How to Choose the Right Pot Size for Your Plant

The single most common mistake we see is people buying a pot first, then choosing a plant for it. The order should be the other way round — pick the plant, then size the pot to match.

The 2-finger rule

Hold up the plant in its current nursery bag. The new pot should be:

• 2–3 cm wider than the bag, all the way around (about two adult fingers of space)
• 5 cm deeper than the bag

That's it. Anything more and the plant sits in damp soil it can't drink fast enough, which leads to root rot. Anything less and the roots run out of room within a season.

When to size up

Re-pot one size up every 1–2 years for fast growers, every 3 years for slow growers like succulents and citrus. You'll know it's time when:

• Roots are circling the bottom of the pot when you slide it out
• Water runs straight through (the pot is mostly roots, no soil left)
• Growth has slowed even though you're feeding it

Special cases

Trees and shrubs in pots: size up more aggressively — at least 10–15 cm wider than the root ball. Trees push more roots than soft-stemmed plants.

Hanging plants: undersize slightly. They want to dry out between waterings, and a smaller pot with less soil dries faster.

Aloes, agaves, succulents: the 2-finger rule but stay shallow. Their roots spread wide, not deep.

Drainage matters more than size

Even a perfectly-sized pot will kill a plant if it can't drain. Every Pots For Grabs pot ships with at least one drainage hole — if you're using a decorative pot indoors, drop the nursery bag inside it (with its own drainage) and lift it out to water.

See our full pot range →