People usually do the first thing after buying a new houseplant (besides staring at it lovingly while doing a happy dance) is to place it—plastic pot and all—into a more decorative container. And while it's OK to keep your plant in its plastic home, for the time being, you won't want to leave it there forever.

Just about any time you buy a plant in the store, and it's in the nursery pot, it probably wants to be repotted sooner than later. The reason is that unless your plant was propagated and grown locally, it's likely been sitting in that pot for a while. Especially if it comes from a large nursery, there's a chance that quite a bit of time has passed since it was packaged, shipped, stocked on new shelves, and sold to you.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it means your plant might already be close to outgrowing its home. PlantShop recommends repotting it right away or within a few weeks, especially if you purchased it during the peak growing season.

How to tell if you need to repot

There are a few signs that your plant needs to break up with its plastic pot. For one, if you see roots popping up through the top of the soil or poking through the pot's drainage hole, it's a sign that it's pot-bound. Its roots—whose job is to absorb water and nutrients from the soil—have run out of room to grow outward. Lightly pull your plant out of its plastic pot to confirm the pot-bound diagnosis: If the roots are pressed up to the edge of the soil and look like they're growing in a circle, it's definitely time for a new pot.

Suppose your plant's leaves are drooping or starting to yellow, even though you're watering it properly. In that case, it's another sign that it's time to repot.

Gently shake it out of the plastic pot and shake off any loose soil, so you're just left with the plant and its roots. Then put a shallow layer of new soil into a pot no more than 1 to 2 inches larger in diameter. Any bigger and too much extra dirt will be absorbing water around your plant, which could lead to issues down the line. Your larger pot should also have a drainage hole at the bottom where water can escape. If it doesn't, put a shallow layer of pebbles or lava rocks down there to help with drainage. Then, plop your plant in, pack the soil around it tightly, and you're good to go. Your plant should be OK in its new home for another year until it needs a new pot.

The bottom line

Houseplants—they're just like us. They need room to grow and can get finicky when they're stuck in the same place for too long. This is why you'll want to move your plant out of the plastic pot you bought it in, especially if you suspect that it's been in there a while.