Root Bound

I am somewhat of a gardener. I enjoy planting, tending, nurturing, and reaping the harvest. I inherited my ‘green thumb’ from my dad. However, my green thumb does not apply to indoor gardening. I like houseplants but unless they are extremely resilient I just can’t keep them alive for any length of time. My husband often comments about how puzzling it seems that I can grow just about anything in my garden and it thrives but any greenery that passes through the door has its days numbered.



Thanks to a brief sentence about repotting a plant in a note from my brother, I think I discovered the key to my indoor gardening dilemma. I learned about plants becoming root bound. I never learned that a plant becomes root bound if it is allowed to grow in the same pot for a length of time. I suppose I knew and heard about this but never appreciated its full affect on indoor plants. In nature, a plant’s root system naturally extends up to three times the length that it grows in height. As plants grow fresh foliage above soil they are simultaneously extending and thickening their root systems. If left to grow in the same space for an extended amount of time, a plant will literally choke itself. This stunts plant growth and potential. Roots also can rot. Plants need to be repotted every 2-3 years to flourish. As you repot, you may need to remove up to 1/3 of the plant’s existing roots and you should break up the remaining root clump to promote health and growth.


Standing still with my latest gardening lesson, the thought occurs to me that I may be a plant that needs repotting. Am I existing in “a pot” that has made me root bound? Is there any complacency causing root rot or bounding happening due to staying in a comfort zone (social circles, parenting, relationally, time invested, self invested, mind set, etc.) that is causing a lack of growth and productivity in my life physically, emotionally or spiritually? Has root rot affected areas of my life? Do I have ‘deadness’ that needs to be removed? Maybe I need to look at repotting myself – even if it causes a little shock to the system, it will ultimately allow me to grow in a healthier, more productive way.


Think I might start looking for a different pot…






1 Corinthians 3:7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.