The indoor plant advice an expert says you should ignore if you want them to thrive

If there’s one piece of advice houseplant owners are told about cold weather, it’s not to repot during winter.

But does repotting in winter actually pose such a big risk to indoor plants? And what if they desperately need repotting right now?

Thankfully, that tip is a misconception, according to Felicity Moody, a horticulturalist and the owner of indoor plant store Wattle & Bee.

"It's definitely a myth in terms of it's not going to kill your plant, it's not like a death sentence for indoor plants," she tells 9honey Living.

"The main thing to note is just that you're not going to see much growth happen for a while. In winter everything slows down a lot so that just means the roots aren't going to grow as quickly, the leaves aren't going to grow as quickly," she explains.

"So when you're repotting in winter it can look like the plant's struggling a bit but all that really usually means is that it's just recovering slowly."

The slow recovery of a houseplant after repotting is in contrast to spring when plant growth is a lot faster.

The winter repotting myth is great news for anyone who has a struggling plant right now that could benefit from being put in a new pot.

"If your plant is severely root bound and you delay a year waiting for the ideal temperature, the plant can die during that time. So If you have determined that it's really necessary to repot it, go for it," Moody says.

While repotting in winter turns out not to be a bad thing, there is a time of year when Moody avoids repotting because of the potential damage the weather can cause to the plant.

"I personally wouldn't do a lot of repotting, if any, in the middle of summer... because it can get so hot in Australia that it stresses the plant out when you're repotting in those really hot temperatures... but I would definitely repot a plant that needed it in winter," she says.

When it comes time to repot Moody recommends adding "something chunky" to your potting mix to help them thrive.

"You could use perlite or you could use orchid bark mix and what that does is it just significantly improves the drainage in the soil, which means you're less likely to get root rot and the plants aren't going to be sitting in a moist soil for a long period of time so that is a definite number one tip when you're repotting," she says.

Repotting isn't something indoor plant lovers have to worry about too often and is only usually done if it's root bound or there is root rot.

"A lot of plants are really happy in a pot for a long period of time and just because it's looking sad or a bit sick doesn't necessarily mean you need to repot – it could be something like it needs fertiliser, needs more light, needs less water, more water," Moody explains. 

"Unless you can see a lot of roots to soil ratio... [or] there's almost more roots than there is soil, then I would not advise repotting, you're wanting to try and limit the stress of the plant as much as possible. 

"If it's looking happy and healthy, you can't see any signs of roots popping out the top or the bottom, then I would leave that plant and just keep doing what you're doing."