The Telltale Signs Your Houseplant Needs A Bigger Pot

At one point or another, most plants will need to be repotted. They're living and growing things, after all! Here are some telltale signs that your greenery has outgrown its current home and is due for an upgrade.

In the following cases, though, you'll want to transfer your plant to a slightly larger pot that's an inch or two wider in diameter.

Are roots growing out of the drainage hole at the bottom of your planter? This is a telltale sign there's not enough room in that pot anymore. If your pot doesn't have a drainage hole (which it probably should), you can also check on the root system by turning the pot over and very gently pulling the plant out. Overcrowded roots will have formed a thick web at the bottom of the soil in the shape of the pot.

"If you're starting to see an equal amount of new leaves and yellow leaves, what's happening inside the pot is it's really survival of the fittest," Maryah Greene, the founder of Greene Piece, tells mbg. "The plant is running out of room, and the new roots that are growing are taking over the old roots."

Once you give your plants a new home, they should thank you for it with new growth—especially if you replant while summer is still in full swing.