Repotting

You’ll only want to upgrade in container size about 1-2 inches in diameter from the current size of the container with any standard indoor potting mix. There are other specific potting mixes designed for species like Succulent/Cacti mix or Orchid bark mix for Orchids.

• Overgrown - If you haven’t repotted your plant in 12-18 months and it has been actively growing, there’s a chance it may need to be repotted and Spring is usually the best time to start since plants will start to actively grow again. There are plants, however, they are more slow growing and have shallow roots so they may not need an upgrade in container size but rather just fresh soil. Repotting doesn’t always mean upgrading your plants container! Sometimes it means just providing fresh soil.
• Salt/Mineral - Mineral buildup can accumulate in your soil from hard tap water overtime. When it’s extensive, you usually start to see that your soil has a white appearance or film to it. Generally, this is harmless, but some plants can be sensitive to it or too much build up can lead to browning leaf edges when water transpired from plant leaves.
• Nutrients - Overtime as plants grows the nutrients that are present in the soil start to degrade. Plants need these essential nutrients in order to grow happily. Therefore, if you’re not fertilizing, repotting plants with fresh potting mix can help replace any nutrients that were lost.
• Top Heavy - When plants are left in containers that are too small for too long it can cause the foliage to get top heavy since the roots to have space to continue growing to support that growth.

• Roots - Roots that are poking out of drainage holes or even out of the top of the soil (not to be confused with aerial roots) can be an indication your plant has outgrown that container and needs a larger one.
• Nutrient Deficiencies/Toxicities - Nutrient deficiencies will usually start to occur on the lower, oldest leaves of a plant. It can start out as a pale yellow which remains on the leaves without them dying back. This is usually a sign your plant needs fresh nutrients and changing the soil or fertilizing if it’s not ready to be repotted can help. As for toxicities, this happens when we fertilize too much or use hard tap water and the salts build up in the soil. You can try flushing out your plants soil by leaching it with distilled water, or you can just provide your plant with fresh potting mix!
• Leaning/Toppling - A symptom of a plant having a too small of a container so it will need a larger container to help support its weight.

Plant is growing slower than normal or dries out quickly? Plants will start to grow slower when they the roots don’t have space to keep growing or if there aren’t enough nutrients. When soil starts to decompose after awhile it will lose its ability to absorb moisture for a longer period as the roots take up the space where soil was. This is usually a sign you need to provide fresh soil or upgrade in container size.