When should I transplant into new soil? We have a couple of plants at work that, according to co-workers who have been there for years, have been in the same soil as long as they can remember and they aren't doing too well. Is it time for new soil?
2006-08-12 04:04:35 · 6 answers · asked by paper_boy21 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
Yes. If the plants aren't looking well and healthy, it's time to repot into new soil. Potted plants are living in an artificial environment. If they were growing in the ground, the roots could go deeper and wider in search of nutrients, but in the pot, they are obviously limited. Also, the physical structure of the soil changes after a period of time, as there is no no humus being added as there would be in a natural environment. So you could probably temporarily perk up the plants by giving them some plant food, but you'll have better and longer-lasting results by repotting them into fresh potting soil.
When you take the plants out of the pots, if they are rootbound with the roots curled around taking up the entire pot, you can either repot into larger pots or do a little root pruning so you can fit them back into the same pots with fresh soil.
2006-08-12 04:26:58 · answer #1 · answered by sonomanona 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had ferns in a large pot outside and they were 11 years old when the pot broke and I threw them out. So they can last a long time. My mother in law a a Christmas cactus that must have been 10 to 20 years old.
Plants are living things so they just need attention and fresh soil every year or so, sometimes you have to increase the pot size when you re-pot with new soil and fertilizer and water to help them be all new again. Miracle grow potting soil comes with fertilizer in it. and works great. If you re-pot into a new pot increase the size by about 4 inches across and 4 or 5 inches in depth. To avoid making it too heavy if it is large, add Styrofoam peanuts to the bottom before some new soil to keep it a bit lighter.
I have a potted ficus tree that is 8 or 10 years old.
2006-08-12 11:34:31 · answer #2 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You don't have to replace the soil. Get some fertilizer spikes if you want to add nutrients. Or just use liquid plant food.
Repotting is not done to 'get new soil'...it is done when a plants roots get too big for the container...but that is a different issue from 'new soil'.
The biggest killer of indoor plants isn't bad soil...it is overwatering.
2006-08-12 14:57:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes it is time for new potting soil for those plants. When you remove the plants from the pots losing the roots up because it sounds like they are root bounded that will cause them not to look good or grow .
2006-08-12 13:00:46 · answer #4 · answered by arlenebaby2001 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it's most likely that they are pot bound, to big of a root system for the size of pot there in!
2006-08-12 11:11:36 · answer #5 · answered by Pobept 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not long without water ..
2006-08-12 11:09:07 · answer #6 · answered by stonehandman 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋