Repot new houseplants straight away?

[rickyrickygrimes]

Novice looking for advice.

when you buy a new plant - from Ikea, garden centre, supermarket - do you always repot it ? And if so do you put them into a larger pot?

a friend, who has a lot more success with houseplants than me, does this … but I’ve also read online about letting plants settle in once they’ve been moved.

and on another note, am I right in thinking that so much of the advice given online re plant care is contradictory and confusing?! Any recommendations of reliable, one-stop indoor plant sites would be great!

i only repot if the plant is really congested. I think house plants do slightly better if they don’t have too much loose soil around the roots.

i too would like a good house plant manual. In particular signs of overwatering and underwatering can be very similar.

No, never heard of that before. Only repot once the roots needs more space in the pot. And generally only go 1-2 inches bigger than current pot.
Ive also been told to only repot/prune in the spring when the growth season is starting up again but not sure how much truth is in that, I'm not an expert

I've never repotted a house plant straight after buying it.

The best time to repot is during the active growing season, in spring and summer, and only then if it is necessary, not just for the sake of it.

Because in both cases water isn’t getting to the plant, in one case because there isn’t any, in the other because the roots are damaged

I only repot if the roots are overcrowded or if it's made so many babies the pot looks overcrowded.

My succulents are prodigious propagators - from one Wilco plant in 2020 I have over 20 of its offspring now.

I didn't even want houseplants! I got given 3 for a birthday a while back and they've all gone mad. Most windowsills are covered with them. I'm giving them away as fast as I can.

I find I nearly always do as most shops usually supply the plant in the tiniest pot possible, e.g roots are coming out the bottom and there doesn't seem to be enough soil etc