You absolutely can repot houseplants in the winter if that is the best time for you to do so. Most houseplants don't care that much. The reason that the usual advice is to repot in the spring is that this is the time of year when plants come out of dormancy and start actively growing again.
Yes, you can repot your indoor plants over the winter months. There are probably better times of the year to be doing it, but if you can't wait until early Spring and your plant desperately needs a larger pot, go for it.
If the plant needs lots of direct sunlight, it might struggle with the changing environment because it might need extra light to settle into the home. If the sun is inadequate for the plant during the winter, the plant can wilt and die from a transplant.
In winter, most garden plants enter their rest period. They require little water, and reduce their metabolic processes to a minimum. This is then the ideal time to repot them into a larger pot, so that they obtain sufficient nutrients again and grow well in the new year.
The best time to repot a plant is in the spring so that actively growing roots will have enough time to grow into newly added potting mix. There are several signs that houseplants can exhibit when they are pot-bound. First check the frequency you are watering the houseplant.
Spring is the best time for repotting since it's the time of year that your indoor plants finish their dormant period and start to grow again! By repotting your houseplants in the spring, you give them a sufficient amount of time to grow their roots into the new soil.
If you leave the soil in your containers and moisture gets in the soil, the soil can freeze and expand, damaging your pots. Even resin (plastic) pots can get freeze damage and crack open. I learned this the hard way when one of my resin flowerpots cracked down the side, like a man splitting his pants. Oops.
Repotting Plants: How to Do It
Make sure the plant is well watered 2-4 days in advance. You don't want to repot when it's sopping wet but being too dry will cause stress. Take the plant out of the pot. If the rootball is a bit tight, gently massage the roots to loosen them up.
But, since in the winter many houseplants go somewhat dormant and stop growing as actively, it's best to wait until spring and summer to repot your houseplants. Make sure your new pot has drainage holes.
Fall is also a good time for transplanting, but try to do it at least three to four weeks before you bring the plant indoors for the winter. You want your plant to acclimate to its new container while it's still on summer vacation. Gently remove the plant from the pot and check its roots.
Keep your plants alive during winter by reducing your watering and using warm water for plants in winter. Even though your plants are inside, the majority of houseplants go 'dormant' in the fall and winter months. Less light means less growth, and less growth means they need less water and fertilizer.
“Houseplants don't actually go dormant like a lot of people think,” he says. They do, however, react to the climatic changes in your home. Your home is dryer in the winter. Hot dry air from furnaces, space heaters, and fireplaces (which also means less humidity) are factors for the decrease in houseplant growth.
You should repot houseplants into fresh, peat-free compost every two to three years. Spring, the start of the growing season, is the best time to settle houseplants into a new pot (repot).
Spring and summer are the best months to repot a pothos. Avoid repotting during the fall and winter as pothos go dormant in these months and are more likely to go into shock after repotting.
A plant also needs to be repotted if roots are growing out of the drainage hole, or if the plant requires frequent watering or wilts shortly after watering. Repot only as needed during spring and summer while the plant is actively growing. Do not repot ailing or dormant plants or those beginning to flower.
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.
Loosening the root ball when repotting is only essential when the plant has become completely root bound. In cases where they are not completely rootbound, you may be able to plant directly into the next pot. If the roots are not wrapped tightly around each other, there is no need to cut and disturb them.
You can either go for the bath method and bottom water, or thoroughly top water. I prefer to give plants a bath (bottom water) as step one, a day or two before I repot, then I like to thoroughly top water drench after repotting, as top watering also helps flush out excess dirt and silt from the new substrate.
It's generally fine to reuse potting soil if whatever you were growing in it was healthy.
Winterizing Your Planter
This can be done by adding substrate below the soil at the bottom of the planter, adding properly sized drainage holes at the bottom of the container and using high quality potting soil. This also prevents the plants from getting waterlogged. Make sure the planters aren't directly on the dirt.
Planters made from modern substances, like fibreglass, fiberstone, and non-porous plastic composites can safely remain outside over winter. Fiberstone planters are made from a mix of limestone and fibreglass, which forms a material that looks like stone but weighs a fraction of the natural material.
Transplant shock can be caused by incorrect planting. Frequently, plants being repotted don't have very big root systems. Damaging or disturbing these less developed root systems too much during repotting can definitely cause transplant shock.
Maybe the pot is too small for it. Perhaps the soil needs to be changed. There might be a pest or disease problem. Plants need water; If they don't have enough water, they can't take up nutrients from their soil, which means they'll wilt and become sick.
Give Them Room to Grow
As your plant continues to grow, it may eventually get too big for its container. You can tell if a plant is ready for repotting by looking at the roots. If the roots begin to poke through drainage holes or push up through the soil, it's likely time for a new pot.