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How to repot a palm

Updated: October 2026

The palm has slowed, the compost has sunk below the rim, and you are about to jump it into a much larger pot because the garden centre tub looks generous. How to repot a palm, for a UK house or a patio container, is mostly a decision about timing and width. You repot in spring when roots are tight, into a pot only a little wider, and in other years you replace about 5 cm at the top. Bag choice sits on the [palm soil comparison](/hub/trees-and-palms/palm-soil). We did not repot a plant for this page. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The palm has slowed, the compost has sunk below the rim, and you are about to jump it into a much larger pot because the garden centre tub looks generous.

Our top picks

Invigortex Invigortex houseplant mix, 3 litre title

Best overall

Invigortex Invigortex houseplant mix, 3 litre title
5.5/10about £8.99
View offer
COMPO COMPO Sana palm compost, 10 litres

Rank 2

COMPO COMPO Sana palm compost, 10 litres
9.2/10about £26.84
View offer
COMPO COMPO Sana palm earth, 5 litres

Best value

COMPO COMPO Sana palm earth, 5 litres
8.6/10about £20.59
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Repot or only refresh the top
  2. 2.How much bigger the pot should be
  3. 3.How much bag you need
  4. 4.Water and feed after the move

Repot or only refresh the top

The RHS indoor palm guidance is to repot every two years in early spring if the plant is pot-bound, and to stop stepping up once the pot is about 20–30 cm across. In the years you leave it, scrape away about 5 cm of old compost and replace it. A sunken surface, on its own, is often that 5 cm job. Roots at the drainage hole, or a root ball that slides out as a solid brick, is the repot. Do the work in spring. Fresh compost in a cold room in January stays wet, because the palm is not drawing water. If the crown is collapsing or the base feels soft, stop. The same stop applies when the pot is too heavy to lift. Water the day before, ease off the top few centimetres, and fill back with the same kind of mix. Do not bury the stem deeper than it sat before.

How much bigger the pot should be

For a parlour palm, the RHS says a pot a couple of centimetres wider. For pots under about 25 cm, the move is roughly 2.5–5 cm, and the new pot no more than about one third larger. A 12 cm pot can go to 14 or 15 cm. It should not jump to a 25 cm tub. Compost with no roots in it stays wet, and the RHS links that spare ring to roots that rot. A UK buyer of COMPO’s 10 litre compost still added bark and perlite. Grit, where you only need air, is the RHS preference. A pot that will not dry is on palm soil that stays wet. The pot needs holes. A cover pot is fine if the grower pot can be lifted out. Tip the saucer after twenty minutes. In winter, a full saucer undoes a careful repot.
Invigortex Invigortex houseplant mix, 3 litre title

Testsieger

Invigortex Invigortex houseplant mix, 3 litre title
5.5/10about £8.99
View offer

How much bag you need

The volumes you can trust are the COMPO bags whose titles match the specification: 5 litres at £20.59 and 1.98 kg, and 10 litres at £26.84 and 3.92 kg. A small pot is often happy with part of the 5 litre bag. Two plants, or a larger specimen, point to the 10 litre bag. Seal the spare. An open sack in a warm kitchen is how fungus gnats find a new home. The Invigortex titles say 3, 10 and 30 litres, and every specification line says 1 litre and 1 kg. If a 1 kg parcel arrives for a patio palm, the repot stops. Measure the bag before you tip the plant out. Tease only the roots that are circling. Set the plant at the same depth, firm out air pockets, water once, and tip away what sits in the saucer. That watering settles the compost. It is not a signal to water again tomorrow.

Water and feed after the move

The RHS says not to feed a newly potted palm for six to eight weeks, then fortnightly from April to mid-September. COMPO’s listings state 8 weeks of nutrition in the bag. Hold the liquid feed for that pause even if the bag is charged, because the limit is the disturbed roots. An 8-week charge is not a year’s food. Through winter, let the surface dry slightly, and do not leave the plant standing in water. A bigger pot needs less frequent water at first. Call in help when you cannot lift the pot, when the crown is collapsing, or when the base is soft.

Common questions

When should I repot rather than top-dress?
Repot when the palm is pot-bound: roots at the drainage hole, a root ball that holds its shape, or a pot already at the size where growth has stalled and it is still under about 20–30 cm. Top-dress in the other years. The RHS figure is about 5 cm of fresh compost in early spring, without burying the stem any deeper. A tired look after a dry week is often water and light, not a new pot.
How much wider should the new pot be?
A couple of centimetres for a parlour palm, and about 2.5–5 cm for pots under 25 cm, with the new pot no more than about one third larger. A 12 cm pot becoming a 14 cm pot is the sort of step those rules describe. A jump to a tub twice as wide leaves a ring of bare compost that stays wet.
Do I feed straight after repotting?
The RHS says to wait six to eight weeks, then feed fortnightly from April to mid-September. COMPO’s bags state their own 8-week nutrition. Use the pause even if the bag is charged, because the advice is about disturbed roots. The starter charge does not cover the rest of the year.
Can I repot in winter?
Leave it until early spring unless the plant is failing in foul compost and you have no choice. Fresh mix in a cool room stays wet because the palm takes up little water. Winter care is a slightly dry surface and emptied saucers.
How much compost does one palm actually need?
A single small indoor palm is often inside a 5 litre bag, and a top-dress of 5 cm uses still less. Two plants, or a larger specimen, point to the verified 10 litre COMPO bag at £26.84. The Invigortex titles are not safe plans, because each specification line says 1 litre and 1 kg.

Related pages

Palm soil buying guide

Compost for an indoor palm

Palm soil

Best palm compost UK: the named bag and a clear skip

Why palm soil stays wet: saucer, pot size and gnats

Sources

Public UK sources listed below, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. This is not a laboratory test.

  1. RHS, Indoor palms (retrieved October 2026)
  2. RHS, Hardy palms (retrieved October 2026)
  3. RHS, Chamaedorea growing guide (retrieved October 2026)
  4. RHS, Peat-free compost choices (retrieved October 2026)
  5. RHS, Fungus gnats (retrieved October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, Sale of horticultural peat to be banned (retrieved October 2026)
  7. TheyWorkForYou, written answer 19 March 2026 (retrieved October 2026)
  8. BSI, PAS 100:2018 composted materials (retrieved October 2026)