13 Plants That Like to be Rootbound

As we move houseplants inside this season to their cozy winter quarters, it’s a good time to take stock of their health. Some will be ready to propagate, while others are content to continue growing with little care. Still, others may boast hefty roots and foliage from warm season growth, verging on the need to repot when the time is right.

Before we bump up rootbound houseplants, it’s useful to know that certain species perform well in snug situations, and there are benefits to housing them in slightly crowded pots. They may have epiphytic roots, be slow-growing, or adapted to shallow conditions in their natural growing areas. Keeping things tight promotes physiological responses like lush, dense growth, and even blooming.

Why Are Some Houseplants Better When Rootbound?

Maximized growth space is an indicator for some that it’s time to reproduce, either through flowering or offshoots (the case for African violets, peace lilies, spider plants, and more). For large specimens like Norfolk Island pine, tree philodendron, and ficus, dwarfing the roots in a container helps manage overall size for compact indoor growth.

In too large a container, tropicals and succulents may succumb to root rot from surrounding soils that stay soggy. Their root systems aren’t large enough (or don’t need) to uptake the moisture, and the excess leads to disease problems. While houseplants have varied watering requirements, many rely on good drainage and only slightly more soil space around roots.

Even some carefree, thrive-with-neglect selections are sensitive to root disturbance (aloe, hoya, African violets). This is a key reason to delay repotting, where risking overall health is worth allowing roots to become potbound.

When to Repot

It’s time to repot even those with a rootbound preference when roots protrude from drainage holes or pop up along the upper surface. Reduced vigor, pale foliage, languid stems (not related to moisture issues), and drying out quickly are other indicators. New growth and flowering may reduce or halt. 

The houseplants may need root pruning, a larger pot, or refreshed potting mix. Potting soil loses nutrients and aeration over time, and often, this is why repotting is in order every couple of years. Additionally, heavy upper growth may cause the pot to topple over, or robust roots can cause cracking.

Christmas Cactus

Christmas cactus is easy to care for and seldom needs repotting. Aptly named for its bloom time, the cactus blooms for four to six weeks around the winter holidays. Buds emerge along branches of succulent, segmented leaves in late fall and become billowy blooms in winter. Flowers appear in shades of pink, red, white, salmon, purple, and bicolor.

Christmas cactus likes tight quarters and needs crowding to produce blooms. The best time to bump up an overly-bound specimen is right after flowering. Transplanting at other times can affect foliar growth and budding.

Christmas cactus hails from Brazilian rainforests and lends a tropical accent along with holiday counterparts poinsettia and Norfolk pine. Its unique succulent form brings all-season interest, and its low maintenance and minimal water needs make it easygoing.

Amaryllis

Amaryllis are the big, bold trumpet blooms we associate with the holidays. In the warm-climate garden, they grow as perennials with a natural flowering cycle in spring. Outside zones 8 to 10, they’re best enjoyed as houseplants or forced seasonal bloomers.

The joy of amaryllis lasts beyond a single season. Grow them year-round inside or store bulbs in a cool, dark, dry place until repotting the following fall.

Opt for containers only slightly larger than the bulb to create crowding and reduce the likelihood of root rot. One inch larger in diameter works well, with six to eight inches of depth. The bulbs like to be tightly packed to produce their large leaves, stalks, and trumpets. Leave the top third of the bulb uncovered (its shoulders should be showing above soil level).

African Violets

These sweet tropical specimens have thick, velvety leaves and delicate, ruffled blooms in rainbow hues. African violets bloom year-round and need to be slightly rootbound to initiate flowering. Their roots are also sensitive to disruption.

Unless it’s really outgrown the container, repotting is more likely a refresh than an upsize. Clip off dead vegetation, remove the old potting media, and clean the pot. Then, replant the violet in the same container with a fresh mix.

African violets thrive indoors or out with warm temperatures and indirect light. A little humidity and a draft-free spot help them flourish.

ZZ Plant

The ZZ, or Zuzu plant, boasts a structural form with sturdy, upright, slightly arching stems. Its architectural qualities increase with thick, waxy, shiny leaves in dark olive, black, or variegated. ZZ is exceedingly low maintenance; it requires little water and can improve air quality by filtering volatile compounds.

ZZ is relatively slow-growing, so outgrowing its vessel will take time. It likes to be snug to produce new shoots. After two or three years or when it’s overly cramped, opt for a container one to two inches larger.

ZZ plants tolerate low to bright, indirect light and grow well in fluorescent lighting – perfect for the home or office.

Hoya

Hoya are popular for their unique foliage, fragrant blooms, and long lifespan as low-maintenance indoor specimens. Most are indigenous to subtropical Asia, with some 500 species and their cultivars in diverse colors and shapes.

The semi-succulents are adaptable, flowering reliably even in low-light conditions and with low water needs. Overwatering and frequent repotting are two ways to hinder their health.

Hoyas perform beautifully when potbound, living in the same vessel for years. Every three or four years, unpot rooty hoyas to refresh their potting media. If increasing the container’s diameter, go up one size to allow more room for growth while keeping roots cozy. 

Blue Star Fern

Blue star fern gets its stellar name from silvery blue-gray fronds with deep lobes. One of the easiest ferns to grow as a houseplant, its unique color, texture, and structural foliage bring a graceful, elegant feel to the interior.

Blue stars can be sensitive to root disturbance, so transplant them when there is more root surface than soil showing or if plants are top-heavy. Other visible signs like reduced vigor and drying out quickly are also indicators.

Blue star ferns have epiphytic roots in addition to those growing in potting media. A pot that’s too large retains more moisture than the plant can absorb, leading to root rot (the top cause of decline). Relatively carefree, blue stars need medium to bright, indirect light and tolerate dry conditions. Water when the soil surface feels dry, but avoid overwatering the crown and epiphytic roots.

Rex Begonia

Rex begonias bring dynamic foliage in intricate patterns with prominent veins and margins. Leaf undersides are often reddish-purple in contrast to the upper coloration. Some rex begonias feature huge, purple-lined leaves with silver interiors, while others are bright red, deep pink, or dark green, depending on the variety. Wavy leaf margins add flare to the striking compositions.

Rex begonias like to be snug in their containers. As young plants, they benefit from annual transplanting into the next size up. At their mature size, repotting every two or three years (except to refresh soil) works well.

Rex begonias are durable but finicky in dry environments. They prefer high humidity and regular moisture, erring on the dry side between watering sessions.

Norfolk Island Pine

Norfolk Island pines feature soft, symmetrical evergreen needles in a loose pyramidal shape for a lush look any time of year. These aren’t really pines but other conifer species native to the subtropical South Pacific. They thrive as houseplants and do well outdoors during warmer months.

Norfolk Island pine is slow-growing and remains dwarfed as a houseplant, usually three to six feet tall. Often available around holiday time, its dark foliage and form are perfect for holiday decor, but it lasts well beyond a single season. In tropical climes, it reaches stately form up to 200 feet tall.

Norfolk Island pines don’t need repotting often. Keeping their roots contained, in this case, helps manage the size of the tree. Retain a dwarf form by delaying increasing the container size other than incrementally.

Peace Lily

Peace lilies are tenacious in the collection. They tolerate a range of conditions and bounce back from spells of underwatering. (I’ve had one for many years that’s recovered from accidental frosts and other missteps, only to flourish as conditions improve). It thrives with a little neglect, given even moisture.

Peace lilies produce single stems of long, broad, dark green leaves. Their tall spathe flower is creamy white and long-lasting, usually appearing in spring but sometimes more than once a year. Like Christmas cactus and African violets, bound roots initiate flowering.

Peace lilies perform best in bright light with humidity. But, the rugged tropicals tolerate lower light. They won’t withstand overwatering or prolonged wet situations; erring on the dry side is safer for them. Peace lilies are toxic to people and animals if ingested.

Jade Plant

Native to southern Africa’s Mediterranean climate type, the jade plant is a slow-growing succulent with fleshy, glossy leaves and sturdy branching. In the right amount of light, new leaves are fresh green with red-tinged edges. These long-lived specimens need little care and adapt to dry conditions and low light (though they show the best form in bright light and up to four hours of sun).

In well-draining soils, jade lives for years in a single pot. It’s a good practice to refresh the potting mix every two or three years, root pruning and shaping for form when returning to the same container. Or, bump them up to a slightly larger vessel.

The best time to repot is when new growth appears. They’ll adjust more quickly to their new digs while actively growing. Jade plants propagate easily through cuttings rooted in water or soil.

Spider Plant

Spider plants are the easy-going bladed growers that happily hang in baskets or pots with few demands. Their ribbon leaves are green or green with white variegation. They don’t need repotting often and rebound from underwatering.

Confined conditions encourage spider plants to produce offshoots, those long scapes that hold leafy spider babies. They add flair to the display and propagate easily to create new plants.

Spider plants prefer warm, humid conditions. Normal household humidity is fine, or boost it by placing on a tray of pebbles in water or misting.

Aloe

Aloes have spiny, juice-filled succulent leaves with soothing gel. The southern African, Mediterranean-climate natives do best without much attention and minimal water.

Aloes seldom need pot changes and prefer not to have their roots disturbed. They do well in low-quality, well-draining soils and thrive in the same container for years. Maximized root growth fosters the production of aloe pups. Give mother plants a boost when they outgrow the pot with exposed roots or large upper growth that risks tipping over, roughly every two to three years.

Warm temperatures and soils that dry out between watering are the best conditions for aloes. They prefer sunny spots indoors and out.

Snake Plant

Snake plants are as tough as they look. Longlived and forgiving, the low-maintenance succulent performs with little gardener intervention. Originally in the Sansevieria genus, reclassification to Dracaena results from genetic research.

Snake plants feature a variety of leaf forms and colors depending on their species and variety. D. trifasciata has stiff, upright blades with pointed tips. Ribbons of creamy yellow may line the margins, or dark green streaks may line paler surfaces.

The blades and roots don’t mind being snug. Start with a pot sturdy enough to support tall upper growth (wider than they are tall).