How to repot a money plant without setting it back

Money plant (pothos, Epipremnum aureum) is one of the easiest houseplants to grow, which is why so many end up root-bound in the same small pot for years. Repotting takes about fifteen minutes and gives the plant a fresh start.

Signs it is time

• Roots are circling the surface or pushing out of the drainage holes.
• Water runs straight through and the pot dries out within a day or two.
• New leaves are getting smaller even though the plant gets good light.

The best time is early in the warm, growing season, when the plant recovers quickly. Avoid the coldest weeks of the year.

What you need

• A pot only 3–5 cm wider than the current one, with drainage holes. A much larger pot holds too much wet mix around the roots.
• An airy potting mix: roughly two parts potting soil or cocopeat, one part compost and one part perlite or coarse sand.
• Clean, sharp scissors.

Step by step

1. Water the day before. Moist roots slide out more easily and suffer less.
2. Ease the plant out. Turn the pot on its side, support the base of the stems and tap the rim until the root ball comes free.
3. Check the roots. Healthy roots are firm and pale. Trim off any that are black, mushy or smell sour.
4. Loosen the outer roots gently with your fingers so they grow out into the new mix.
5. Set the height. Add mix to the new pot so the top of the root ball sits about 2 cm below the rim.
6. Fill around the sides and firm lightly. Do not pack it down hard.
7. Water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom, then empty the saucer.

Aftercare

Keep the plant in bright, indirect light and out of direct afternoon sun for a week or two. Hold off on fertilizer for about a month while the roots settle. A few yellow leaves are normal; steady new growth within a few weeks means the move worked.

While you have the plant out, it is a good time to trim long vines just above a leaf node and root the cuttings in water to fill out the pot.