Question
I bought a magic bean plant and the soil has a
layer of gravel on the top, the kind that is glued
in. And my plant is starting to outgrow the pot
and I was wondering how to remove the glued
in soil/gravel  without breaking the plant.
It's the kind of gravel that some bonsai come
in. Should I just pry it out? Or there another
way?  

Answer
Landra,

Take a screw driver and very carefully pry the gravel out while holding on to the base of the plant with the other hand. Or if you have a helper you hold the plant and the pot while he pries.

You can soak it ahead of time if you want and that sometimes loosens the gravel but it also leaves the soil wet and mushy if you want to do the repotting right away. I grow bonsai and most of the time I have found that if I start on one corner the stones come loose pretty easily after I get started.  Good luck.

Darlene