Moisten the soil. You should definitely water your plant a little now, but do not give it a full watering. It's best to wait at least a day since you just watered it before you repotted it.
Once you've figured out which houseplants need repotting, it's a good idea to water them well the day before you plan to upgrade their containers. A thirsty plant is a stressed plant, and already unhappy plants won't adjust well to the move. Plus, a damp root ball will be easier to work with than a dry one.
A peat-based potting mix will weigh less than a soil-based mix; however, it is more difficult to wet if it dries out. Wet the potting mix prior to repotting houseplants to ensure that the potting mix will absorb water evenly.
We recommend watering heavily right after getting the plant in the ground, waiting 30 minutes for the water to soak into the ground, then watering heavily again. The deeper the water gets into the ground the better.
You should definitely water your plant a little now, but do not give it a full watering. It's best to wait at least a day since you just watered it before you repotted it. Place back in its previous environment. Changing location and soil simultaneously can lead to plant shock.
Botanists explained that the roots are delicate and touching them can break the smaller ones. While this is still considered true, the current view is that you can do more damage if you don't wash the soil from the tree roots before you plant.
For most tropical houseplants, if the soil is dry and due for its next watering, go ahead and water it thoroughly and let it drain completely before you begin to repot. If the soil is already wet, you can skip this step.
Pot Size Is Linked to Growth
Potting up (moving a plant to a larger pot) tends to encourage it to grow faster and become larger. It's the sort of thing you do to a younger plant, sometimes more than once a year.
There could be several reasons for a plant dying after replanting, including: shock from transplantation, incorrect planting depth, not enough water or too much water, pest or disease problems, or improper lighting conditions.
The best time is when temperatures are moderate to put less stress on your plants. Water your plant well a few days before it is time to repot it. This will hydrate the plant and minimize the shock of transferring it into new soil. It can also make the removal process easier.
Stop Watering the Plant
But stopping your watering is always the first step. If you're overwatering, you'll likely notice that the soil is wet, so you want to make sure that soil is bone dry before you're ready to break out the watering can again.
Remove about one-third or more of the old potting mix surrounding the plant's roots. As it grew, your plant removed some or all of the nutrients in the current mix, so you'll want to give it fresh potting mix or soil. Pour a layer of fresh potting soil into the empty planter and pack it down, removing any air pockets.
Allow for Good Soil Drainage
For container plants, potting soil should be used and pots must have drainage holes. Any saucers below houseplants should be emptied regularly and plants need to be potted in appropriately sized, not oversized, containers to avoid an excess of moisture in the soil.
If you have a bare root plant, let it soak in a bucket of water for several hours. Make sure soil in a new pot is damp already, and water again after transplanting. If you're moving to a new spot in the yard, fill the new hole 3/4 full with water before setting the plant in.
Repotting or transplant shock is a state of stress some plants experience after they're moved from one pot to another. It can manifest in a number of different ways, but there are a few key signs.
Plants can get stressed, just like us. Whether it happens overnight after being repotted in your cute new pot or over the course of several days after their environment drastically changes, they are great at communicating their stress with us.
However, repotting can be a somewhat traumatic experience for plants, and some are more sensitive to this disruption than others. The journey from the garden center to your home is quite an adjustment for your plants, and they should be given a little time to rest before repotting.
The 'best of the worst' is simply that plants stop growing for a while after repotting. But done right, they will quickly bounce back and grow better than before. Symptoms of transplant stress from repotting include yellowing leaves, leaf drop, wilting even when watered, no new growth or root damage.
Sugar water does not do anything to help plants with transplant shock, and it can make it worse. Often, plants recover on their own. Just give them time, keep them well-watered and protect them from too much sun to prevent more leaf scorch.
Don't Repot Too Quickly!
Transplanting too soon will likely damage your plant's fragile roots; and if broken roots do not kill the plant, the stress placed on the roots may inhibit foliar growth.
When to re-pot house plants? Most houseplants will need re-potted every 12-18 months (with the exceptions of succulents and cacti). You definitely want to avoid repotting a plant immediately after bringing it home from the plant shop.