During the lockdown, you took the opportunity to spruce up your living space with a new houseplant. You tended to it, gave it care, and over time it’s grown quite big. But there comes a point when your plant becomes too big for its own pot, and if you leave it in there too long, it will suffer.

You can usually tell when it’s time to repot if the roots are overgrown or the roots start to form one massive root. Another tell-tale sign is if your plant starts slowing down in its growth. If you have determined that your plant is too big for its pot and needs a bigger one, here are step-by-step instructions to help you carefully repot your plant without harming it.

Step one: Choose an area for your repotting. After all, things will get messy with all that dirt, so make sure you cover the ground you’re working on or go outside to do your repotting.

Step two: Get your new soil ready. If you’re repotting an indoor plant, make sure it gets high-quality indoor potting soil that maximizes aeration.

Step three: Hold your two pots together to see roughly how much taller the new one is. That’s how much soil you’ll want to place at the bottom of your new pot, to ensure your plant doesn’t get buried too deep in there.

Step four: Carefully hoist your plant from its old pot and be careful not to break off any stems.

Step five: Gently separate any roots that have grown entangled. It’s also a good idea to dislodge any loose soil.

Step six: Place your plant in the center of its new pot and fill soil around its perimeter. Pat the sides and bottom of the pot to make sure soil is evenly distributed and tightly packed. Gently pack down the top layer of soil and continue adding more until you hit the base of your plant.

Step seven: Now that your plant is sitting pretty in its new home, make sure to quench its thirst with a nice drink of water. Not only is this healthy for your plant, but it will also help the soil settle.

Want more tips for how to repot plants? Check out this guide from MindBodyGreen.