Repotting guide

When & how to repot Queen Mix Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana)

Also called Spider Flower, Spider Plant, Bee Plant, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant.

More about queen mix spider flower

About Queen Mix Spider Flower

Cleome hassleriana · also called Spider Flower, Spider Plant · flowering

Queen Mix Spider Flower is a tall, architectural annual with large, airy flower heads in rose, pink, lilac, and white atop sticky, thorny stems — a magnet for bees and butterflies. Vigorous self-seeder for back-of-border drama from midsummer to autumn. Mildly irritating sap; listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to dogs and cats.

Mature size: 90-150 cm tall, 40-60 cm spread

How to tell queen mix spider flower needs repotting

Repotting on a calendar is less reliable than reading the plant. For queen mix spider flower, watch for these signs:

Roots circling the bottom of the module or pot, or poking out of the drainage holes.
The seedling dries out within a day and growth has visibly stalled.
Roots are white and matted in a tight spiral when you tip the plant out.
It has outgrown its current container for the stage of the season — pot queen mix spider flower on before it becomes hard root-bound.

For the underlying biology of a pot-bound root system and why it stalls a plant, see our guide to spotting and fixing a root-bound plant.

How often to repot queen mix spider flower

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot. Queen Mix Spider Floweris grown for one season, so the question is really “how often to pot on” — keep moving it up before the roots circle. Tall, upright, branching annual.

What size pot to step queen mix spider flower up to

Pot queen mix spider flower on gradually — a seedling jumped straight into a huge pot sits in cold, wet, airless soil and stalls. Step up one or two sizes at a time as the roots fill each container, finishing in a large final pot or the ground. The aim is roots that never circle and never check.

Not sure of the exact diameter? Our pot size calculator takes the current pot and root spread and tells you the right next size — it deliberately recommends a single step up, never a big jump.

The best time of year to repot queen mix spider flower

Pot queen mix spider flower on through the active growing season, whenever roots fill the current container — there is no single date, just "before it becomes root-bound". Avoid potting on during a cold snap.

Step-by-step: repotting queen mix spider flower

Pot on before it is root-bound. Check queen mix spider flower regularly; move it up as soon as roots reach the edge of the cell or pot, not after they have circled.
Step up one or two sizes. Choose the next container up — not a giant one. Cold, wet, unused soil around a small root system stalls seedlings.
Knock it out gently. Support the stem, tip the pot, and ease the rootball out without breaking it. A little teasing of circled roots at the base is fine.
Pot into rich mix. Set it into fresh well-drained, average to fertile garden soil at the same depth (tomatoes are the exception — they can go deeper to root along the stem).
Water in and grow on. Water well, keep it in good light, and resume feeding once it is established and growing again.

Aftercare

Water queen mix spider flower in well and keep it in bright light; a freshly potted-on seedling can wilt for a day while roots settle, so do not overcompensate by drowning it. Do not fertilise for about 1 week — fresh mix already carries nutrients and feeding freshly disturbed roots scorches them.

The right soil mix for queen mix spider flower

Queen Mix Spider Flower wants well-drained, average to fertile garden soil. Thrives in most garden soils with a pH of 6.0-7.0. Overly rich or wet soils produce enormous but floppy plants that need staking. Moderately fertile, well-drained soil delivers the best balance of height and self-support. Always use fresh mix when you repot — reusing old, broken-down soil reintroduces the compaction and poor drainage you are repotting to fix.

Repotting queen mix spider flower — frequently asked questions

How often should you repot queen mix spider flower?

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot for queen mix spider flower. Queen Mix Spider Flower is a seasonal crop, so you pot it on as a growing plant rather than repotting a perennial. Step seedlings up gradually into well-drained, average to fertile garden soil so the roots never circle the cell, ending in a large final container. A root-bound transplant stalls and never fully recovers.

What size pot does queen mix spider flower need?

When is the best time of year to repot queen mix spider flower?

Can you put queen mix spider flower straight into a much bigger pot?

No. Even a fast-growing queen mix spider flower should only go up one pot size at a time. A vastly oversized pot holds a reservoir of wet soil the roots cannot reach, which stays cold and soggy and rots the roots — the opposite of what you wanted.

Should you fertilise queen mix spider flower after repotting?

Not immediately. Wait about 1 week after repotting queen mix spider flower. Fresh mix already contains nutrients, and feeding freshly cut or disturbed roots burns them. Resume your normal feeding routine once you see new growth.