How to Repot Hibiscus

Some plants, such as the hibiscus, produce a greater number and larger blooms if their roots are crowded in the pot. However, there comes a time when the plant needs to be either potted in the next size container or root-pruned and repotted into the same container. Check the potted hibiscus every year to see if it needs repotting. The best time to repot a hibiscus is in spring.

Bleach or household disinfectant
Tub, bucket or other soaking container
Peat moss
Potting soil
Vermiculite
Hand cultivator
Sharp knife
Pruning shears

Instructions

- 1
  Combine two parts each of peat moss and potting soil and one part of vermiculite. Moisten the mix and set it aside to drain.
- 2
  Create a disinfectant solution by combining five parts of water with one part of bleach or household disinfectant. Soak the knife and the cultivator in the solution while you remove the hibiscus from the pot.
- 3
  Slide the hibiscus from the pot and use the hand cultivator to loosen the outside of the rootball. Just lightly scrape it around the surface, gently tugging out roots.
- 4
  Root prune the hibiscus if you'll be planting back into the same pot, by using the knife to slice off the bottom 2 inches of the rootball.
- 5
  Add 2 inches of new potting soil to the pot if you are reusing the same one. To plant into a larger pot, fill it half way with the potting mix. Plant the hibiscus at the same depth it has been growing. Fill the pot to within 1 or 2 inches of the rim to leave room for watering.
- 6
  Prune the hibiscus to avoid stressing the roots. The smaller root system may not be able to support the same amount of foliage, so cut 2 inches from each branch. Make the cuts just above an outward-facing leaf node.
- 7
  Water the potted hibiscus slowly to completely moisten the roots.

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