Question: I suspect that it’s time to repot my violet, since it has an ugly trunk and it’s been a long time since I last did this. I’m afraid to though, since it’s still blooming and I don’t want to lose the flowers. Is there a best time to repot?
Answer: The best time to do anything is when it needs to be done. This means repotting your violet into fresh soil on a regular basis, when a “neck” begins to appear and is easy to remedy. Usually this means about twice a year. If done this often, the neck will not be very long or visible and will be easy to bury. This is done by removing some old soil (and roots) from the bottom of the rootball, lowering the plant in the pot, and then adding fresh soil around the top to cover the neck. If this is done regularly, then not much of the root system needs to be removed, so that the plant won’t suffer from the shock of repotting–it will barely even know what you’ve done to it. It should continue to bloom as it had before. Don’t feel squeamish about removing a few of the old, outer, leaves. These likely have already produced flowers and won’t do so again. Concentrate on maintaining the new, healthy, growth. It is this growth that will be producing your flowers now and in the future. Regularly freshening the soil encourages new root growth, which then can support new foliage growth and blooms.
Should you let the neck grow too long, then more of the root system will need to be removed and wit will more likely suffer from the stress of repotting–and may not bloom as well for awhile. Things done regularly, in small doses, are better than drastic measures done late.