When it is time
Your plant needs more growing space when it shows signs of outgrowing the pot it is in. You will see roots appear through the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. Then select a new pot which is only 2 or 3 cm deeper & wider than the one which it is in. Your plant will not appreciate being moved into the biggest home you can afford. Going too big too soon can be deadly. Empty soil invites other guests into the growing medium that your plant will not enjoy living with.
Your Growing Medium
Before doing anything to your plant mix the medium you are going to be using to fill out the bigger pot. What this is depends on the kind of environment that plant was living it before being brought into captivity. Consider both the drainage & nutrient levels. At one end of the spectrum are the semi-succulents. They require very quick draining medium with very low levels of nutrition. Syngonium & Begonias, in contrast, will enjoy a growing medium with much higher water retention capacity & nutrients.
Our peat-free potting composts contain mixtures of organic materials such as coir & shredded bark. These are then mixed with inorganic materials such as horticultural sand (which comes from river beds), vermiculite, perlite, & horticultural grit. This mix of coarse and fine particles is required to form a compost that can hold the just the right amount of water to enable your plant to take up nutrients whilst ensuring that it does not become water logged. It also allows air into the mix. We add worm casts which provide an organic source of slow release nutrition.
Once you have got your mixture ready water your plant thoroughly. Place the right amount of growing medium in the bottom of your new pot. You can test this by placing the plant, still it its pot, on the top of it. Then squeeze the pot all the way round & then, gently, remove your plant. Have a look at the root ball. If it looks like it is a bit pot bound (the roots are going round at the bottom of the pot) tease the roots out a bit before placing it in its new pot. Then fill in the sides around the plant pressing down firmly to ensure that there are no air pockets left in the growing medium. Water again & add extra compost if necessary.
All our plants come with a comprehensive care guide which includes a description of the growing medium they will require.
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