Question
I'm looking to repot 2 plants I just bought from a Home Depot. Both are still
in their original black plastic containers.

One is a Chinese fan palm; it's in a 9" container. I bought a 14" clay pot, but
now I'm worried it's too large. The palm is about 5'5" and the roots are circled
around to the edge of the black plastic.

The Croton is very full and in beautiful shape. It has two major stem systems
and is also in a 9" pot.

Do you have any tips on repoting (soil, drainage, etc) and general care for
these 2 plants?

Last question, the palm was a bit neglected and has some fronds that are 1/2
brown. Will it hurt the palm to cut them out if they aren't completely dead?

Answer
Breanna, the fan palm will do fine in the 14 inch pot, but be careful, for clay pots dry out rapidly so you will need to maintain the moisture; line the bottom with gravel so that the roots are clear of any residual water. The circling roots mean its root bound, just spread them out when you remove it from the nursery pot, and go ahead and cut of the brown fronds, Chinese fan palms like dappled shade, so don't put it in direct afternoon sun if possible.The croton is much easier to maintain, go ahead and repot it and then follow the same instructions as the fan palm, but it can take the full sun (remember what I said about clay pots however, they dry out real fast). Let them dry out (as true for the palm also) between waterings, and 3 times a year give them a well balanced granular fertilizer, and once a month use miracle grow on them. Potted plants need to be repotted once a year, because fertilizer salts build up in the soil and this can be detrimental to the health of the plant. Nick