Whatever You Do, Don't Repot Your Houseplants This Fall

From finicky houseplants that seem to wilt when you look at them the wrong way to easy indoor plants that thrive even when there's hardly any light, all of your houseplants will need to be repotted eventually. Repotting helps keep your plants healthy by giving them fresh soil and more room to spread their roots to avoid becoming root bound. As a general rule, you'll want to repot most of your houseplants once every year for young plants and about every two years for mature plants. Although the concept is pretty simple, timing is everything when it comes to repotting. Fall, for example, is not an ideal time for this common task, as it could damage your precious plants.

In autumn, the days start getting shorter and colder, and many houseplants enter a slow-growth or dormant phase that runs from October through January for most species. Moving your plants to a new pot during this phase can increase the risk of overwatering and plant stress. So, if you want to help keep your houseplants strong and healthy, leave them be in the fall. Of course, with any rule, there is almost always an exception.

When you cause your plants extra stress by repotting them in the fall, it can lead to a number of issues. Things like wilting, losing leaves, and even death can occur. You also have to consider that plants require less water during their dormancy period. However, because repotting involves giving your plants a good soak, you also run the risk of breeding issues like root rot and pests attracted by the symptoms of overwatering.

In some cases, the risks associated with repotting indoor plants in the fall might be worth it. For example, if your plant is top-heavy and constantly tipping over, has pests, or the roots are growing long through the drainage holes, you may not be able to wait. If this is the case, utilizing indoor grow lights can make repotting during the fall a little easier on the plant. If you can, though, it's best to wait until spring to repot your houseplants.