Repotting

Your #WellspringPlantMail 🪴📫 arrived in a small pot which helped it get started and kept your shipping costs… free! But now it’s time to raise your plant to maturity. Just as your infant 👶 is ready to bust out of that newborn onesie faster than the blink of an eye, 👁️ your plant will be ready to size up before you can say, “Where did the time go?” 🕙 If repotting seems stressful, don’t worry. It’s not scientific and there are many right ways. But we hope you find the following guidelines and tips useful.  

Repot anytime, but especially when you see these signs.

You can repot anytime—a couple days, weeks, or months after you receive it, Repotting will give your plant room to grow, so don’t wait too long though.

Sure signs that your plant is ready for a new home:

• The roots start peeking out of the bottom of the pot.
• The plant is top-heavy.
• Water is draining out much more quickly than usual. 
• The pot is bulging.  

Use soil suited for your type of plant.

Most plants like well-drained soil. We find two parts peat moss to one part perlite works well for most plants, allowing it to be well-drained but still moist. General potting mixes you get from your local gardening store have a similar ratio and will generally work well. Or you can make your own blend. Check out the University of Florida's guide to making your own potting mix.

The type of soil is actually less important than keeping your soil as wet or as dry as your plant likes. You could pot most plants in the blend mentioned above and your plant will thrive as long as it gets its desired amount of water.

We take the guesswork out of the soil type/desired moisture level by listing the soil needs on each of our product pages. So look up your plant on our site to see what type of soil your specific plant likes and how wet or dry to keep it.

Size up gradually.

You will want to go up 1-2 inches in diameter from your current pot size. Your #WellspringPlantMail comes in a 4.9-oz pot that's 2.25 inches in diameter, so for your first pot, choose either a pint (around 3.25 inches in diameter) or a quart (around 4.5 inches).

If you want to plant in the ground, we still recommend repotting into a pint or quart before transferring your plant to the landscape. With even more mature roots, your plant will likely thrive.

It may be tempting to plant in a large pot so you never have to repot, but if you use a container that's way too large, it makes it tricky to maintain the correct moisture level. When you size up gradually, you focus the moisture exactly where it needs to go—to the roots. Plus, even if you don't need to size up yet, it's a good idea to repot every year and a half or so to give your soil and plant a refresh. 

Once your plant grows out in a slightly larger pot and starts showing signs of needing to be repotted again (roots fill to the bottom, top-heavy, water drains too quickly, bulging pot), it's a good time to plant in your landscape or to go up to the next pot size.  

Plan for the ultimate pot size. 

After establishing your starter plant in a pint or quart pot, the next pot sizes go by gallons (1/2, 1-7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc.). If you’re planning ahead to see what the ultimate pot size will be once your plant reaches full maturity, one rule of thumb is to plan a half gallon per foot of height. For example, if you’re growing a tree that can grow up to 10 feet, plan for around a 5-gallon pot eventually. We take the guesswork out of this by providing the average mature height on each of our product pages.

FAQs

Do I have to repot?

Yes, you’ll want to repot eventually because your plant has more growth potential than where it started, and it needs space to do that. Not repotting can stunt your plant’s growth and keep it from reaching its average mature height. It can also make it tough to receive the moisture it needs. So, repot to keep it happy, healthy, and growing steadily. 

Can I plant straight into my garden after arrival?

Yes, you can, but you’ll increase your chances of success by first growing it out in a slightly larger pot to help the plant become even more established before planting in the landscape. 

When is the best time to plant/repot?

Springtime is usually the most ideal time for planting. The warmth of the season and the longer daylight hours will help your plant survive the mild shock of transplanting.  

Find more info.

We hope you found our repotting tips helpful, but remember there are many right answers when it comes to repotting. We encourage you to do some more research to find what will work best for your specific plant, goals, and space. 

Just like our garden, we’re always growing and expanding our care info, too. So if you don’t find your exact plant or the topic you’re looking for on our site, we encourage you to access the vast gardening resources online—especially sites with a .edu address. One resource we love is the University of Florida/ IFAS extension's Garden Plant Care database. Go Gators! 🐊 Please also feel free to reach out to support@wellspringgardens.com. 

Happy planting! 🪴