Get it onGoogle Play
← All plant guides
Photo: A pot to grow into — Sudzie · CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo cropped from the original.
Pot and soil

A pot to grow into

MYTH

Give it a much bigger pot and the plant will grow faster.

FACT

The roots can't use the water in all that extra soil, so it stays wet for a long time. Instead of growing into it, the roots can rot – especially in plants that grow slowly.

What actually matters

  1. Only 1–2 inches widerChoose a pot 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) wider than the old one and not much deeper.
  2. Signs it's timeRoots poke out of the drainage hole or wrap around the whole root ball. Or the plant wilts soon after watering.
  3. In spring, while it growsRepot in spring or summer, once the plant is actively growing. Leave dormant and budding plants alone.
  4. Big new pot, wilting?If the leaves yellow and droop after a move to a big pot while the soil is soggy, don't add water: the trouble is too much water, not thirst. Water only once the soil starts to dry, or move the plant to a pot just bigger than its roots.
  5. Some like it snugSome plants do best in a tight pot, for example amaryllis and Christmas cactus. An orchid needs a pot just big enough for its roots: if they still fit the old one, keep it.
Sources: RHS, Illinois Extension, Iowa State Extension, Clemson Extension, Penn State Extension.