Transferring a plant from one pot to
another, normally, this means
potting up, but it can also mean
potting down. Primary purpose of repotting is to provide fresh
media, not necessarily a larger pot, but pot size should be selected
according to the size of the root mass. Plants generally like to be
a little tight in their pots. Plants transferred to overly large
pots tend to concentrate their energy on root growth and may not
show good growth of foliage or
stems.
Plants may be potted in
plastic,
clay or decorator
pots, and the
type of pot selected may influence
watering frequency; plants in
clay pots will need more frequent watering, as they will
dry out a
little faster. Always select pots with
drainage holes; plant roots
in contact with
stagnant water will rot and
die, killing the plant.
Media in the centre of larger pots may remain wet for long periods
and become an unhealthy
environment for roots. This can be avoided
by placing pieces of broken
terra cotta in the bottom of the pot. A
smaller pot inverted into a larger one can also help with
drainage
and aeration, with the roots of the plant draped over and around the
smaller pot.
Plants grown in the ground can have
root systems that extend beyond
the shadow of their own
foliage
canopy in a search for water and
nutrients. But containerised plants are limited by the size of their
pot as to how far they can extend. They need to be constantly
supplied with food and water on which to survive. Their root systems
however, continue to grow in tandem with their leaves and branches
above the surface of the soil.
After a period of time that varies between different plants and
plant species, the root systems of all pot-grown plants fill their
containers, and become 'pot-bound'. Under these conditions, new fine
feeder roots that are so essential to the uptake of water and
nutrients in a plant have little room to grow, the
soil structure
deteriorates and the plant starts to suffer.
Primary purpose of repotting is to provide
fresh media, not
necessarily a larger pot, but pot size should be selected according
to the size of the root mass. Plants generally like to be a little
tight in their pots. Plants transferred to overly large pots tend to
concentrate their energy on root growth and may not show good growth
or foliage or stems.
Many plants during repotting are root-pruned.
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