Repotting houseplants is an often-overlooked chore. Now’s the time, here’s what to look for

Just like the plants in our gardens, houseplants will be coming out of a wintertime dormancy and producing new growth and buds in late February and early March. This is the time to check your houseplants for signals that they need repotting.

Vigorously growing houseplants like spider plants may need to be repotted every year; slower-growing houseplants including African violets and Cape primrose (streptocarpus) can wait two or three years before being repotted.

Signals that the plants are becoming rootbound and need a bigger pot include roots growing through the drainholes, water draining quickly and completely, slow growth, and no room for your finger to penetrate when sticking it into the soil to check soil moisture levels.

Another important signal that plants need repotting is a solid crusty build-up along the outer edge of the soil around the rim of the pot. The soil surface may also show a whitish crust or covering. The crusty stuff is a buildup of excess soluble salts that is a very common problem for houseplants here in the central San Joaquin Valley. Other signs of a soluble salts problem are brown leaf tips and slow growth.

Our water is high in salts (highly alkaline). If the soil in potted houseplants is not leached every four to six months, the salts will build up and hurt the plants. Leaching out excess salts entails placing the plant in the sink and allowing tepid water to run through the soil and drain thoroughly several times. Bigger plants may need to be taken outdoors on a mild day and in the shade and leached with hose water.

Gently remove the plant from its pot and pull apart compacted roots or cut really compacted roots apart with a very sharp knife. If planning on re-using a crusty clay pot, scrub off the salts with a stiff brush and soak the pot in a 10 percent bleach solution to kill any disease pathogens or insect eggs.

Always repot using a sterilized soil mixture suitable for the plant type; e.g, sandy cactus and succulent soil mixes, water-retaining peaty African violet mixes, or orchid barks (fine, medium or heavy depending on orchid variety). All-purpose soil mixes can be used on other plant varieties.

Move rootbound plants into a pot just 2 inches larger. Growth will slow significantly while roots spend their energy trying to fill a pot that is too large.

Cover the drainhole with coffee filters or fiberglass screening. Never use Styrofoam pellets, rocks or clay pot shards to cover the hole. They will block the gravitational pull of water and create a root-rotting puddle at the bottom of the pot.

Fill the bottom of the pot with dirt so that the plant will stand with one inch of headroom below the rim for smaller pots or with two inches of headroom for larger pots. Fill in soil around the root ball and gently firm the soil with your fingers. Water well.

Clovis spring festival

The Clovis Botanical Garden is inviting local artists, artisans, authors and local businesses to apply for vendor space for the Spring Into Your Garden Festival to be held Saturday, March 16, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Over 500 guests are expected to visit the CBG for the plant sale, walking tours of the garden and gardening seminars.

For vendor information, call the CBG at 559-298-3091.