Recently, I posted pictures of a root-bound ZZ (Zamioculcus zamiifolia) plant on my Instagram account and received quite a few questions about them. The discussion was whether I was going to up-pot it or re-pot it because it’s fall and the daylight hours are waning. You can read about up-potting a dracaena (sansevieria) here but under different circumstances. I want to talk about the conditions the plant will be living in before deciding whether to repot or up-pot your plants in the fall. Yes, there is a difference between the two types of potting.
-
- This ZZ plant is quite root bound
-
- Look at those roots!
Getting the plant out of the pot
When I removed this ZZ plant from its utilitarian grower’s pot, I found this root mass. Below you can see a plant I had before that was so rootbound it had to be cut out of the pot. Before I could do that, though, I had to cut some large protruding roots off the bottom.
-
- I had to cut the roots protruding from the bottom of the pot ( Pictures from Houseplants book -Quarto)
-
- Then I had to cut the pot off the plant
Loosen the roots
When a plant is rootbound, the roots will do better if loosened before moving into a new container. It stimulates new root growth and helps them spread out in the pot. I usually use clippers or a knife to slice through the roots along the sides and the bottom. If they aren’t too tightly bound, I use my fingers to loosen the roots. Whatever works is fine as long as the roots are untangled.
-
- I loosened the roots before re-potting
-
- Here is the bottom of the plant with the loosened roots
Repotting vs. up-potting
What is the difference between repotting and up-potting? When you repot a plant you are removing it from the pot you bought it in and planting it into the same size decorative pot. If you up-pot the plant, you are moving it into a pot that is larger than the one it came out of. Only go up one size so that there isn’t too much wet potting medium around the roots. How do you decide which to do?
Growing conditions are the key
Before deciding whether to repot or up-pot a plant it is important to take into account the conditions it is growing in and the time of year. Right now, it’s fall and the days are getting shorter. That means there is less time for the plant to photosynthesize and “eat”. So, in the case of the top ZZ plant pictured, I put it into a pot approximately the same size as the pot it came out of. It was a bit taller so those loosened roots on the bottom will have a bit of room to spread out. It is known to be a low light plant so it could be placed in a spot that gets little light. With the shortened days and the likelihood of placement in a spot without a lot of light, this isn’t the time to up-pot the plant. Next spring will be the time to move it up into a larger home, or up-pot it. If this had been placed in a high light situation or under electric grow lights, I would have potted into a larger size now.
Which one?
So before you decide what to do with your plant, whether you repot or up-pot, consider the conditions it is or will be growing in. The best time to up-pot a plant is in the spring, as a rule, but there are exceptions. Do you up-pot plants in the fall? How do you decide what to do?
Have a great week!
I repot or up-pot whenever I remember to get it done. I just repotted a diffenbachia and an unknown succulent that had potting soil so old it and turned to dust that not much was left in the pots. Up-potted a dwarf lemon because it was pot bound. The aloe vera I kept only one sprout and repotted that. This summer my potted fig tree got repotted because it was leaning so far I feared it was going to fall over out of the pot. The ideal time for any of them to be done? No, but I needed to get the potting soil bag out to the garden shed for the winter. I’m going with a saying quilters use – done is better than perfect.
Hi JustGail, Sometimes you have to do what you have to do whether its the best time or not. I bet they will be fine! Have a great day and thanks for your comments.
Lisa
I just up-potted several plants, I do it when ever the plants get root bound, fall or winter.
They are in a high light area, hopefully my Peperomia, survives. I know the two zygo will do fine, it may not bloom but than I have several other zygo that will. It may sound crazy but I find when I repot less light for a couple days seems to help them recover, than into a well lit area helps get them going again. Hopefully I’m doing things right.
Hi Mary,
That sounds like a great idea. They probably could use a rest, but I wouldn’t leave them anymore than a couple of days in less light. Its fine to repot if your plant is getting plenty of light.
Lisa
Thank you! I have some plants I’d like to move outside for the summer season this year. I definitely want to repot them before bringing them in for the winter and was worried this would be bad for them since I so often hear you should repot in the spring. I undetstand now that repotting in the fall should be okay.