When repotting a Brugmansia, it is necessary to trim off some of the roots. Here are some basic instructions and some accompanying step by step instructions to show you what to do and how to go about doing it.

The first thing you will want to do is remove the plant from the pot. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to the pot as a 7 gallon pot. Do a thorough inspection of the plant, looking under the leaves and all along the trunk. Snails like to crawl up the trunk of the plant and hide under the leaves. Check for aphids, too.

The next step is to clean the pot and make sure to clean the outside of the pot in case any snails are stuck to the sides of the pot. Check the outside rim because that is a good hiding place for snails. If you plan to repot the Brugmansia in the same pot, simply spray the entire pot with water. If you plan to repot it in an older pot, soak it in a mixture of bleach and water for no less than 30 minutes. This will disinfect the pot.

At this point, it is time to trim the roots. Take off about one third of the roots. Trim off some of the side roots as well. Use your fingers to feel around to make sure that there are no snails digging around in the root system. You can also spray the root system with a hose, allowing the water to wash any unwanted critters away.

You can see where the roots were cut here removing the large roots and then removing most of the smaller roots, too. You can see how much of the root system was cut off by comparing this image to the first one. The roots are resilient and will grow back, so don't worry about being aggressive when you trim them. The process of trimming the roots is rather extensive. After repotting them, you can plant them in the ground if you live in a tropical zone, otherwise, you can plant the pot in the ground. Water them thoroughly but don't fertilize them for about ten days. This allows them to get over the shock of being repotted and getting their roots trimmed.