Repotting your rosemary can be a daunting task if you haven’t done it many times before and rightfully so. The plant doesn’t exactly love being moved around like that, but that said, repotting often becomes a crucial thing to do. Here is why.
Rosemary can become root bound if it is never repotted, inhibiting the plant’s ability to obtain nutrients and water through the roots, eventually causing it to die. The exception to this is rosemary growing in the ground or in a pot that is at least 12 inches (30 cm) wide and tall.
In this article, I go into more detail about why it is important to repot your rosemary once in a while as well as the consequences of doing it. I also explain how to tell if your rosemary needs to be repotted so you can get ahead of any potential problems.
Consequences of Not Repotting Rosemary
As long as the pot your rosemary is growing in is large enough, or if it grows in the ground, it will be fine but when it outgrows its pot or container, it is going to struggle unless you save it.
More specifically, it will become root bound, which means that the roots run out of room to grow. They become bound by a barrier, typically the walls of a pot or container. This has some consequences.
When rosemary becomes root bound as a result of not being repotted, its growth is inhibited at an increasing rate as the problem becomes more severe with time. This happens because the roots fill up the whole pot, preventing them from obtaining nutrients and water as efficiently as necessary.
That’s the most common reason why it can be important to repot rosemary. I recommend that you go with a pot that is 12 inches (30 cm) or more in width and depth. You should at the very least pick one that is at least 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) wider and deeper than the pot the plant is currently in.
I should mention that while repotting can become necessary, it is not completely without risk. If you want to learn more about the risks of repotting rosemary, check out my article about that.
Another situation where repotting can be important is if your rosemary has become overwatered, which is an easy mistake to make as it doesn’t need nearly as much water as a lot of other herbs.
Overwatered rosemary can often be saved by reducing the amount of water you give it and by placing it in a sunnier spot than before. In cases where the problem is severe, however, it can become necessary to repot it.
Lastly, if your rosemary is growing in a pot without drainage holes, you should repot it into a pot with one or more drainage holes at the bottom as soon as possible. Ideally made from terra cotta as that allows moisture to seep through the walls of the pot in addition to through the drainage hole.
Without drainage holes, any excess water will stay inside the pot around the roots. This can lead to root rot and other moisture-related problems such as mold. This risk can be reduced significantly in a terra cotta pot with a drainage hole.
Stunted growth is an important sign to look for as it can indicate that your plant is root bound, but it can be difficult to notice and once the plant stops growing entirely, the problem is quite severe.
That’s why you should also look for the other signs I list here.
How to Tell if Rosemary Needs to Be Repotted (7 Signs)
It is crucial that you know how to tell if your rosemary needs to be repotted as you risk losing it otherwise. I have lost plants this way before, which is a shame because once you know what to look out for, it is not that hard.
Here are seven signs that your rosemary needs to be repotted.
- Stunted growth
- Wilting
- Roots are coming out of the drainage hole
- Roots fill up the entire pot
- Foliage turning yellow or brown
- Foliage drying out
- Soil dries quicker than it used to
While this list is a great starting point to help you know if your rosemary is root bound and needs repotting, there is a bit more to it. Some of the signs can also be symptoms of other problems. If you want more details about how to tell with certainty if your rosemary needs to be repotted, see my article about that.
That said, there is one sign in particular you should keep in mind. It is not always easy to notice but it is the only certain way to tell.
The only certain way to tell that rosemary needs to be repotted is to carefully lift it out of its pot and check its roots. If they fill up the entire pot, the plant is root bound and needs to either be repotted into a larger pot or into the ground or have its roots pruned.
If you need to put your rosemary in another pot, head over to my step-by-step guide on how to repot rosemary with photos of each step of the process.
The photo above shows a potted rosemary plant I used to have, which was severely root bound. It desperately needed some help and while repotting is often the way to go, I chose to prune the roots on that specific plant. I’ll explain that now.
Easy Alternative to Repotting Your Rosemary
Repotting your rosemary or transplanting it into the ground can be an important step to keep the plant alive, but there is actually an alternative. Root pruning.
This alternative is great if you don’t want your plant to become much larger than it already is. If you want your rosemary to reach its full size, though, transplanting is a better option.
Root pruning essentially means that you remove a portion of the roots and replace what you removed with new soil at the bottom of the pot.
If you do this, be careful not to cut too much. In my experience, you get the best results from removing about a third of the roots. That’s approximately what I do in this photo.
The easiest way I have found to prune the roots is to use a saw or a serrated knife. Pruning shears can also be helpful for particularly thick roots.
Simply fill the pot about a third of the way with new soil and place your rosemary with the remaining root system in the pot. The surface of the soil should be at the same level as before you pruned the roots.
I have written a complete guide on how to root prune rosemary, so if you want more detail, check it out.
Does Rosemary Like to Be Transplanted?
While repotting or transplanting your rosemary can sometimes be important, or even crucial, the plant doesn’t particularly like the transition as it can be a stressful process.
It does, however, really like what transplanting can lead to such as more room to grow or a different spot with better growing conditions.
In fact, transplanting your rosemary can sometimes be crucial for its survival. I discuss whether rosemary likes to be transplanted more here.