In general, when you repot a plant, it’s into a larger pot. Normally you should choose a pot only one or two sizes (1” to 2”/2-5 cm) larger than the previous pot. Repotting into a much bigger pot (3 sizes larger than the previous pot or more) is an open invitation to rot. That’s because the roots won’t be able to fill the newly available growing space rapidly enough. The excess soil will then tend to stay moist and even waterlogged: a very conducive environment for harmful microbes to develop, including those that cause rot.
It is not, however, always necessary to repot into a larger pot when you repot a plant. A bigger pot stimulates the plant to grow to a larger size, but that’s not always what you want. Still, after a year or two, the old soil the plant has been growing in is probably becoming compact and overly rich in potentially toxic mineral salts. If so, simply unpot the plant, knock off much of the old soil mix as possible and repot into a clean pot the same size as the previous pot. Couldn’t be simpler!
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