OUR ULTIMATE REPOTTING TIPS!

Do you know that ALL our pots come with a fitted water tray? 

Our water tray's design can be really simple and functional, like for the Roma Planter or the Etch Planter, or sculptural and surprising, like the Eros Tall and Dome Planters or the popular Archie Planter.

 

 

We work hard to include this really important feature in all our designs, allowing you to avoid using unsightly plastic pots and to pot your plant directly into your Capra vessel! 

We asked Bryony and Bec from Munash Organics for their best advice to repot your plant into your favourite Capra Designs planters. We are proud to showcase this great Australian business that makes incredible, efficient and organic products for our plants!

-What are the basic steps when repotting a plant?

Start by choosing the best quality potting mix, and organic is always best.  A good quality indoor potting mix is the foundation to growing healthy plants, aiding with a lessened likelihood of disease and pests.  Look for a blend that is certified organic and includes a blend of both perlite and coir. 

For many, the idea of repotting your precious indoor plants can make you feel slightly anxious, however it can be the best thing you can do to keep them happy and healthy. 

1. Start by watering your plant thoroughly 1-2 days before repotting – this will help reduce the possibility of transplant shock
2. Gently remove the plant from its pot. Simply lean the pot sideways, supporting the main plant stem in one hand while gently tapping the pot away with the other hand. 
3. Shake off any excess potting mix, then trim back the roots a little, especially if they are damaged, dis-colored, rotten or don’t look healthy - this will rejuvenate the plant 
4. Fill your empty pot up to halfway with new potting mix and firm it down gently with the palm of your hand
5. Place your plant in centre of the soil mix and then continue adding potting mix around the plant, firming down a little as you go, and make sure it is secure. 
6. Fill the pot leaving a 2cm gap from the rim of the pot. 
7. Gently lift and tap the filled pot so the soil settles and then top up if need be
8. Water in your plant with a fine and gentle spray over the potting mix until water runs out the drain holes, this will settle it into its new home.

 

 

 

 

 

-When is the best time to re-pot a plant? How do you know when your plant needs a bigger pot?

Most of the time its best to repot just before the new growing season, so late winter or early spring is perfect. A general rule of thumb is that young and fast growing plants should be repotted every 6-12 months, and the slower growing or more established large plants every 12-18 months. Sometimes the plant just needs a refresh, not necessarily a bigger pot. 

Here are some hints to look out for telling you it’s time to repot:

• If you see roots growing through the bottom of the pot/drainage holes
• There’s little soil visible anymore, so you’ve lifted the plant and its rootbound
• The soil has depleted and it looks like it needs a generous top up
• There is a lot of salt or mineral build up on the soil
• The soil smells unpleasant, sour, rotten (it should smell fresh like a forest floor)
• The soil is drying out very quickly, is hydrophobic, or just won’t re-hydrate
• There are unwanted bugs or disease present in the soil (or flying around the room)
• Your plant simply looks like it needs a refresh!

If your plant just needs a refresh, but doesn’t need to go into a bigger pot and you like the style of the one it is in, simply repot your plant directly back into the existing pot with new, fresh enriched soil. 

If you are increasing the pot size, always remember to not go too big with your new pot choice, as the growing environment will change too dramatically for the plant, it is likely to then be in too much soil which will struggle to dry out between waterings, and the plant will ultimately drown.

 

 

 -What are the common beginners' mistakes?

Just like people and animals, plants are living things and need to be fed and the easiest and most natural way to do this is via the soil they are growing in. People go to great lengths to get their soil blends perfect and create a solid foundation for plants, but if you do not continue to feed the soil on an ongoing basis, no nourishment is available to the plant. 

Another common mistake is that people believe that plants don’t need repotting, and that they will be fine in the pot and soil mix it came in from the plant shop. The soil is the home for our plants and we need to ensure that we give our plants all the nourishment it needs to thrive, so keep up the feeding of both the soil and the plants, and repot at least every year. 

Always make sure your pots are clean. If newly purchased they will be clean and ready to go, but if you are recycling your favorite pots when repotting your plants, you must always wash your pots thoroughly first with hot and soapy water, and then dry them in the sun, just to ensure that no nasties get transferred into your soil. 

It can take a plant a couple of weeks to recover from repotting so in that time you may need to show it a little extra care - water it a bit more frequently than usual, keep it out of direct sunlight, and don’t use any liquid fertiliser and foliar fertilisers for at least two weeks. 

 

 

Many thanks Bryony and Bec for helping our customers taking care of their green babies!

xx - The Capra Designs team