Repotting guide

When & how to repot Woolly Foxglove (Digitalis lanata)

Also called Woolly Foxglove, Grecian Foxglove, Digitalis.

More about woolly foxglove

About Woolly Foxglove

Digitalis lanata · also called Woolly Foxglove, Grecian Foxglove · herb

Woolly Foxglove is a biennial or short-lived perennial from the Balkans and southeastern Europe, cultivated commercially as the primary source of the cardiac glycoside digoxin. It produces dense spikes of creamy-white, brown-veined tubular flowers in its second year. All parts are highly toxic. Suited to sunny, well-drained borders; moderately drought-tolerant once established.

Mature size: 60-120 cm tall in flower, 30-45 cm basal spread

Watch for — Powdery mildew: White powdery coating on leaves in dry, warm conditions with poor airflow. Improve spacing and ventilation; apply a potassium bicarbonate spray as a low-impact treatment.

How to tell woolly foxglove needs repotting

Repotting on a calendar is less reliable than reading the plant. For woolly foxglove, 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 woolly foxglove 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 woolly foxglove

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot. Woolly Foxgloveis grown for one season, so the question is really “how often to pot on” — keep moving it up before the roots circle. Biennial or short-lived perennial forming a basal rosette in year one, flowering spike in year two.

What size pot to step woolly foxglove up to

Pot woolly foxglove 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 woolly foxglove

Pot woolly foxglove 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 woolly foxglove

Pot on before it is root-bound. Check woolly foxglove 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 loam or sandy loam, slightly acidic to neutral, ph 5.5-7.0 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 woolly foxglove 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 woolly foxglove

Woolly Foxglove wants well-drained loam or sandy loam, slightly acidic to neutral, ph 5.5-7.0. Prefers moderately fertile, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter. Neutral to slightly acidic pH preferred. Avoid heavy clay or waterlogged conditions, particularly over winter when the basal rosette is most vulnerable to crown rot. Always use fresh mix when you repot — reusing old, broken-down soil reintroduces the compaction and poor drainage you are repotting to fix.

Repotting woolly foxglove — frequently asked questions

How often should you repot woolly foxglove?

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot for woolly foxglove. Woolly Foxglove 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 loam or sandy loam, slightly acidic to neutral, ph 5.5-7.0 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 woolly foxglove need?

When is the best time of year to repot woolly foxglove?

Can you put woolly foxglove straight into a much bigger pot?

No. Even a fast-growing woolly foxglove 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 woolly foxglove after repotting?

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