Repotting houseplants is an essential task that can't be ignored. As out beloved houseplants outgrow their containers, they need to size up to keep growing healthily. Fail to do so and you send them on their way to a slow decline, inevitably ending in the death of your plant.

While it's true there are houseplants that enjoy being slightly root-bound, most houseplants will thank you for repotting. It's best to do so in early-mid spring or early fall, when you can take advantage of temperate growing conditions to help your plants recover. With more space, roots can breathe and take up water and nutrients much more effectively, supporting the overall growth of your plants. It will help keep yellowing leaves at bay, wilting, and even pest problems.

It can seem daunting at first to remove your houseplant from its pot, but once you get the hang of it it's quite a quick job. Different houseplants may require slightly different methods, but for the most part you can follow the below steps to repot a houseplant successfully ( add this Amazon potting mat to your houseplant care kit to make this a mess-free task).

1. Check the Roots

The type of plant you have will depend on how often you need to repot houseplants, based on how fast they grow and how tolerant of being root-bound they are. Generally speaking, the most popular indoor plants can be repot every 1-3 years, but you should assess the roots to determine this.

Gently lift your houseplant out of its pot to look at the root health. If the roots still have plenty of room to grow and aren't wrapping around each other into a solid mass, your plant doesn't need repotting just yet. On the contrary, they will need to be if more room is needed.

Other symptoms that indicate it might be time to repot a houseplant is that its soil has become hydrophobic (i.e. houseplant soil won't absorb water) and foliage is yellowing despite there being no other issues, such as watering and pest problems. A soil moisture meter (like this from Amazon) can help identify if there are any hydration issues.

2. Gently Remove the Plant from Its Pot

To remove your houseplants from its existing pot, gently lift it. If it's proving to be a bit stuck, you can gently twist to loosen the soil and roots, or use this repotting trowel from Amazon.

You may want to do this over a potting mat (like this from IKEA) to keep your floor tidy and to catch excess potting mix that escapes. Our collection of potting tools and accessories has more products that may be useful when repotting your houseplants.

Having this workspace also gives you the option of turning the plant upside down to remove it. Support the plant at its base with one hand when doing this, so it doesn't fall out and get damaged.

3. Prune Damaged Roots

Before giving your houseplants a new home, take the time to prune houseplant roots that are damaged. This will protect the plant from declining health and pest problems, as well as help it settle into its new pot much more smoothly.

You can use sharp pruning tools to do this. These Fiskars micro-tip pruning snips from Amazon are the perfect size.

Remove any houseplant roots that are mushy and rotting by making clean cuts. So long as the majority of the root ball stays intact, this won't affect your houseplant. Likewise stick to the one third pruning rule to avoid shocking your plant.

You may also find you need to gently tease any compacted roots apart. Do this gently with your hands, loosening the mass of roots to they can grow freely once in the new plant pot.

4. Repot into a Larger Container

If you need to repot a houseplant because it's run out of room in its existing container, select a pot the next size or two up – for example, upgrade an 8-inch plant pot for a 10-inch plant pot (like this beautiful ceramic floral one from Amazon).

I always use repotting as an opportunity to give my houseplants some fresh potting mix, packed with essential plant nutrients. The Miracle-Gro houseplant potting mix at Walmart is a good option.

Alternatively, you can attempt to make your own orchid potting mix or make you own peace lily potting mix etc. Or, you may simply wish to add a soil amendment for extra drainage, such as this perlite from Lowe's.

When repotting your houseplant into the new container, gently press down around its base to secure in place, avoiding any damage to roots.

5. Water Deeply

The final step to repot a houseplant successfully is water deeply to help it settle into its new container.

You can use the bottom watering method or even soak your houseplant for 20 minutes if it has a drainage hole in its pot to ensure the roots are properly hydrated.

Just keep in mind your plant's watering needs and don't make the common indoor plant mistake of oversaturating the soil (especially in fall and winter). A soil moisture meter (also available from Walmart) can help you identify when your plant's soil has sufficiently dried to water again.

What to Shop

Repotting houseplants is just one element of the fall houseplant care checklist. Don't forget to also adjust watering, relocate houseplants closer to windows, and remove any damaged leaves. Houseplant rotation can also be a good practice at this time of year, to discourage leggy growth.

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