How do you know when to re-pot?

Excerpt of Newsletter: October 2012, Volume 34, Number 2

Here are 11 reasons our members re-pot their plants:

• Plants are so large they are falling out of the pot and the pot looks like it’s expanding.
• Pot breaking or cracking. Pot could be too old or plant too large.
• Soil level has gone down or is shrinking in from the sides; the plant would have used much of the nutrients in the soil.
• Squeeze the pot – does it resist or easy to squeeze?  Is there enough soil in the pot?
• Roots growing out of the bottom.
• Rootball is like a “rock”.
• Plant stops growing.
• Plant looks half dead;  when re-potting you can check the roots.
• When water goes straight through the mix.
• There are lots of weeds in the pot.
• Don’t like the colour of the pot.
• When to re-pot? After the plant stops flowering.

Thanks everyone for suggestions which were both humorous and serious.  I now know that all my plants need re-potting. 

Special thanks to the late Phil Robson for launching the Big Question as a way for all of us to share our experience and ideas.