Gardening 101: How to Pot a Plant

PRO TIP: Choose your container, ensuring that the container isn’t too much bigger than the plant itself with about an extra inch all the way around.

Step 1: Gently squeeze the container that the plant is in to loosen the root ball. Cup your hand around the base of the plant and gently pull the plant out of the container.

Step 2: Break off no more than ⅓ of the base of the root ball and loosen the soil in the root ball a bit.

Step 3: Measure depth of container by placing plant inside and then adding soil to the bottom of your container until the root ball comes close to the lip of the pot.

Step 4: Fill in soil around the sides, making sure there aren’t a lot of air pockets. Gently turn and pack the soil until it’s firm.

Step 5: Water thoroughly, until water drains out of the bottom of the pot.

By Wendi Epps and Dawn Thomas