Not everything about container gardening is glamorous and exciting — you do have a few routine chores. This section takes you through the basics of various odd jobs because, in the long run, they help you grow better plants.

Replanting Regimen

Repotting plants that have outgrown their container is no big deal. In some cases, you repot to allow room for growth; in others, you repot to reduce or slow growth.

Following are some tips to make repotting go smoothly:

• Repot when roots show. You need to replant if you notice poor flowering, soil drying out quickly, stunted leaves and stems, leaf drop and die-back (parts of the plant turn brown and die), lots of roots coming through the drain hole, or matted roots near the soil surface. Generally, you repot every few years with permanent plants, as often as every month or so with seasonal bedding plants and annuals.
• Repot at the right time for the plant. Repot spring blooming permanent plants in fall, evergreens in spring or fall, and spring-flowering bulbs in fall. For summer-flowering bulbs, repot in winter or spring. With bedding plants and annuals, repot as needed through the growing season before the full flush of flowering hits.
• Choose the right-sized container. If you want to increase growth, you need to give plants more room for roots by transplanting into larger pots. Move up in size to a new pot that’s only a few inches larger. If you want to control growth and keep the plant from getting too big, you need to trim the roots and return the plant to a pot of the same size.
• Replant and root prune. Take the plant out of its current home and then plant just as you do for any other plant. Turn the container upside down, tap the rim, and slide the plant out. In some cases, you may have to trim off large roots poking through the drain hole. For plants going into larger containers, gently pull apart tangled roots, and then set the plant in its new or newly filled existing pot. For some permanent plants, you probably need to root prune, in which you use shears to cut away root growth. Root pruning controls growth and forces plants to grow new roots, which leads to limited but healthy new growth. To root-prune properly, remove about a quarter of the soil and untangle as much of the root mass as you can. Using shears, cut between one-half and one-third of the roots. For tightly balled roots, slice off one-half inch all around the outside and make vertical cuts top to bottom in several places.
• Allow roots to dry out first before removing a plant from a large container. Always let gravity help and pull by gripping the main stem or trunk. For stubborn root masses, use a rubber mallet to tap the sides or slide a knife down the sides and around the pot.
• Wash any pots you reuse. Before reusing the pot, remove bacteria by washing the pot with hot water and a 5 to 10 percent bleach solution.  ....read more