Step Up Your Plants Before Fall

After a busy summer of growth, many potted plants are bursting out of their containers. Now is the perfect time to step them up into a slightly larger pot.

🌱 Why now in August?

Repotting before fall gives roots room to expand, while there’s still warmth for active growth. Plants have time to sprout new shoots, fill out, and build strength before cooler weather slows them down.

✂️ Trim and Shape

This is also your last chance to give plants a light trim. Pinching or cutting back helps them branch, bush out, and get denser — exactly what you want going into fall.

💚 Add Green Magic

When repotting, mix in Sunshine controlled-release Green Magic fertilizer to reduce transplant stress and boost new root growth. It helps plants settle in quickly and keep thriving.

👉 Watch our on how to step up your plant the right way, then check your pots — some of your summer growers are ready to move up!

⚠️ Important Note on Timing

This advice is for gardeners in warm climates or for anyone who still has at least a month of warm weather left. Tropical plants go dormant when temperatures drop below 75F, so planting in a larger pot at that time may cause root rot — roots stop growing in dormancy, and extra moisture in the soil can lead to rotting.

Watch repotting video

How to Repot a Plant Properly

1. Choose the Right Pot

   Pick a pot just a few inches larger than the old one.

   ✅ Make sure it has good drainage — tropical plants hate sitting in water. A pot without drainage holes can cause waterlogging and root rot.

2. Why plastic pots are better than fancy ceramic

   Ceramic pots may look pretty, but they are heavy, breakable, and often lack proper drainage. Plastic pots are lightweight, easier to handle, and — most importantly — if a plant is root-bound and stuck, you can simply cut the plastic pot to free it without harming the roots. For looks, slip the plastic pot inside a decorative cover pot.

3. Add Soil and Fertilizer

   Place fresh potting soil at the bottom. Mix in a good fertilizer — we use Sunshine Green Magic.

4. Remove the Plant

   Why turn it upside down? Gravity helps loosen the plant, and it slides out more easily without tugging.

   Never pull a plant by its head (stems or leaves). That can damage the crown and tear roots.

   If it doesn’t come out easily: lay the pot on its side and gently squeeze or tap the pot to dislodge the soil. If it is really stuck, cut the old pot instead of forcing the plant.

5. Check the Root System

   If roots are circling tightly (pot-bound), gently untangle or loosen the outside layer so they will grow outward into the new soil.

   Do not shake off or remove old soil from the root ball. Roots have tiny hairs that absorb water and nutrients, and damaging them will set the plant back. Keep the root mass intact and disturb as little as possible.

6. Set at the Same Level

   Place the plant in the new pot so it sits at the same soil level as before.
   👉 This is important: burying the stem too deep can suffocate it, while setting the plant higher than before may expose roots and cause drying. Keeping the level the same protects the root crown.

7. Fill and Firm

   Add more soil and fertilizer around the sides. Press lightly around the edges to remove air pockets.

8. Water Thoroughly

   Give it a deep watering to help roots settle.

9. Aftercare

   Don’t water again until the top inch of soil feels dry. Freshly repotted plants are vulnerable to soggy soil and root rot if kept too wet.

Watch the video how to repot properly

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From Anna Banana: Shipping and planting during hot weather

Q: I received email notification that my order was delayed due to hot weather. Why? And do I need to do anything special if I plant when it is hot?

A: When plants are shipped via FedEx Ground, it is hot in the truck! According to our FedEx area manager information, if outside temperature is 100 degrees, inside the truck it can be 130! We don't want to put your plants through that much stress. We monitor the weather at destination, and as soon as it cools down a little bit, your order will be shipped.

Planting during hot weather:
1. For a mail-ordered plant follow planting instructions and never plant it from the box directly into the ground. Keep it in a pot the size of a root ball until the plant recovers from shipping stress, re-grows root system and adjusts from several days of darkness to a bright light. Move the pot gradually into brighter light, eventually into a spot of its permanent home. Do not over water the pot. Once you see new growth - the plant is ready to be transplanted into the ground.
2. Use only quality soil, containing lots of organic matter (compost, peat moss); soil conditioner is beneficial (pine bark). Plant it on a little hill, so growing point is elevated 1-1.5"above the rest of the surface.
3. Put a good layer of mulch around the plant, at least 1-2" thick, and not too close to the trunk as it may cause stem rot on contact.
4. Water daily with a garden hose until the plant shows active growth - then watering may be reduced every other day or less, or you may rely on sprinklers and/or rains.
5. If the sun is too hot, use shade cloth (or simply a white bed sheet) to cover the plant for the first few days (use bamboo sticks for support). It will help the plant to establish without heat stress. If leaves start dropping - this may be a sign of excessive light and heat. Shading is the way to reduce it.
6. Use SUNSHINE booster to help plants overcome heat stress, and shipping stress. It really works!

Remember that a plant has a very slow nature, unlike creatures from animal world. Give it some time and never rush it into new conditions. Go slowly and patiently - this is the only way to get a reward of a fruit crop or a beautiful flower.

Growing tropicals from seeds.

From Kristi the Wizard of Rose: I grow many plants from seeds, both for my personal collection, and for TopTropicals. I receive many questions from customers who want to grow tropical plants from seeds. Some of them live in colder climates and try to extend growing season of their tropical collections by starting new varieties early in the year from seeds. These are a few tips that may be helpful.

Q: What do I need to do to speed up germination process?

A: Many factors affect germination. Considering you get fresh seeds (for example from TopTropicals) and Mother Nature gives them a good kick start, there are a few things that may speed up germination:
1) Scarification. Large seeds with a hard outer shell can be slightly sanded down just enough for moisture to get inside to wake up the seed during the pre-soaking. Be careful not to damage the seed. See example of Lotus seed scarification.
2) Pre-soaking. We recommend pre-soaking most of the seeds for only a few hours (3-8 depending on species. Some seeds are very sensitive to moisture and may start rotting if stay wet without air circulation. Small seeds, especially tiny ones like dust, should not be soaked.
3) SUNSHINE-S treatment. Adding a few drops of SUNSHINE-S booster when pre-soaking seeds increases their germination rate 3-5 times.
4) Temperature. Warm temperatures help germination. If grown indoors, put seeds containers or trays in the warmest spot of your house; you may use heat pads. Outdoors, putting them in full sun helps a lot, just don't let soil to dry out.

Use only special porous seed germination mix to provide air circulation and prevent seeds from rotting.

Q: Should I keep seeds in refrigerator before planting?

A: Do not refrigerate tropical seeds. Stratification (treatment with cold) works only for temperate species, and some subtropical (like non-tropical Magnolias)

Q: How do you grow eucalyptus from seeds? I tried a few times with no success.

A: The secret of germinating tiny seeds like eucalyptus is - to sow them on top of the moist soil surface (soil must be very fine and soft), without covering. Keep container covered with clear plastic, in bright light. Use spray bottle to keep surface moist but not soggy. I have a customer who germinates eucalyptus seeds using an old fish tank, covered with a glass. Perfect environment - bright light and moist all the time.