How to repot indoor plants step by step

A home can completely change thanks to indoor plants. This is true to such an extent that they can become the main decorative features of any room, providing that natural touch that everyone so adores, especially if you aren't lucky enough to have a garden or live near the countryside.  

However, in order for them to grow correctly, aside from standard care like watering, they need to have sufficient space. So if you want them to be healthy and beautiful, it's very important to pay attention to their growth and repot them as required. The best time to do this is spring, given that, due to the extra hours of sunlight, they grow faster.  

This should be done taking certain steps so as not to damage them, given that in their natural habitat, plants don't expect to move from one place to another. Take note! 

Step 1. Revitalise your plant

It won't be necessary for all plants, but for those with many leaves after a long winter, it might be worth giving them a revitalising trim before repotting them. How? Trim with special scissors and only cut the spreading and dead branches.

And before throwing them out, read the next step!

Step 2. Give a second life to your cuttings

As we said, instead of throwing out all the branches or leaves that you've cut off your plants, consider saving the largest ones and using them to create a vibrant still-life scene. To do this, you can put the branches in vases or glass cups with water, and put them in a corner of your home that is screaming for a dash of colour.

But still life is not the only thing you can do with the leaves you've cut off your plant. If, for example, a leaf was already dead and didn't look that good, you could use it to bring out your creative side and make a work of art like the one shown here. You'll only need a blank canvas, a pencil and paint. In this case it's green, but you can use any colours you like most. When it's ready, you just need to frame it.

What do you think of the end result? From something as simple as a dry leaf, you can create a decorative piece that brings nature to any room of your home.  

Step 3. Choose the new pot and prepare the substrate  

Once you've removed the leftover leaves from your plant, if that was needed, now it's time to choose its new pot. This must be between 5 and 10 cm in diameter larger than the previous pot, depending on the size of each plant, so that it has more space.  
As you'll see, there are pots made of lots of materials (terracotta, PVC, clay and wood, to name a few). When choosing yours you should ideally consider the needs of your plant and where you're going to put it. Because they are indoor plants, you won't need the material to be as sturdy as if you were going to put them on the terrace or in the garden, because they won't be exposed to rain or abrupt temperature changes. So the simplest thing to do is to choose a new pot that is exclusively designed for indoor use.  

When you've chosen the pot, it's time to prepare the substrate for your plant. Again, it's important that you use a specific one for indoor plants. Once you've chosen one, add a few centimetres of the substrate to the bottom of the new pot. Want to know a trick? If you have an old broken terracotta flowerpot, you can crush it and mix it in with the soil to improve the drainage and the plants will grow even more.

Step 4. Get ready to repot

Removing the plant from its current flowerpot is the most complicated part. To do this correctly, you should remove it carefully and avoid the roots from getting damaged. After that, place it on the substrate base of the new flowerpot and fill the sides, without pressing down excessively.  

The height at which the plant is placed must be similar or slightly higher than the previous pot. 

Step 5. Water it and put it wherever you want

The last step will be to water it the right amount, without drowning it, so that it continues to grow comfortably in its new space. If the pot is quite large, you might need to change its location so that it fits in your home better. 

Like other elements, plants are part of the decor, so it may be a good time to reorganise your indoor plants and create a home environment that exudes springtime. As in the image, you could create a corner including several varieties or distribute them throughout different rooms. You decide!  

Would you like to have more plants? Grow a garden from scratch 

Now that you've had time to repot and organise your plants at home, you might want to keep the momentum rolling. If that's the case, why not grow a small indoor garden from scratch? That way, you'll not only be able to admire them, it will also be a very satisfying task. How? Get seeds and plant them in paper cups with a substrate for indoor plants. You can also use a fertiliser like VÄXER, which provides the necessary nutrients for new plants. 

To encourage their growth, you could place them on the window ledge. Then they'll get the light they need. You could also put them in a small greenhouse like the SOCKER, which offers the ideal environment for growing seeds and also looks great. 

All that's left is to water them according to their needs, wait for them to germinate and watch them grow. Then it will be time to repot them and repeat the previous steps. It's an exciting process!