Overpotting

Overpotting Your Transplants

Most people think that just putting the new transplant into its final planned size container will save the trouble of repotting it a few times down the road. Well, possibly, unless it should die due to that decision. Is it definitely a death sentence? Maybe not. But, there are definitely some rules and proper techniques to consider.

When a small plant is placed in a much too large container the odds increase of overwatering which is bad for so many reasons. The plant cannot drink the amount of water surrounding it in the pot fast enough thereby depriving the roots of much needed oxygen. Your pot will take much too long to dry out. And, keep in mind that a plant will actually grow faster in the right size pot as compared to skipping the steps and going for the big boy right off the bat. The signs can look like many things but most likely your overwatered plant will look droopy.

Some popular and recommended transplant size increments:

Solo cup > 1 gal > 3 gal

Solo cup > 1 gal > 5 gal

Solo cup > 2 gal > 5 gal

Solo cup > 1.5 gal > 3 gal > 5+ gal