Whether you begin with a seedling, a rooted cutting, a plant lifted from the garden, or a bulb, the way you first pot a plant is vital to its future health. With few exceptions, house plants thrive in a potting soil mixture composed of gravel, peat, and soil in equal proportions. Don’t forget to put a layer of coarse material for drainage in the bottom of the pot before you begin to fill with potting soil. A plant needs repotting when its roots get matted around the outside of the soil ball in which it is growing. If the pot is too large in relation to the plant, the soil will dry out very slowly and it will be difficult for you to control the moisture. But if the original soil ball has become packed down, has had poor drainage, or has had too many soluble salts (from hard water), then all of the soil should be removed and replaced. read more

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