Helpful information
Timing: Once small plants have outgrown current pot
Where to do it: Indoors or Outdoors
Garden space: Large garden, small garden, balcony, indoors
Timing: Once small plants have outgrown current pot
Where to do it: Indoors or Outdoors
Garden space: Large garden, small garden, balcony, indoors
Potting on is also available as an easy read PDF guide. Find our easy read guides here.
There are some parts of gardening that involve unusual or unfamiliar terms. Sowing seeds and caring for young plants is one of these!
If you are have sown seeds, as the young plants grow there are different activities that could come next. This will depend on the type of plant and how you have sown seeds.
1. Pricking out
This is usually needed when small seeds are grown close together in a tray. Seeds are ‘pricked out’ and moved into individual pots. Read our guide to pricking out seedlings for more advice.
2. Potting on
This is where you move a young plant from a smaller pot into a bigger pot. This is usually needed for plants that grow very quickly, like tomatoes. Some people pot on more than once before the plant is moved to its final position.
3. Planting out
This is where a plant is moved into it’s final growing spot in the garden. This could be in flower or vegetable beds, or in a large pot or container.
Potting on vs re-potting
Some plants, such as houseplants, benefit from being moved into a different pot every couple of years. This gives the roots more room and can replace lost nutrients in the soil. To avoid confusion, we call this re-potting. Although, some people also call this potting on!
When to pot on
A young plant needs potting on when it is getting too big for the pot it is in. It’s possible you could just plant it out. But, if the weather is still too cold, or you think it needs to grow a bit more, you could try potting on.
One way to tell if your plant has outgrown its pot is to hold up the pot and look at the bottom. If there are roots poking out, this is a sign that it needs potting on.
If I want to look after my mental health, I repot a plant, prune something, or go into the garden and take a deep breath.
Maneesha, gardener
Our guide to potting on will help you do it with ease.
Step 1: Gather everything you need
Find a comfortable spot to work. Get all the equipment you will need in one place.
Find a working position where your back will be neutral, not bent. This should help avoid strain. Sitting at a tabletop at a comfortable height or standing next to a workbench are two options.
Step 2: Add compost to the larger pot
Put a good handful of compost in the bottom of the large, empty pot.
Step 3: Position the small empty pot in the larger one
Place the smaller empty pot inside the larger one. Position it centrally, so there is an even gap between the two pots. You want the top edges of both pots to be at the same level.
Step 4: Fill the gap with compost
Add compost in the gap between the pots until it is completely filled all the way around.
Step 5: Remove the smaller pot
Carefully take the smaller pot out from inside the larger one. You will be left with a large planting hole in the larger pot.
Step 6: Put plant in the hole and press in place
Gently remove the plant from its pot. Place it in the hole you have just made in the larger pot. Gently press the soil around the plant to help firm in the roots.
Step 7: Label your plants
Add a plant label. A lollipop stick is a good option. Place the label at the edge of the pot away from the roots.
If you have sight loss, you can find extra-large or easier to read labels. A range of large clear print, coloured, tactile and braille labels are available from the RNIB.
Step 8: Gently water
Place your plant in its new pot in a large tray or washing up bowl. Gently water from above using a watering can with rose (round attachment that helps the water come out as a gently shower)
Step 9: Put pot in place
Choose somewhere light and warm so the plant can keep growing.
You may well be potting on more than one plant. If so, repeat steps 2 to 9 for any other plants.
Keep watering your plant as it grows. A good way to tell if they need water is to carefully lift the pot. If the pot feels light, the plant probably needs watering.
Once conditions, such as temperature, are right, you may be able to plant out into the garden.