HelpfulGardener.com

I'm a newbie just starting out with some house plants. I don't really know what I'm doing in many cases. My latest problem occurs when I try to transplant my houseplants (basil, rosemary, chili pepper, some flowers and misc. houseplants) into a new pot or changing the soil for an existing pot. The plants seem to go into shock and either die completely or almost die and never fully recover.

I'm very careful not to damage roots but it seems that I'm not doing something right. So, two questions:

1) What causes plant shock?
2) How do I avoid it?

Thank You!

I don't think you can repot a plant without disturbing the roots somewhat. Do you have a good, basic gardening book to use as a guide? If not, you might want to visit your local public library and check out a few.

Many things have to be considered when repotting plants. Some prefer to be moved only at certain times of the year. Have your new pot of soil prepared before you remove the plant from it's old pot. Don't tug the plant up by the stem. Carefully knock it out into your hand and gently place the root ball into the new pot and soil. Be sure you water the newly repotted plant very well to settle the soil and eliminate any air pockets that might remain in the soil.

You don't need to change the soil on potted plants very often, unless you've been using a salt-based fertilizer on them. Even then, you can wash much of the excess salts out of the soil by "flooding" the plant repeatedly with water and allowing it to drain thoroughly.

Some plants do best if lightly pruned or pinched back immediately after being repotted. It allows the roots to get established, and relieves them from having to support a lot of top growth.

HTH!

A nice drink of water right after transplanting and a shady (no sun) area.
Bill