How to repot a houseplant

If you manage to keep alive a houseplant for, oh, more than a few months, there will surely come the day when it has outgrown its starter pot. The roots will be tangled. It will be gasping for air. It is especially wise to check in on your potted plants at winter's end (especially in certain climes), when the promise of vernal sun brings on hardy growth spurts, and your ready-to-burst houseplant begs for roomier real estate. (Some signs of a houseplant in need of roomier digs: It's top-heavy for the pot, or when roots start emerging from the existing pot's drainage holes.)

By Barbara Mahany, Tribune Newspapers

March 21, 2012