I am needing to repot some of my succulents. I am relatively new to succulents and had repotted all previously in normal potting soil. It's just dumb luck that most of them survived. Or maybe they just like hanging around because they like the sound of my voice. I have done a lot of research on soils, and each article and expert seem to contradict the one before. I do not like Miracle Grow products because I want to know how much and which type of fertilizer my plants get. In addition, I've read/heard from 3 "experts" that Miracle Grow plant food is the plant version of fast food. It contains too much salt. Its good for outside plants because rain dilutes the salt. A lot of the soils I've checked out has vermiculite or peat moss. Now am I wrong, but don't both of these keep water contained rather than draining? There is even one soil that has added coffee to its mix. Heck, between my daughter and I, we drink enough coffee to put the grounds in normal potting soil. Please help! My head is spinning! TYIA.
I am needing to repot some of my succulents. I am relatively new to… | The Cactus & Succulent Circle | Planta-Community
11 Kommentare
BlondeinBrooklynFirst question...why do you need to repot? What about their condition makes you think it's necessary?
0 Likes- Lola
Toothless is in the pot he came in and the dirt is so compacted that, unless I do water by dropper, watering from the top is impossible and sitting him in water to water through the drainage holes takes more than a half hour to get a slight movement on my water meter. David has taken off and has been crowding out his pot for about 6 months now and his soil has gotten pretty compacted too.
0 Likes - Lola
I also want to take a few of David's babies and pot them for my daughter, who will be moving across country next year.
0 Likes - BlondeinBrooklyn
Have you tried loosening the soil either by gently pressing in the sides of the nursery pot or using a chopstick to gently push into soil and loosen (aka aerate it)? The reason I'm stuck on repotting only if plant is in dire straights is because I think it's the #1 mistake I made resulting in A LOT of dead succulents. I started my succulent journey making these arrangements of multiple plants. Often some would die and I'd end up replanting old with new - all that disruption killed pretty much every plant. Also I wasn't taking into consideration how small the root system of a succulent is. Even with multiple plants covering the surface of say a 6 inch pot...that was WAY too much soil for their roots to absorb. And they all died. Now I only repot if I think the soil has gone hydrophobic. I'd rather take my chances w/the growers soil than disrupt the immature root system of a succulent that's healthy.
2 Likes - BlondeinBrooklyn
Can you post a pic?
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- BlondeinBrooklyn
DO NOT put a succulent in peat moss. There is specific soil for succulents which contains sand and perlite. I use Back to the Roots brand and then a few drops of Schultz Cactus Plus fertilizer. All available on Amazon.
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- Lola
That's what made sense to me about peat moss. Thanks for your help.
1 Like
Hens and chicksI mix my own soil so I can know exactly what’s in it. It’s a little more expensive but I think it’s worth it. I use coco coir, perlite, silica sand, horticulture charcoal and worm castings for my succulent mix. They seem to like it.
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PhilI have quite a few succulents and think I’ve been pretty successful with them. I try to get rid of as much as possible of the original soil, without damaging the plant. My soil for many months now has been Jacks Gritty Mix. I mix in some regular houseplant soil to slow the drainage. The percentage depends on the plant I’m potting. I repot often for whatever reason, and they do fine. I recently changed the plants in the living room. So I repotted several just to make it look good. I also do bowl displays. But that is more research because I want the needs to be the same. Most of my bowls will last at least 6 months. I have a couple for almost a year. But I would suggest you do something about the hydrophobic soil. If it’s really bad, just cut it off. Leave a little bit to balance in the soil. Let it dry then place in some good succulent soil. I’ve done it many times. Water at the stem base as needed until you have roots.
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- Phil
When a display starts to decline, I disassemble it and plant up individually. We can only give you ideas of what we do. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for you. Because we all have different success stories.
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- Lola
Thanks everyone for the help. I loosened the dirt around both. I think David (FYI Lawyer's tongue named after an attorney I worked with) and his babies will do well now. As to Toothless (Dragon Fingers named after the dragon in How to Train Your Dragon) is really tight still, even after loosening. The dirt looks better. I think he's on the fence. (See pic). Thoughts?
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