It’s ok to do Just keep ’em in the shade for a few days. Don't use pots too big for the root size.

Repotting those plants which lend themselves to the practice is a large step above potting up, at least in terms of the ability to relieve stress caused by root congestion (being root-bound). Because repotting includes removal of all or almost all soil from the roots, and pruning roots with focus on 'problem' roots and large roots not directly attached to the base of the trunk, some care needs to be taken to prevent the roots from drying out during the repotting session, and post-repotting to limit water loss due to evapotranspiration, which is a combination of water loss from the process of evaporation and transpiration. This can best be accomplished by moving the plant to a shaded spot where windy conditions do not prevail.

A damp or moist medium is the operational word. If any part of the medium that contains roots is saturated, the lack of oxygen will limit water uptake. Also, do not fertilize immediately after repotting. Elevated levels of fertility make water uptake more difficult for the plant. In most cases, plants will need protection for no more than 2 weeks, as long as roots did not dry out during the repotting session. If wilting occurs after a 2 week hiatus from full sun, move the plant back to shade and check moisture levels in the soil with a 'tell' before watering. It may well be that the wilting is being caused by excess amounts of water in the grow medium. You can start fertilizing as soon as you see the plant is pushing new growth. New growth should be taken as indication the root system has recovered to the degree it can now support more top volume (more leaves/ branches.

Lots of 'residual moisture' isn't necessarily a good thing. During the approx 2 week post-repot period, it's better to keep the soil moist with several applications of small volumes of water, than to water to the point where the planting is at container capacity (holding as much water as it possibly can). Even in the very fast-draining media I use, I often mist the surface of the soil until I think I have remoistened the soil without adding so much water it fills the voids between soil particles with water instead of air. Think of a sponge that has been thoroughly wrung out to get an idea of what the ideal moisture level would usually be.

Potting up (as opposed to repotting) can be undertaken almost any time w/o encountering problems; however, June is still the best time to pot up a very large fraction of houseplants (almost all), even if only because it ensures (healthy) plants will recolonize the additional fresh soil faster than at any other time of year.

Al

When repotting cactus, I use dry medium to avoid root rot from damaged roots and bruised roots. I wait a few days before watering my cactus. Shade is good during that wait and misting is good too but not over misting.

what in the world is the emergency. that they need to be repotted in the next week. or month.. or why not fall ...

lots of advice here.. but i missed what the hurry is ... it isnt like these are ultra fast growing annuals ... that are root bound ... in a small pot.. are they???

youve set an artificial deadline.. and now its driving you crazy.. is that really why you garden or grow plants.. harness your inner zen.. if possible.. lol ... do it in sept when its cool out...

ken

been in the mid 90s all week in my area.. and is going to stay that way for next week at least.. im not repotting anything ...

Ken- I have repotted in early April-Oct. and the repots seem to fare better in May Junne than other times..The Oct. repots were out of necessity, due to an acute problem w/ a certain plant (pothos) and man did that thing throw a fit ALL WINTER LONG! it straightened up in the spring. No hurry, really, I just want to do it now while they have more time outside to recover before being brought back in for winter.!

Stick to your guns, Rebecca. Your reasoning is sound.

Al

What did you decide? How did it go? Did it cool off? Nothing beyond extreme emergency is happening outside @ my house for a few months. It's 104 at the moment in the shade.

Tiffany, I decided to wait…partly b/c I had to water EVERYTHING- even all the garden beds- which takes about 3 hrs to do- after work every day! Even w/ mulch, we have a very sandy, loamy soil here which dries out so fast its almost hard to keep up with at the height of summer.

Today’s the day! wish me luck. I think its supposed to be 90 for the high, which is hot, but not impossible. 104! wow! You must be somewhere south or west. Its been 2 weeks w/o rain here now but I think were supposed to get some tonight into tomorrow. Do your job, mother nature! so that I can do mine!😄

You are lucky that you have the water to douse them with. We have a once a week water use allowed in our community right now and it is 100º - 104º everyday depending on whose personal weatherstation you plug into. I am thinking of repotting a HUGE pot bursting Bilbergia windii. It is not that water dependant. Nothing I have is.

Rebecca, yes, I'm in Opp, AL. Due north of Destin about 80 miles. Best luck & I hope you get the rain! Need some here too.

Well, I live in Florida so I DO repot in hot weather. There's no choice in Florida, unless one does all the repotting in "winter" when temps are in the 70s. Yesterday, it was 90 and I repotted a large Sansevieria I bought earlier in the week at Home Depot. All my succulents (no cactus plants, just other succulents) get either a soil MIX that is about 50% gritty stuff, usually pumice and Manna Pro poultry grit, or a gritty mix with NO soil at all. Depends on the plant, the pot, where it will live.

But I think the most important thing in repotting, in any weather, is giving the plant enough "elbow room" to recover -- set aside by itself, NOT in the sun, with some nice fresh air. When I repot, I mark each plant as to when it should get its first watering. Usually, it's anywhere from 3-8 days.

I think a lot of success in repotting a plant depends on how healthy or not the plant WAS when you removed it from its pot in the first place. Struggling plants are struggling for a reason, and that needs to be addressed both during the repot and afterwards. Healthy plants that just need a bigger pot and/or fresh growing medium still need time to get acclimated.

THANK YOU Robinswf, It has been above 100 here and I am looking at a my Bilbergia and I see a cool down to low 90"s next week!! so I think I am going for it. You give me courage. I actually posted this on the Bromiad Exchange and Texas Forum.

Repoting Bilbergia during Heatwave?

The plant is WAY bigger than that photo. The underneath shows SO much crouding. I think that I will need to rope it to a tree and jimmy this pot off. Whish me luck. I need to go buy supplies today to make the medium.

I am starting a repot of an Aloe peglarae today, but aloes are tough critters.

Oh, you are SO FORTUNATE to have an Aloe peglarae! That's one of the Aloes I always look for. I'll find one eventually, I'm sure. Anyway, good luck with the repotting. It sounds like you know what you're doing and your plants are in good hands.

I see A. peglarae for exorbitant $25 for a 3" pot on ebay. I picked up a one gallon pot for the same ammount at my local GOOD nursey.

Well, roping the Bilbergia to the tree did not work. I had to cut the pot off with a sawzall. Then a crowbar to pry off the fragments. The roots had attached to the sides hard. Godbless styrofoam pots. I used to turn my nose up at them. Shame that it is no more. It provided some temperature insulation from cold and heat and it was light which is a must for a plant that one has to move around when winter comes and one has to get it high up for the dangle length of the flowers. It appears they are not being made anymore. I Had this pot given to me 20 years ago. I did not want it at the time.

I completed my repot and got out of a 5 gallon pot, 2 five gallons, one 3 gallon and 6 one gallon. I have a growing heard of plants. So far no plant shock. It is too early to breathe easy about that. I have them under a tree. Fingers crossed. oh , I used aged equal parts bark fines, topsoil, and perlite plus bonemeal and a bit of tomatoe fertilizer. It is what I had around. I need to keep it cheap because there is so much to pot up. The people that I give these to can change it if they like..

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My repotting of the aloes and the bilbergia have succeeded. All are fairing well.

I just re-potted some of my Agave and Mangave. They were so over grown in small pots I felt I had to. I did not disturb the root ball but just broke up some of the twisted roots. They grow so fast and over take any pot in no time that I want to slow them down. Using any potting mix available. On one agave, I used to use regular top soil heavy with clay. It didn't care and still grew like weeds. Now my small Aloes and Sansevieria those are different altogether. Haworthia and Euphorbia, very gritty mix and break up the root ball. Seems the larger the pot and plant, the less fuss needed.