Allowing a plant to get a good healthy root ball, and then letting the soil get a bit on the dry side before a transplant, is the best procedure. This avoids the root ball crumbling, and the dryness shrinks the soil so that a sharp smack on the bottom of the pot will allow the whole mass to slide cleanly out.
Plant and see...
stinkyattic Reviewed by stinkyattic on . Transplant gone bad, is it dead? It's grown it's first two spikey leaves and the roots were going thru the bottom so I decided to re-pot it. It was difficult to get it out of the styrofoam cup so I cut the cup to the bottom. Sadly, the soil got loose and crumbled right as I put it into the new pot's soil. In the process, I ended up breaking some of the lower and much smaller roots. Is my plant dead or damaged beyond repair? :( :( :( Rating: 5