How to pot artificial plants

You’ve seen a gorgeous artificial plant and now you want to know how to re-pot it into a stylish plant pot. 

This guide is aimed specifically at re-potting your new faux into a pot. If you’re looking to plant it into the ground, we’ve covered that here. 

Artificial plants, from Blooming Artificial or any other retailer, normally arrive in one of three ways. Read on to see the different options below.

Repotting your plant

Artificial plants normally arrive in a starter pot. This plain and simple pot is designed to hold your new faux plant together and act as a weighted base. However, it’s not particularly attractive or stable. 

For these reasons, we recommend repotting your plant into a larger and more decorative plant pot. We have our own attractive range of pots or you can use your own. 

Choosing the right size pot

Finding the right size pot can be tricky, so we’ve devised some simple guidance. Check the starter pot measurements on the product page on our website and add around 5cm - 10cm to the diameter. Some people prefer to go a little larger than this to add more stability. 

As you shop on our website, we’ll normally suggest hand-picked pots for each plant. These are based on the general guidelines mentioned above. 

Repotting instructions

What you’ll need:

• Earth or sand
• Decorative stones (optional)
• Your plant pot

Then follow these steps:

1. Check the height of your plant pot compared to the foliage clearance of your artificial plant. This is the gap between the pot and where the foliage begins. If the plant pot is particularly tall, or you want to increase the overall height of your plant, you may want to pre-fill the pot. 

2. Position your artificial plant centrally within the pot and check it’s straight. You shouldn’t remove the starter pot, just bury it. When you’re happy, fill around the starter pot with the earth or sand.

3. Finish the job by covering the earth or sand with decorative stones.
   

How to pot an artificial tree

How to pot an artificial houseplant

Top tips and additional information

• If you’ll be moving the plant around a lot, choose a plant pot with integrated wheels. Or, you can replace some or all of the earth with polystyrene chunks to reduce the overall weight.

• If you want to permanently secure the plant in the pot, use expanding foam instead of earth.
  

Planting a faux plant on a spike

Some of our smaller fauxs, like flowering bushes and hanging plants, arrive on a spike. If you’d like to pot these up, the good news is it’s even easier than the above. 

You’ll need:

• Earth, sand, or floral oasis
• Decorative topping (optional)
• A pot

Then follow these steps:

1. Fill about 80% - 90% of the pot with earth or sand. If you prefer, you can use floral oasis (the dry version).

2. Push the spike into the pot.

3. Voila! You’re done. You can add decorative stones to the top for an additional touch.
   

Securing outdoor plants

Plants and trees for outdoor use will also have to face the elements, which makes choosing the right pot very important. Extra weight and a larger base will help to keep your tree secure. For this reason, consider a larger pot with space for some extra stones or other potting medium to keep it weighed down.

If you're looking for smaller outdoor plants, our range of artificial hanging baskets and window boxes can bring some instant colour to your front door. Adding colour to your patio can easily be done with pre-potted planters or a patio planter. 

FAQ

Can I repot pre-potted items?  

Pre-potted artificial plants like patio tubs, window boxes, hanging baskets, and plants aren't designed to be removed from the pots they arrive in. We’ve used strong glue to secure them firmly in place. If you'd like to remove them, you can normally pull them or cut them. However, we don't recommend doing this as it may damage the plants. Doing this also voids any warranty and means you can’t return them to us should you change your mind. 

What should artificial plant pots be weighed down with?

While artificial methods are available to secure plants into their pots, the only materials artificial plants really need to secure them are natural - earth, sand and possibly decorative stones. 

Should I use expanding foam for potting artificial plants?

Expanding foam can be used to secure plants, but it will permanently secure them to the pot - so be sure to have picked the correct size and style first!