Any avid gardener is likely to know the importance of potting and re-potting plants, and the dangers that can come with under and over potting, which are common mistakes made by casual gardeners.
While these may be simple concepts, they are utterly important to the life of a plant. While excess leaves and foliage can easily be trimmed away, growing roots cannot be so easily dealt with. Likewise, plants should not be placed in pots too large for them with the intent being to let them grow into the pot, but should also be placed in pots ideal for their current size, and moved to a new pot when the time is right. Most plants will require a larger pot every year, though this varies from plant to plant, and on other factors such as the plant's health and the environment the plant is being stored in.
Of course the first step to replanting at the proper time is to understand the symptoms that your plant will display when it's ready to be re-potted. A common one will be a yellowing of the leaves as well as an overall droopiness in its appearance. If this appears to be the case, a quick check of the roots should answer the question definitively. If the roots have become quite tangled and jumbled, then it's time to re-pot.
Make sure your new pots are thoroughly cleaned before transplanting your plant into them. Even if the pot is brand new it should be soaked in water for a good length of time before first setting any soil or materials in there, so the pot won't absorb a quantity of the water meant for the plant.
Larger pots should be set with a two-inch layer of crocking and gravel, with smaller pots having just a scattering of drainage material. On top of this first layer should be placed a layer of peat humus, followed by a sprinkling of charcoal.
Now you're ready to fill the pot with potting soil, about a quarter of the way up the pot. Remove your plant from its old haunt, shaking off any soil or other material that may be clinging to its roots, and set it in the new pot. Keep it held up and centered while you move the soil around to cover its roots and get it set into place.
With your plant firmly set you should give it a healthy watering. Plant food should also be administered at this point. Your plant is now ready to thrive and grow to new heights, and depths as it were.
In the case of larger or more sensitive plants that will not take well to re-potting, you can employ a technique called top dressing, in which the majority of soil down to the roots is removed and replaced with an enriched potting soil that can better pass on nutrients to the cramped roots.
Re-potting is not just a helpful procedure but a necessary one. Leaving a plant stuck in a pot that is too small will not allow it to feed properly except for bromeliads. Sticking a plant in a pot that is too big for it will run the risk of rotting the roots, as the water holds more moisture than the plant can use.
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