I repotted some plants to a new mix yesterday. They are all small plants. I removed all the soil from the roots because my new mix is a soil-less mix and I didn't want to have any leftover soil. I put the roots in a bowl of RO water (my tap water is very hard) and removed the soil with my fingers. Mind you, I'm a Hoya newbie, but from what I read on this forum, people who use soil-less mix tend to remove all the old soil from the roots. Some people who use a mix with soil leave some soil on the roots to avoid disturbing the root system, unless the soil is very old or has a lot of peat. Some roots broke off my plants, but I think it'll be OK.

I used a chopstick to spread the fine roots while I added the new mix little by little. But I don't think I spread the roots perfectly evenly. My new mix is pretty chunky (and it was wet), and the pots were small, and the roots were very fine. All of those made it difficult to spread the roots. I just did the best I could :)

I put the plants on a heat mat to hopefully alleviate the stress and trauma of repotting. I spray the plants a few times a day. I will be monitoring the soil moisture level with a bamboo skewer, and watch for signs of dehydration. If they look dehydrated, I'll put them in a humidity dome.

I'm sure more experienced people will chime in, and hopefully correct if I did something wrong.

Good luck with your new plants!

It's not really necessary to remove all the old soil, even if you're using a soil-less mix. What stays on will incorporate in fine, and eventually it was wash out of the mix. I think it's better to leave the roots as undisturbed as possible with Hoyas. So I just shake off what's lose and plop it into the new pot. Be careful not to move the pot size up unless you have a solid rootball. They like to be a little crowded root-wise. Then keep a close eye on the newly potted baby plant or rooted cutting, not allowing it to get too dry. Once it starts to put out new growth, you can then water normally, as you would a full-grown plant.

Denise in Omaha

I leave roots undisturbed unless a heavy soil was used by seller. In that case, I remove as much soil as possible by hand and then soak the plant dor 15 minutes in tepid water. After 15 minutes, I remove the plant and gently rinse it all in tepid water to remove any loosened dirt from leaves, roots and stems. After that rinse, I repot in my mix.

If it is a small plant, I place it between my first and second fingers (like scissors), hang it between my fingers upside down, cupping its roots in my palm. I add 1/2 inch of mix to the pot, and turn my hand holding the plant over, placing it in the pot. I keep my hand on the plant as I am adding more mix, pushing the plant gently from side to side while adding the media. Once the plant is mostly "settled" in the new pot, I tap the bottom of the pot firmly, but not too hard, against the table and then shake it a little bit. I then add more mix if needed. It is important, if you use my method, to make sure each ingredient in your mix is roughly the same size (eg. 1/4 inch perlite should be mixed with 1/4 inch orchid bark). This way, smaller particles won't settle at the bottom and impede drainage.

I really don't worry about spreading the roots. All you really need to do is loosen them from the old mix.

If the mix was waterlogged or a very heavy soil was used, best bet would be just to take cuttings, as I have found roots grown in thick, poorly draining soil, are feathery, fine, and very susceptible to shredding, breakage, and rot. That is just my experience.

For large plants, I just soak the plant, pot and all for 15-20 minutes in tepid water. It helps the plant come out of the pot. Then I repot into a different pot. I don't even loosen the mix (only because my larger hoyas have been in my mix only, so I know what the rootball is "hiding") UNLESS the roots appear sickly. Then I make cuttings.

Thank you all so much! You've clarified a lot of things for me (and probably for others, too). I worry a lot about doing more harm than good --- now I feel more confident about how to go about it.

Thanks for asking this zigbud! It has helped me too