How to pot artificial plants.

What do you need to repot an artificial plant?

First of all you naturally need a suitable decorative pot or planter. To weight the planter you can use gravel, soil or sand. Bear in mind that artificial plants for outdoors are best set in gravel, because that material lets moisture through better.

• A suitable decorative pot
• Soil or sand
• Gravel or clay pebbles

Choosing the right size of planter or pot

To choose the right pot size for your artificial plant, start from the diameter of the inner pot, plus 10 centimetres. The wider the pot, the more you can fill it and the more stable your artificial plant stands in the planter. That is especially advisable if you want to place the plant outdoors, on the balcony or the terrace for example.

Pot height versus the lower leaves of the artificial plant

Check the height of the pot against the lowest leaves of your artificial plant. If the pot is too tall and touches the underside of the foliage, or if you want to increase the total height of your plant, it is sensible to pack out the bottom of the pot.

Place your artificial plant in the middle of the pot and check that it stands straight. Leave the inner pot around the plant: you fill the pot with the inner pot in place. Once the artificial plant is at the right height and standing straight, you can fill the pot with soil or sand.

Finish the top with decorative gravel

Once the artificial plant is in the pot or planter, you can finish the top with decorative gravel. Choose a gravel colour that suits the plant and your interior.

Practical tips for repotting artificial plants and trees

• Moving large artificial plants more easily: do you have a large artificial plant or tree that you want to move regularly? Then choose a planter on wheels. If that is not an option, you can also part-fill the bottom of the pot with a lighter material than sand, such as polystyrene.
• Securing artificial plants outdoors: do you have a balcony or terrace where a strong wind blows regularly? Then it is important to protect and weight the artificial plants or trees, so they do not tip over and get damaged. Extra weight and a large pot help you create more stability. Fill the bottom of the planter with extra stones. You can do this not only with standing planters and pots but also with smaller hanging pots.
• Moving a pre-potted artificial plant into another pot: have you bought a pre-potted artificial plant? Then bear in mind that in many cases you will not be able to repot it: strong glue has been used to fix the plant and inner pot into the decorative pot supplied. Trying to remove them can easily cause damage. If the decorative pot allows it, you can place it inside another, larger planter.

Shaping and decorating an artificial plant after repotting

Once you have repotted the artificial plant or tree, it is also important to shape and decorate it. You do that by bending the leaves and branches into a natural shape. That is possible because the inside contains bendable material. It gives imitation plants a more natural appearance, to the point where they are almost indistinguishable from real plants. They become an eye-catcher in any interior.