because over-sizing your pots does not lead to happy, healthy, actively growing plants.

Houseplants should generally be moved into pots just one size larger than the pots they were originally in. But if that particular house plant is a particularly quick-growing species, then you can safely go up 2 sizes larger, not just the one size up. This means that the fresh soil around the existing root ball will soon be penetrated by the new roots. Now if that plant is in a super-sized larger pot, there will be tons and tons of extra potting mix that will not contain any roots for any time soon. Then eventually all that extra potting mix will become water-logged and stale, and so that extra growing space will become dead space. And then your once happy houseplant will no thrive, and it’s once active growth will decline. All in all, not a happy puppy!

And some houseplants really, really hate to have their roots disturbed at all. These plants, probably very slow-growers, will be in the largest possible size to begin with when you buy them. These plants should not be re-potted. Instead, fresh potting soil should be added to the top surface of the pot. We call this adding up to the top – top-dressing.

So it’s a really good idea to know what kind of plants you have. Are they rapid growers who are constantly outgrowing their pots? Are they slow growers who never seem to fill out, or spill out of their pots? Ask you favorite garden center expert, or look up your plant varieties in a house plant book.

And so, the key to repotting is timing it just right. And this comes down to experience. After awhile you can tell when a particular houseplant is in need of repotting by simply looking at it. The most obvious sign is when the plant’s roots cover the surface, or there are roots coming out of the bottom drainage holes. And if you do see roots coming out of the bottom holes, turn the plant out of its pot and check out the plant’s root ball. If the root ball holds together and the soil is packed tightly with roots, then that plant is definitely ready for repotting.

If that soil falls away from that root ball mass, no repotting is necessary. Just carefully put the plant back into the same container; lightly firm the soil around that root ball mass. Leave that plant go for a little while longer, and then check it again next season.

Another sign that your plant is in need of repotting is when that plant is constantly going bone-dry, you are constantly watering it, and you never seem to be able to quench its thirst. The plant needs a bigger pot with more soil and more space, so there is more room for the roots to spread and the moisture to go.

So – repotting . . . the best time for repotting is at the beginning of its active growth. This is generally in spring, generally around now, if only Mother Nature would come to her senses. Keep in mind, house plants that bloom in the winter will need to be repotted in early fall, after their dormant period (summer).

So that’s about it for today. Take a good look at all of your houseplants; determine which ones are in desperate need of larger quarters. Line up those larger pots; get that potting mix ready, and go to it. Start potting around with your houseplants!

Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!
D