Potted plants are great any time of year. They add color and vibrancy inside or outside of a house. But when you bring home new plants from the nursery, you typically need to repot them in a more permanent container than the ones they’re sold in. And you need to follow a few important steps when doing this.
First, you need to ensure that the pot you’re moving your new plant into is correctly sized. These permanent containers need to be bigger than the pot your plants came in. In the video above, you’ll see I’m recycling some metal containers for use as planter boxes.`
After you’ve chosen and readied your planters, you need to put some gravel in the bottom. This gravel layer simply allows excess water to drain away from the plant’s roots in the container.
Next, you want to put potting soil into the container. Don’t fill the container to the brim, though. Rather, you just want to put in enough soil so that, once the plant is put in there, it sits at the desired level in relation to the container’s top edge.
Read more:Check out this video to learn the right way to plant a tree.
Placing the Plant
Your potted plant comes in a thin plastic container from the nursery, and you want to massage this container a bit before removing the plant. This simply breaks up the soil and frees the roots.
Slide the plant from the container, noting how the soil and roots are compacted to the shape of the container. Rough up the surface of the soil with your thumbs to loosen the roots, sending them in the right direction to receive nutrients from the potting soil you’re about to add.
Once the plant is removed from the container and readied for transplanting, you can place it into the container. Then add potting soil around and on top of the plant, not packing it tight but rather firming it up so the plant is secure.
Congrats! Your new plant is now permanently potted. Move the container to wherever you want it and give it a good water. check the moisture every day, and provide more water if the soil feels dry.
