Repot plants-a promotion for growth

Indoor vines are usually grown in pots, in hanging baskets, or in built-in planters or similar gardens. In each case they are supplied with suitable soil - which, by the way, should be neither wet nor dry, but just moist at planting time - and replanted or repotted only when their roots are crowded or the soil nutrients are exhausted.

There are times when repotting is called for, and times when it is not. When roots are practically bursting out of a pot or basket - or crowding roots of other plants in mixed gardens - they should be promoted to a slightly larger container, but not one several sizes too large. Overpotting is a popular way of killing plants with kindness. In an oversupply of soil, excess water keeps air away from roots, and they may rot.

When you think a plant may need repotting, tap it out of its pot and see whether the roots have surrounded the ball of soil. If they have not, replace the plant and refresh some of the soil on top with a new layer. Always level off soil at least a half inch below the pot rim, so there is a reservoir to hold water until it seeps down through the pot.

Pots and Containers

Although the aesthetic appeal of plant containers sometimes seems to clash with practical and cultural utility, there should really be no conflict. Pots - mostly porous clay or plastic, in varying sizes and proportions - are made for plants to grow in. Decorative containers. - metal, ceramic, and the like - are designed primarily for decoration. To protect furniture surfaces, most do not have drainage holes in the bottom.

Unless you are infallible in watering, just like pothos plant care it is dangerous to put plant roots and soil directly into these containers. Rather, keep the plant in its pot and set it inside the container. Then, over watering is corrected simply by lifting out the pot and emptying the container of excess water. If the container is large enough, you can also help increase humidity with a layer of pebbles or moist peat in the bottom. This is sound practice even for small, table-top containers.

Porous clay pots are probably safest for use inside decorative containers, because they allow more air to reach plant roots. Plastic pots, on the other hand, are attractive, clean, and light, and require less frequent watering. Either type should be of a size and depth in suitable proportion to the plant - neither so small that the plant looks grotesquely large, nor so large that the plant seems lost. No pot of any kind should be planted unless it is thoroughly clean.