As the weather changes and your house shifts from dry to humid, your plants need a little extra TLC and attention. Since we’ve been discussing plants for a while now, it may also just be time to simply re-pot!
In this article, we’re going to discuss all things moving. Whether it be moving your plant from outdoors to indoors, moving plants to bigger pots, or moving them around from house to house, moving plants can be stressful –– for both you and the plant. So, it’s important to watch your plant carefully during the process.
Outdoor to Indoor
As the weather gets chillier, the tropical plants that you have outside have to come indoors so they don’t freeze or wither. This will lead to a large environmental and temperature change for the plant. For example, your plant might have been getting a lot of sun and natural water being outside, but bringing it inside will force it to adapt to your nurturing.
I’ve found the best practice is to bring the plant inside but leave it by your door. This allows for a smoother transition in temperatures as it will get a mix of your inside temperature and the outdoors. Be prepared for the leaves to wilt a bit and maybe brown. Keep watering it regularly, but don’t overwater it! This will for sure kill your plant.
Moving with Plants
If you also happen to be moving houses or apartments, there are a couple of ways you can do this safely without harming the plant. The best practice is to put your pots in a cardboard box and leave it open on top so the plants can continue to get air throughout the drive. If it’s a particularly cold, rainy, or snowy day, you can place tissue paper on the foliage to protect it from harsh temperatures and winds. However, I wouldn’t keep this on for long as it could suffocate the plant.
Try not to leave plants in a moving van/truck and keep them up front with you. You’re more likely to keep checking on the plants and then there will be no risk of them getting crushed by other boxes. Also, when they’re near you they’ll get more carbon dioxide!
Repotting Plants
This is probably scariest of all: changing the soil or pot of the plant. First of all, you should only be doing this every 1 to 2 years as it can stress the plant out immensely and possibly damage the roots. You should also only re-pot in the spring/summer as I’ve found when it gets colder out the plants are hesitant to change or adapt to new soil.
If you’re going to re-pot, ensure the new pot is only two inches bigger than the last pot it was in. It’s also important to maintain adequate drainage when repotting, so either double-pot or put some rocks at the bottom of the pot to ensure the roots don’t drown.
A good practice for repotting a medium-sized plant is to have an inch or two of rocks at the bottom, then fill half of the remaining space with soil, leaving a small crevice in the middle for the plant to go in. Take your plant and carefully dig with your hands to get to the bottom of the plant’s roots, pull and tug a little to take the plant out of the old pot and then place it in your new pot. Then cover the rest with soil and, making sure all the roots are covered, try to leave an inch or so of space from the top of your pot to the soil to ensure no water spills over — and voilà!
Hopefully all these tips and advice help when you’re moving your plants around. The most important thing is to take your time, regulate the temperature in your home to the plants’ liking and don’t overwater! If you’re new to houseplants, check out my other article for beginners and you’ll be well on your way to having thriving plants in your home!