How To Repot Succulents (2024)

If you care for succulent plants, you should know how to air dry them as part of routine maintenance and in particular situations. While many factors contribute to a healthy succulent, a strong, dry root system is essential.

There are several reasons why you should repot your succulents. But, whatever the reason, it’s always best to do it immediately before their growing season, which is usually early spring or early fall for most succulents. Here, the succulents have plenty of time to recuperate from the repotting.

In our guide, you can learn the right ways of moving your succulent to a new planter. You’ll see how to prepare your succulent plant for new soil, the ideal placement if you have a display, and more.

By the end, you’ll know how to repot succulents and care for your potted succulent with the least effort and happy planting experience. (Read Mother Of Thousands Varieties)

Do You Need To Dry Out Succulents Before Repotting?

Before planting your succulent roots, stems, or leaves into the soil, make sure they’re completely dry. If you plant them with a damp end, they can rot in the soil.

There are several reasons to repot your succulent plant. This should be done just before their growing season, which is usually early spring or early fall for most succulent plants. So that the succulents can recuperate from the repotting, time accordingly.

• Newly purchased succulents are frequently sold in small plastic containers that limit their growth. So, once you get them home, move them to a new planter.
• Outgrowing the pot happens when succulent plants roots poke out of the potholes, preventing them from growing fully.
• The soil dries out too soon after watering, requiring more frequent watering, or if the water doesn’t seep through the drainage hole of the pot, causing root rot.
• The plant appears unwell. Succulents’ formerly plump and luxuriant leaves may suddenly wilt, shrink, or yellow despite adequate light and watering. Immediately inspect your succulents for pests, root rot, and other illnesses. If the leaves are healthy, remove the plant from the pot and inspect the roots.
• Cut off the dead or unhealthy ones and replant them in a new pot with fresh soil.
• The succulent leans or topples mean you may need to repot it into a heavier pot to stop it from falling over.
• Several succulents produce offsets or pups. When your succulents have pups, repot them, divide them from the mother plant, and start reproducing.
• Repot your succulents every two years so they have fresh soil and room to grow.
• A plant in dormancy is still alive but not growing. Repotting them may disturb their growth cycle and injure your succulents. Summer and winter are the best times to repot succulents.

Repotting Succulents Overview

So, the following step is to prepare the succulent that needs to be repotted, as well as all the materials.

Succulents require a lot of moisture to repot well, so keep them hydrated by watering them thoroughly a day or two before repotting.

Prepare a new pot

A clay pot, or any other pot or container, will suffice if it is at least 10% taller and broader than your plant and has a good drainage hole at the bottom.

Use a high-quality soil mix

To keep your succulents from sitting in water for too long, make sure it’s permeable and well-drained. You might also make your own soil mix.

Use a trowel

You can use a trowel to remove your succulent from its present container. Metal tweezers can help repotting smaller succulents or propagating buds and seeds, allowing you to plant them effectively and carefully. (Read How To Plant Succulents In Glass Containers)

Use Coffee Filters

Using such coffee filters is a cheap way to cover a drainage hole compared to other materials to stop soil and debris from falling from the pot.

What Size Pot for Transplanting Succulents

Unless you’re going to make a succulent garden with many plants in one pot, it’s best to go up one pot size. For example, a 2 or 3′′ pot to a 4′′ pot, and a 4′′ pot to a 6′′ pot.

Why Repot Succulents?

• The container in which your succulent is growing is too small. The succulent’s roots come out of the drainage hole, the plant is root bound, or your plant is stressed, so you need a bigger pot.
• Your succulent is too large for the current pot.
• The succulent has fallen out of the pot or has been knocked over.
• It’s growing in stale soil. The succulent has been in the same pot for years, and while it may not require a larger container, it might benefit from a new soil mix.
• The old soil cannot keep water.
• You have a shallow planter filled with multiple succulents growing too tightly and cannot absorb water.
• Your succulent is in a plastic container from the nursery.
• The succulent isn’t drying out because of over-watering, and you need a fresh soil mix to help rescue your plant as it prevents root rot.

How To Repot A Succulent Arrangement?

1. Succulent arrangements are difficult to repot. To make things easier, carefully remove each plant from its previous pot so that none of its roots are broken.
2. Make incisions into the roots and soil, then scrape off as much of the old dirt as you can from the roots.
3. Before placing your succulents in their new pot, examine the roots of your succulents.
4. If the roots of one or two plants appear to be damaged, remove them from the pot for two to three days, or until they callous over.
5. While transplanting succulents is easy, you must carefully follow the instructions.

Step-By-Step Guide to Repotting Succulents

Here are the detailed steps repot succulents. Repotting succulents isn’t too challenging as long as you take care of your delicate plants.

Remove the plant from the old pot.

1. Begin repotting succulents by turning the plant sideways and grasping the plant at the stem’s base.
   Shake the container a little after tapping the bottom.
2. You can also loosen the dirt with a stick or your hands, then gently pull the stem to help remove the plant from its current pot.
3. If you still can’t get the succulents out, you can use chopsticks to probe into the drainage holes and loosen all the soil.
4. As a last resort, you can carefully hammer the old pot to break it. You will lose the pot, but you can remove your plant without harming the root system.

Clean and dry your root system.

Following the removal of the succulents from the old pot, brush away as much soil as possible from the roots by gently tapping or tickling them.

If you prefer to clean the roots with water, allow them to dry for 3 to 5 days in a cool, dry location away from direct sunshine.

In addition, if there are more roots and they have grown too long, you can clip them when it’s time to repot.

Position your plant.

Fill at least two-thirds of the new pot with soil mix before planting your succulent. After that, gently insert the succulents in the center and add extra soil to thoroughly cover the roots.

To avoid rotting, keep the leaves of the succulent up so they sit completely above the soil.

Place the succulent plant in the center and add more soil to cover the roots completely.

If you’re repotting a cactus, follow the same methods as before. Just make sure you wear gloves. Gardening gloves are suitable, as these can withstand thorns when repotting succulents of this nature.

Note: For supplying your repotted succulents with well-draining soil to avoid excess water, a succulent potting mix from your local garden store will get you halfway there.

These potting mixes deliver all the nutrients and qualities you need when repotting succulents. Plants like a 1:1 ratio of succulent soil to perlite when repotting. (Learn How to Grow Variegated String Of Hearts)

Perlite, when added with your potting soil, helps water drainage.

Terra-cotta pots can be used as these allow excess water to escape and keep the soil dry for how your succulents like it.

Repotting Succulents Tips

Here are a few tips on how to repot a succulent.

• Before succulents repotting, water your succulent for 5-7 days before. You don’t want the soil to be bone dry or soaking moist. For succulent repotting, the aim is to make sure they can last a few weeks after repotting before you water the peat moss and perlite mix again.
• Covering the drain hole with a thin layer of paper or coffee filters stops the light mix or dry soil from falling from the bottom of the pot.
• Press on the sides of the root ball to loosen it from the pot when working with smaller succulents.
• If repotting stubborn plants that are root bound, run a knife around the pot’s inner perimeter.
• Place the root ball in or next to the new pot to determine its depth.
• In your larger pot, as you proceed, press down on the mix. You may need to add more mix and press down to get your succulent to continue growing upward. If the plant is top heavy, it’s a good idea to stake it while the roots establish themselves in the succulent soil mix.
• Don’t place your repotted succulent in direct sunlight as it leads to wilting.
• When repotting delicate succulents, some leaves can fall off from the repotting process. Make a small hole so you can place your plant without effort.
• Succulents grow best in pots with drainage holes.
• Succulents should be planted in pots with several drain holes, or a layer of pebbles or charcoal can be added to keep the mix from becoming too wet.
• Use a succulent and cactus soil mix so your plants will continue growing successfully.
• Only move up 1 pot size when repotting your succulents unless the succulent is tall or heavy, like a Jade Plant.
• Never sink your root ball crown beneath the soil line of your soil mix. It’s best to plant slightly above as the plant’s weight will pull it down.
• When you repot succulents, let the succulents settle in their new potting mix for a while until it dries before you water.