How to Keep Pansies in a Pot From Drooping

Water your pansies once a week until the soil is moist. During hot and dry weather, check your pots every two days. If the soil feels dry, give the pansies additional water. Pansies prefer moist, not soggy, soil and will do best when watered regularly. Adding a one-inch layer of mulch to your pot will help the soil retain moisture.

Move the pansy to a spot that is partially shaded from afternoon sun during the summer. Although they don't grow well in full shade, pansies will droop if exposed to intense midday sun. Keep potted pansies in a place that receives full morning or evening sun and dappled afternoon sun.

Check the pansy to see if it is root bound. Gently remove the pansy from its pot. If dense mats of roots are visible along the sides or bottom of the soil, you need to re-pot it. A mass of roots prevents the soil from being able to hold water, causing the pansy to droop even with regular watering. Move your pansy to a pot at least two inches wider than the one it was previously in.

Re-pot the pansy with potting soil in a plastic pot if it is in a terracotta or unglazed clay pot. Clay pots are porous and allow moisture to wick away much faster than plastic pots. Because the soil can't retain water, a pansy wilts when kept in a terracotta pot especially during warm, dry weather.

Remove fading flowers. Leaving faded flowers on a pollinated pansy will signal the plant to produce seeds. Once the plant goes to seed, it will droop and die back. Pinching off the dead flowers, signals the plant to stay alive and continue producing blooms.