Roots protrude from the bottom of the pot The plant stops growing or becomes limp The plant is root-bound or pot-bound
Many tropical plants like to be slightly underpotted, and unless you need to repot it because the soil is exhausted or the plant is suffering, there is no reason to do it early. An over-potted plant will focus on root growth at the expense of new foliage and flowers. Finally, some plants, such as bromeliads, will almost never need to be repotted. If a bromeliad sends out pups, or mini-plants, just cut these off near the base of the mother plant and pot them separately.
Steps for Repotting a Plant
If a plant is too large to repot, you can top dress the soil by carefully removing the top few inches of soil and replacing it with new compost. Take a look at the steps for transferring your smaller plants into larger pots.
When to Fertilize
When it comes to fertilizing newly repotted plants, most store-bought compost or soil mixes have fertilizer included. In general, you should not fertilize newly repotted plants for six weeks. If you are conservative about fertilizer when you first repot your plant, it will reduce the chances of burning the new root growth.
