In the past, I have recommended to never up-pot a plant in the fall when the days are getting shorter and our plants are going into their winter rest. Yet, if a plant is extremely root bound, it may be necessary to up-pot a plant at this time of year. I’ve had this Sansevieria ‘Moonshine’ for many years and it has been growing well, but I noticed yesterday that it had two new shoots that were needing some more room, as they were pushing the plant out of the container.

This plant is about to bust out of this pot

New shoots pushing the root ball out of the pot

As you can see above the entire plant is coming out of the container.

Look at the root ball

Here it is out of the pot. Look how root bound it is.

The root bound plant out of its pot

Two new shoots

Look at the size of those underground stems. They look like roots, but they are actually stems of the plant and the leaves emerge from the stems.

Close up of the new shoots

A close up view above.

A third new shoot in the middle of the plant

Time to up-pot

A third shoot is coming up in the middle of the plant, adding to the pot that is already crowded. I decided to up-pot it even though it is a time I would not normally up-pot a plant. I do re-pot plants at this time of year, which means I am simply changing pots. If I buy a plant which is in a grower’s pot, I change it to a more decorative pot which is approximately the same size. Giving a plant a bigger pot at this time of year usually isn’t in the best interest of the plant as too much potting medium around the roots can cause problems as the plant isn’t actively growing when the days are shorter and it can’t use all the water in the superfluous potting medium. But, in the case of this sansevieria, it is extremely root bound and the new shoots need extra room or they will not grow to their full potential and their growth may be distorted. So, I made the decision to up-pot the plant to the next size container. I may need to even up-pot it again next spring when the shoots expand, but didn’t want to up-pot it into a too large container at this time of year.

A much happier plant

Below is the newly potted plant. I think I can hear the plant heaving a sigh of relief. Have you up-potted a plant at this time of year? Tell me your experience in the comments and how your plant fared.

Not a ton more room, but enough for now

Newly up potted

Here is a Pinterest graphic for you to pin.