Indoor Houseplants and outdoor container grown plants can outgrow their pot or container. The roots grow in search of water and nutrients. The roots consume increasing amounts of space in the container. Eventually, your plant stops growing, or even wilts, for lack of nutrients. You are now the proud owner of a root bound plant. Now what do you do?
The solution is simple: repot it in a larger container. Your plant will now have room to grow, and more fresh soil, to seek out vital water and nutrients.
As a rule of thumb, houseplants should be re-potted every 1-2 years or less with faster-growing plants.
How can you tell that a plant is root bound? The real proof is growing hidden, inside the planter. When you take out the plant, there will be a ball of roots, with little soil. The roots are wound around and around the inside fo the container.
There are a couple of signs that your plant is root-bound. A healthy, growing plant that slows down or stops growing, has probably become restricted by too small of a container. If it has been a long time since you repotted your plant, it is a good assumption that your plant has become root-bound. Even if it hasn’t, re-potting into fresh soil is always a healthy thing for your plants. And, it allows you the opportunity to get your hands into some dirt!
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