Getting Everything Ready
First I grabbed my messy Ficus elastica that’d been sitting in the same ugly plastic pot for like two years. The poor guy looked super sad with leaves drooping and roots poking out the bottom drainage holes. I gathered my supplies right on the kitchen floor: a new ceramic pot just 2 inches wider than the old one, bag of regular potting soil, some broken clay shards for drainage, pruning shears, trowel, and old newspapers to catch dirt.
Battle With the Old Pot
Watered it thoroughly the night before to make roots easier to handle – big mistake honestly. When I tipped the plant sideways and yanked, the whole rootball slid out dripping muddy water everywhere. Newspaper saved my floors thank god. Saw tons of tight roots circling the bottom like spaghetti. Used my fingers to roughly untangle that mess, tearing some thicker roots apart when they wouldn’t budge. Felt scary but YouTube said it’s necessary.
Setting Up New Home
Placed those clay shards over the new pot’s drainage hole to stop soil leakage. Filled about one-third with fresh soil, pressing it down lightly with my fists. Made a little mountain in the center for the roots to sit on. Held the ficus over it at the same depth as before – super important not to bury it deeper! Added soil around the sides while rotating the pot, jiggling occasionally to remove air pockets. Packed soil firmly around the base with my thumbs.
Finishing Touches & Disaster
Trimmed three yellowing leaves with my rusty shears and gave it a heavy soak until water ran out the bottom. Then I did the dumbest thing – placed it in direct sunlight because “plants love sun right?” Two days later, half the leaves turned crispy brown! Panic-moved it to shady spot near window. Lesson learned: ficus hates change more than I hate mornings. After two weeks, new tiny leaves finally popped out near the top.
Things I’d Change Next Time
- Water plant way earlier than night before – maybe 3 days prior next time
- Wear gloves because my hands stayed dirt-stained for days
- Use proper compost mixed with soil instead of basic dirt
- NEVER move repotted plants into sun immediately
Honestly thought I killed it during the crispy leaf phase. Just shows these drama queens bounce back if you don’t overwater after repotting. Roots need breathing room more than attention.
