Beware of Common Missteps: The Essential Guide to Avoid Killing Your Newly Purchased Succulents
If you've been wondering how to plant succulents to ensure they grow long and happy lives, this is the post for you! This step-by-step photo tutorial for planting newly purchased succulents will help give you a good foundation for your next succulent garden!
Essential Supplies
Before you get started, make sure you have the essential supplies for planting succulents. You don't need a lot, but this list will ensure you're not running for tools in the middle of replanting.
Once you've gathered the supplies you need, you're ready to start potting!
When to repot succulents
There are various times it's necessary to repot your succulents. The first is right after you buy them. A lot of times nurseries will grow succulents in a very organic soil that doesn't drain well.
This works ok in the nursery where the climate is controlled, but generally doesn't work well once you bring your succulents home. It's best to repot succulents into fresh soil after you purchase them.
Another time you'd want to repot your succulents is when they've filled up or outgrown the pot they're in. Often they'll be "root bound" meaning the roots are filling up the pot and the plant doesn't have space to grow more roots.
It's very common for succulents from a nursery to be root bound as it can help reduce the speed at which succulents grow, meaning the nursery doesn't have to repot their succulents as often.
As a general rule, I recommend leaving about 1/2" to 1" (1-2.5cm) between the edge of the pot and your succulent's leaves. If your succulent is about 3" (7.5cm) in diameter, then you'll want to place it a pot that's about 4" (10cm) in diameter.
Remove Your Pot and Soil
The first step of successful succulent planting is to get rid of the nursery pot and remove as much soil as you can. Nurseries almost always plant their succulents in soil that's way too dense and retains too much water. The more of this nursery soil you're able to get rid of, the healthier your succulent's roots will be.
You may not be able to get all the soil off without damaging the roots, and that's totally fine. Just get rid of as much as you can while being gentle on your succulent.
I don't generally recommend washing off your succulent roots as this can be problematic for them and cause problems down the road. I cover this in more detail in the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghGmarKS1aw&t
If you're planting your succulent by itself (as I am here), you'll want to leave the roots intact as much as possible. On the other hand, if you're putting together an arrangement with several succulents, you might want to break off some of the roots.
Getting rid of some roots won't create any big problems–your succulent will survive just fine either way. And, if you're lucky enough to have babies attached to your main plant, now is a good time to remove them if you'd like.
Place Mesh Over the Drainage Hole
Although a drainage hole is important for the health of your succulent, you don't want your soil to fall out of it. Use some mesh tape to prevent the biggest chunks of soil from falling out.
Mesh tape works well because it allows for water to flow out easily, but will still hold in most of the soil. You'll probably get some “dust” falling out, but that's normal.
If you want, you can also use a mesh screen instead of the mesh tape.
Fill Your Pot Part Way With Soil
Before you place your succulent in the pot you've chosen, fill it with succulent soil. Leave enough room on top so the roots of your succulent will be covered but the leaves will stay above the rim of the pot. You'll be add more soil later on.
Place Your Succulent
Now it's time to add your succulent to the planter! You can plant it–centered or off-center, whichever you'd like.
Nestle some of the roots into the soil, so they'll get as a bit of a head start on growth.
Fill the Pot All the Way to the Top
Now it's time to fill up the pot. You want to leave just a tiny bit of room between the top of the soil and top of the pot. Make sure the leaves of the succulent sit completely above the soil, to prevent rotting.
A chopstick is great for poking your soil over and over, which will help remove any large pockets of air between the roots.
This will help prevent your soil from sinking down after a few waterings.
Add a Top Dressing
To finish off your potted succulent, add a top dressing. This is why you left a little bit of room at the top of your pot.
The top dressing can be something bright and fun or a simple gravel, like I used here. As you add your top dressing, press down on the soil to help the succulent stay in place.
Most Important Step
Once your succulent is potted and the top dressing is in place, let it sit for one to two days before you water it. This resting period will give the roots time to heal before they start soaking up water, which helps prevent root rot.
And that's all there is to it! Pretty simple, right?
The most common mistakes I see in potting are a) not removing the soil from the roots, b) forgetting to add a top dressing, and c) watering too soon.
Follow the steps above, and you'll avoid these common problems, and get a great start on your healthy succulent garden!
Planting one succulent is exciting, but creating stunning arrangements is a fun way to make your succulent garden even more beautiful.
This article originally appeared on Succulents and Sunshine.