How To Repot Your Succulents Successfully

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching a plant that you’ve cared for grow and flourish. For experienced gardeners, this is what the pastime is all about. A big part of gardening is understanding when to move your plants so they have enough room to continue growing. You’ll likely repot many plants as you continue gardening.

Maybe you’re new to gardening, and you’ve recently bought a few succulents for your home. Maybe you have a lot of experience tending to plants but not with succulents in particular. Without any prior knowledge, repotting a succulent can seem like a scary process with lots of potential mistakes.

There’s no need to worry! We’ll give you some key tips on how to repot your succulents successfully so that they have room to grow bigger and even more beautiful. Succulents may be quite tough as far as plants go, but repotting them still involves some risk if you aren’t sure how to do it correctly. If you follow this guide, you should be able to repot your succulents without any issues, allowing you to watch them reach their full potential.

When Should You Repot Your Succulents?

The frequency for repotting your succulents is not cut and dry. Every plant is different, so there is no exact measurement of time you should wait before repotting them. Thankfully, there are a number of signs that indicate that you should move your succulent to a bigger pot. We’ll go over the most common ones here.

You Buy a Brand New One

When you buy any new plant from a nursery, it’s important to practice good plant hygiene by moving it into a fresh pot with new soil. This minimizes the risk of any nursery pests finding their way into your home.

Brand-new succulents usually come in the plastic pots in which the nursery grew them. These containers won’t give them enough room to grow much bigger, and they are often quite basic and not very visually appealing. For succulents from Mountain Crest Gardens, we recommend transplanting within six weeks of delivery.

It’s Outgrowing Its Pot

One of the clearest signs that you need to move your succulent to a bigger pot is when it starts to look much bigger than the pot itself. Some succulents can grow quite large and overtake their pots. While this can look nice at first, it eventually leads to stability issues and snapped-off stems. Transplanting to a larger pot lets your succulent establish a wider, more sturdy root system to support its aboveground growth. The roots will soon run out of room, and the soil will be too depleted of nutrients to support further growth.

Its Growth Has Stagnated

Alternatively, you might notice a succulent whose growth has somewhat flatlined. Even if you plan to keep it in the same pot, replanting with fresh soil can provide the nutrient boost it needs to resume healthy growth. Succulents are not heavy nutrient feeders, so a soil refresh can be a better option than applying strong fertilizers. Just be sure to use gritty, well-draining soil that dries out quickly.

Steps for Repotting Succulents

There are a few key differences in the way you repot succulents compared to transplanting other plants. There is a little bit of risk involved in moving any plant, but the following steps for repotting your succulents successfully will let you proceed confidently and effectively.

Carefully Remove the Plant From Its Current Pot

Take the current pot with your succulent and turn it on its side. Find the strongest part of the succulent’s stem and hold onto it. Once you have a hold of it, gently start to wiggle the succulent back and forth to loosen it from its current pot. For a gentle assist, slide a slender tool around the edge of the pot to loosen the soil. A chopstick, butter knife, or screwdriver works well for this. Keep pulling gently and wiggling back and forth to pop the succulent out of its pot.

Pro Tip: Really Stuck Succulents

If you really can’t get the succulent out of its old pot no matter what you do, you may need to break the pot to free it. Flowerpots are usually fragile, so a few careful, gentle taps with a hammer can help you extract your succulent from its confines.

Loosen the Soil and Roots

You’ll next want to free the succulent’s root ball from some of the old soil. This is a simple matter of knocking off what you can without damaging the roots themselves. If the roots are very tightly bound together, you can gently massage them with your hands to loosen the roots and prepare them for their new home. Don’t panic if some of the roots break away or snap off by accident. As long as you’re planting into dry soil, the snapped roots will heal, and the succulent will be totally fine.

Plant in a Well-Draining Pot With Gritty Soil

Select a new container with a drainage hole in the bottom. With one hand, hold your succulent at the desired height in its new pot and use the other hand to fill in the soil around the roots. A small trowel or scoop works well for this. Be sure to use gritty, well-draining soil that will dry out relatively quickly. For more information on what type of succulent soil to pick, check out our Ultimate Guide to Succulent Soil.

Once filled with new soil, pat the soil down to ensure the plant has a snug base of support. Unlike most plants, succulents should not be watered directly after transplanting. Do not water for at least three days to give any broken roots time to callus and seal. This will help prevent bacteria and fungus from infiltrating the roots.

Optional: Cover With Top Dressing

Some growers chose to cover the soil in their pots with a rocky top dressing. This serves two purposes. First, it mitigates rot by creating a barrier between the leaves and the soil. This prevents the foliage from resting on damp soil after watering. Second, it can help create a clean look for your succulent containers. Pick a neutral color for top dressing so that your succulent can be the center of attention.

Then just place your freshly repotted succulent in a sunny spot, and it will be good to grow! If you’re looking to start your own succulent garden or you want to expand your current one, check out the succulents and MCG Trifecta Kits here at Mountain Crest Gardens. We also carry a diverse selection of cacti for you to choose from. We’re always glad to help our fellow green thumbs find their new favorite plant.