Article: Your plant will come out of its old pot more easily if the rootball is moist. You'll want to water the plant a few hours before you want to repot it. This will help it maintain its health even if it loses a root or two during the repotting. The rootball is the part of the plant that extends into the actual pot. It's made up of roots and soil and often keeps the shape of the pot after it's removed Place your hand over the top of the pot, and place your thumb and index finger around the plant's stem. Then turn the pot on its side and gently work the plant back and forth until it comes out. If the plant won't come out after several tries, you can use a knife to cut around the edge of the soil and try again. If you happen to break some of the roots, don't worry, you'll need to prune the rootball anyway. To make sure your plant takes to its new pot, you'll want to remove some of the old rootball to expose fresher roots to the new soil in the new pot. Clip off roots that hang below the rootball and make three or four slits in the bottom of the rootball about a third of the way up. If the rootball is black or smells, your plant might have some kind of fungal disease. You might not be able to save this plant or repot it. You can also shave away roots that seem particularly thick on the sides of the rootball. Once you prune the rootball and have exposed the healthy roots, untangle some of the roots that are left over. This gives the roots more contact with the new soil in the new pot. It encourages the roots to grow outward, instead of around the rootball.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Water the plant. Remove the plant from its current pot. Prune the rootball. Untangle the remaining roots.