How to Repot Plants: The Ultimate Repotting Tutorial: Best of Growing Joy Replay

How to Repot Plants: The Ultimate Repotting Tutorial: Best of Growing Joy Replay

Author: Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness June 11, 2026 Duration: 34:56
Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care
LeisureEducationGardenHealthHealth & FitnessHome

If you are just starting out as a plant parent, there comes a moment when you realize your plant has outgrown its pot and you need to figure out how to repot it. And in learning how to repot plants, you might feel like you are doing it wrong, or you end up being way too careful and precious about the whole thing.

Repotting is actually a very simple process, and it can even become a really fun and meditative part of caring for your plants.

Today, I am bringing back a solo episode from the archives as part of the Best of Growing Joy series. This is your go-to beginner's guide on how to repot houseplants the right way. I will walk you through the most common repotting mistakes I see beginner plant parents make so you can avoid them and feel confident going into your next repotting session.

This episode is completely free, but if you want extra support with visuals, soil science tips, and a deeper dive into how to repot plants with confidence, I have a very affordable repotting course linked here. I hope this episode is helpful, quick, and gets you fully set up for success at your next repotting party!

 

In this episode, we learn:

  • [02:30] Things I learned about repotting in the last couple of years
  • [03:34] Some personal plant care routines
  • [04:59] Do some spring cleaning!
  • [06:28] Repotting vs potting up vs potting up water-rooted cuttings
  • [09:04] Some rules to remember in potting up
  • [10:43] Do the two-inch “bump up” rule when potting up
  • [11:59] When should you pot up?
  • [13:08] What is repotting and why is it important?
  • [14:36] How do you repot a plant?
  • [15:03] Get stylish, minimalist grow lights your plants will love with Soltech!
  • [17:16] Give your plants the love they deserve with Espoma's organic, eco-friendly potting mixes!
  • [19:08] Common mistake people make when repotting/potting up
  • [19:30] How do you pot up water-rooted cuttings?
  • [21:02] General steps for repotting/potting up/potting up water-rooted cuttings
  • [27:31] The ​​best time to repot or pot up houseplants
  • [29:05] Why you should not pot your houseplants in dirt from outside
  • [32:00] Make sure that you saturate the soil!
  • [32:35] Pay attention to the type of container or pot you are using
  • [34:08] Use repotting as an opportunity for mindfulness
  • [37:16] A letter to my pepper plant going into transplant shock

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

 

Is your plant currently root bound and waiting to be repotted?

Check out the full show notes and blog for everything you need to know about how to repot with confidence!

 

 

 

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!

Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria

Subscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmaria

Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com

Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


There’s a quiet, accessible kind of wellness waiting for you on a windowsill or in a patch of soil. Growing Joy with Plants explores that very idea, moving beyond basic tips to examine how our relationship with the natural world directly nurtures our mental and emotional health. Hosted by Maria Failla, a self-proclaimed Happy Plant Lady and author of "Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness," this podcast feels like a warm conversation with a knowledgeable friend. Maria guides you through the practicalities of keeping your houseplants alive and thriving, but the discussion always circles back to the deeper connection-how the simple acts of watering, repotting, or simply observing growth can become anchors of calm in a hectic day. Each episode digs into how gardening and engaging with nature, even in small urban spaces, offer tangible tools to manage feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. This isn't about achieving a perfect indoor jungle; it's about finding moments of peace and genuine happiness through the process of care. The underlying message throughout the podcast is a powerful and gentle reminder: tending to your plants is fundamentally an act of tending to yourself. You’ll come away with not just better plant care knowledge, but a refreshed perspective on cultivating joy in your daily routine, learning that the serenity you might seek on vacation can be rooted right in your own home.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Official website RSS
instagramyoutubetiktokspotify
Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care
Podcast Episodes
Grow Your Own Luffa: Luffa Gardening Tips for Plant Lovers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:16
Have you ever thought about growing your own luffa? Someone sent me a packet of luffa seeds about four years ago. I think I won them in a giveaway, and they just... sat there. I never planted it because something about l…
Growing Fruit Trees for Plant Parenthood and Joyful Living [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:07
What if your backyard could feed you for decades with way less work than a tomato patch? You can achieve this with fruit trees! I met arborist Allen Taylor at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show earlier this year. He's…
Why Plant Parents Need Nighttime Garden Break for Mindful Gardening [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:03
What if the most relaxing time for you in your garden isn't during the day, but after dark? In those cool summer nights when garden chores aren't practical because you can't see very well, we have a unique opportunity to…
Think Beyond Pots: Design A Landscape With Herbs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:38
What if herbs go beyond the small, contained, and kitchen-window plants we use them for? Herbs could do so, so much more! In this episode, I sit down with Sue Goetz, a garden designer, author, and herb obsessive, to expl…
Let Nature Be Your Garden Designer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:12
What if we don't design or control our gardens, but instead collaborate with them? I moved from the lush woods of Zone 5B to a front yard full of sand in Zone 10B Florida and felt like I had no control over my garden des…
Feeling hopeless? Try growing flowers. Here's how. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:09
Aren't flowers just the perfect little pockets of joy? I have been following Claudia from In the Garden with Claudia on Instagram for over a year now, and I live for her cut flower garden stories! I’ve been feeling a lit…

12345»