Just thought i'd add a simple guide on how to repot a plant into a larger container quickly, easily, without damaging the root sytem of your plant and without getting into a right mess! lol.
When should i repot?
It can be tricky trying to figure out when your plant needs to go into a bigger pot, but the simplest way is to look at the bottom of your pot, if you can see roots appearing through the drainage holes (as in the pic below), then it's time to get your plant into a bigger pot.
Pic: roots appearing from the drainage holes.
Next...
Fill your bigger pot with your soil/compost but don't pat it down, the roots on your plant need air and patting down the soil will push all the air out.
Now, slowly and gently push down your smaller container into the middle of the soil of the bigger pot until the tip of the pot is just showing....as shown below.
Now, remove the little pot from the larger container and you are left with a nice, perfectly sized hole ready for your plant! (see pic below).
Put your hand over the top of the little pot with the stem of the plant between your fingers and turn it upside down, if the plant and soil ball does not fall into your hand gently squeeze the pot to loosen things up.
Plonk your little plant into the hole that you created, lightly cover the top with a tad more soil and give the pot a good watering.
Job done and no mess or damage to the plant!
**Note: If you are using bigger pots, ie; repotting from a 3L pot into a 10L pot the same principal applies, but instead of making a hole in the soil with the smaller pot just half-fill the big pot, drop in your root ball then pour more compost down the sides until the pot is full.
Hope that helps a few of ya!
Peace!
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