How to Repot Succulents - The Right Way

When growing succulents you will sometimes ask yourselves if you should repot your succulents. Repotting succulents is very easy to do, it just gets a little messy. A lot of succulent growers only struggle with knowing when to repot. Knowing to repot gets a little tricky, sometimes you will repot too early or too late. By the end of this article you will know exactly how to repot succulent and when to repot succulents. 

WHEN SHOULD YOU REPOT YOUR SUCCULENTS?

You should repot your succulents right before their growing season so you do not disturbed their growth period. This will also allow them to recover after repotting so they can be ready for their growth period. There’s also many other reasons when you should repot your succulents. Like when you just bought new succulents, or when the succulent outgrows its pot.

Here are some common reasons why you should repot your succulents:

Succulents outgrow its pot: When a succulent outgrows its pot you will definitely notice. At the bottom of the pot there’s a drainage hole. If you see its roots sticking out of the drainage hole then it’s time to repot the succulent. The roots are sticking out because the succulent simply wants to grow larger. It’s best to repot in a new bigger succulent pot so the succulent can grow larger like it wants to.

New Succulents Just Purchased: When you buy succulents from your local nursery or even better online with free shipping, it’s best to repot after you just received them. New succulents that you just purchased come in a plastic growing pot. You will need to remove this pot and repot it in a new succulent pot that’s bigger. Doing this will allow proper growth and will also allow it to grow much larger. Those little plastic pots won’t last very long, the succulent will easily outgrow it.

Succulent Grew offsets: It’s also best to repot succulents if they are growing new offsets. You need to do it so the succulent can have more room. It’s very important to repot in a bigger succulent pot so the succulent and its new offset has enough room. 

Succulent is falling over: When a succulent starts to fall over on its side, that’s a sign that it needs to be repotted. It can be either repotted in a bigger pot, or it will just need to be repotted in a heavier pot. It’s falling over because the roots are getting stronger, making the pot not strong enough to hold it in its place.

Succulent looks unhealthy/has root rot: When your succulent looks unhealthy like it looks like its moldy there’s a chance it has root rot. Root rot occurs from overwatering, so you will need to repot it. You don’t need a new pot, you will just need to unpot the succulent and then clean out the old pot and put in new soil. Let the succulent sit out for 1-3 days until the roots are dry. Repot it in your fresh clean pot with new soil.

The soil doesn’t dry quickly: When the soil doesn’t dry quickly then there’s a chance that root rot will occur due to water sitting in the soil for several days. Root rot occurs when the soil stays wet and not dry for several days. You will need to repot the succulent in better succulent soil. You will need to use well-drained succulent soil. This will prevent overwatering and root rot.

PREPARATION FOR REPOTTING SUCCULENTS

Keep Succulents Hydrated: When repotting succulents it’s very important to make sure that the soil is still wet and moist and that the succulent is hydrated before repotting. This will make repotting a lot easier than just dealing with dry soil and roots. 

Choose the Right Succulent Pot: You must make sure that you choose the right succulent pot when you want to repot. Make sure that this succulent pot is the right size and shape so your succulent can grow healthy in. It’s also very important that the pot you want to use has a drainage hole. This will allow proper drainage and will help prevent overwatering and root rot. If your succulent pot doesn’t have a drainage hole don’t worry! Check out this article on how to grow succulents in pots without drainage holes.

 

 

Use Well-Drained Soil (Important!) It’s very important that you use well-drained succulent soil. Well-drained succulent soil is much needed when growing succulents. It will protect them from overwatering and of course root rot. Well-drained succulent soil will keep the soil dry at a very fast rate, which will prevent overwatering and prevent the most common killer of succulents known as 'root rot'. 

We recommend using Ramsey Succulent Soil

Ramsey Succulent Soil has ingredients such as perlite, sand, and seaweed. Perlite and sand are known as the best ingredients out there if you want your soil well-drained. The perlite and sand will soak up all the excess water that your succulent does not need, preventing the soil from staying soaking wet for several days. So yes, Ramsey Succulent Soil will prevent mold/bacteria and root rot (the #1 most common reason why a succulent will die) simply because there will be no excess water.

That's not all tho.

What makes Ramsey Succulent Soil arguably the best are the nutrients that's in the soil. These nutrients will help your succulents grow bigger, faster, and healthier.

Ramsey Succulent Soil has seaweed fertilizer, which has 60 trace minerals and nutrients. Yes, your succulents will be absorbing 60 trace minerals and nutrients. This will make your succulents grow bigger, faster, and healthier without a doubt. Compared to other succulent soil, this succulent soil will make a huge huge difference for your plants. Don't believe us? Check out this picture below. You can definitely tell which succulent soil is better for your succulents.

 

 

 

HOW TO REPOT SUCCULENTS

Okay you have everything you need now it’s time to repot your succulents! Here’s how to do it step by step.

Remove Succulent From Old Pot

The first thing you will need to do is to carefully remove the succulent from the old pot. If you are removing the plastic nursery pots then you simply need to squeeze the bottom of the pots and gently pull on the stem. The succulent will easily pop out and then just lay it out somewhere. 

Now if you are taking your pot out from a big ceramic pot, then you will need to get a small shovel and or a spoon and dig it out. Gently place your digging tool into the side of the pot and succulent and into the soil. Go really deep until you hit the bottom of the pot and dig out the succulent. The succulent should be free and you should easily get it out from the pot. After you get it out of the pot just lay it down on a surface. 

Brush the Dirt off the Roots

Now that you have your succulent out of its pot it’s time to remove the soil off its roots and clean the root system. You do this by gently removing the soil with your fingers and tapping it very gently. You will notice that the soil will easily come off. You might have to also pull on the soil a bit to get all the dirt off the roots.

Plant the Succulent 

It’s now time to actually plant the succulent into its new pot. To do this you must fill in the pot with your well-drained succulent soil halfway first. Once you do this then you can now place the succulent into the pot. Place the succulent into the center and make sure that its roots get covered with the soil. You can then add more soil to make sure that the succulent grows straight up and centered. Also make sure that the leaves are not touching the soil, this will prevent rotting. After you plant your succulent it’s time to water it. Make sure to not overwater and to only give it a little at first. 

That’s how you repot a succulent!

SHOULD YOU REPOT DURING DORMANCY?

No, you should not repot your succulents during its dormancy period. Repotting during dormancy doesn’t work and will most likely damage the succulent. During the dormancy period the succulent is still alive but it’s not growing. If you repot during dormancy period then you will most likely irritate the succulent and its roots because it’s not actually growing. Basically the succulent doesn't want to be bothered during dormancy period and repotting it will bother it during the dormancy period. Most succulent growers repot their succulents about every 2 years, but it really depends on the succulent. Just make sure to not repot succulents during their dormancy period.

ONE MORE THING

Before you decide to repot your succulents you must make sure that your succulent is ready and that the timing is right. Sometimes you can repot succulents way too early or way too late. It really depends on how the succulent is growing. Also make sure to not repot your succulents when they have flowers on them. Succulents with flowers on them are in the blooming process, and if you repot during their blooming process then you might ruin their flowers. The flower might fall off and won’t grow back. Just make sure to not repot when a succulent has a flower.

You now know how to repot succulents and when to repot succulents! Best of luck doing so!

 

Thank You!

Thank you for visiting our website and reading our article. We hope we brought value, and great information to you today. Our goal is to help fellow succulent lovers like you! Any questions or if you’d like more tips email us or comment below! 

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Ramsey Succulents

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