Houseplant TLC: Repotting

September is a good time for gardeners in Connecticut's zones 5 and 6 to replant houseplants. Doing so gives indoor greenery fresh nutrients from which to draw during the low light, dry heat that's so common indoors during autumn and winter.

Your local garden center will carry the supplies you'll need: lightweight potting mix, clean pots a size larger than those plants are currently in and granulated slow-release fertilizer.

Choose a cloudy day or a shady outdoor spot in which to work. Gently tap each houseplant out of its current pot. Loosen plant roots and clean away old soil. Place stones, wire screening or shards of broken clay pots over drain holes in the new pots to allow water, but not soil, to drain. Add some soil, enough to allow the top of the root mass to rest a couple of inches below the pot rim, and add granulated fertilizer according to directions on the fertilizer container.

Continue gently tamping fresh soil around the roots until they are covered. Leave the top inch of the pot soil-free so water will soak to the roots rather than spill over the rim and onto furniture or floors. Trim away any dead or dying leaves and water thoroughly.

Keep an eye on your transplants for the next week to make sure they have ample water. They should soon thank you with new, healthy growth.