Question
QUESTION: I have a great red antherium. I have had it about a year, and it is still in the original plastic 6 inch pot, with foil paper around it, as it had when I bought it.  It is doing great.  It has 6 blossoms, and looks like it is about to sprout two more leaves. It is doing so well, that I am afraid to re pot it, but I would like to put it in a nicer pot.  I do not believe it is root bound, but it will be, eventually, as it is doing so well.  I just do not want it to go backwards.  I really love this plant.

ANSWER: Rick,

Antheriums actually don't mind being root bound and your plant would be quite happy in a 6 inch pot for several years. I would repot it into a nicer 6" pot if it were mine. If you feel you must go to a larger pot absolutely do not go to more than an 8" pot and use soil with the same texture as the soil it is in now, which is usually potting soil with extra sphagnum peat moss. If you have had it for a year and you have 6 blossoms you are doing quite well with it so I will not give you a lot of growing advice other than you must have already learned not to keep it too wet.  If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I do not have to cut off part of the root ball, if I just change to a better 6 inch pot? Thanks very much, you are very helpful.

Answer
Rick,

No, if you just change to a nicer 6 inch pot just run a butter knife around the outside edge of the old pot to loosen the plant if you need to.  Then slide it out of the old pot and slide it right into the new pot. That would be the least traumatic for the plant. Do not cut into the root ball, do not loosen it, just put it into the new pot and keep growing it as you have been. It will be fine. It does not need repotted into a larger pot unless you pull it out of the pot and all you see is roots and absolutely no soil and it seems like the roots are so tight they are about to break the pot. Then you need an 8 inch pot instead of a 6 inch pot. If you see soil but there are enough roots to hold the root ball together you can just move it to another 6 inch pot for a couple more years.  Good luck.

Darlene