How to Transplant Your Succulents
Sometimes it can be nerve-wracking to transplant your plants from pot to pot. When you’ve finally got one stable and growing, you might be wary of accidentally damaging your plant in the rehoming process.
Not to fear—succulents generally don’t mind being transplanted! They transplant very easily (and root in easily, too). Transplanting or repotting is not only harmless… it’s usually beneficial!
Why should I transplant my succulents?
Just like people, plants like to freshen things up from time to time. Transplanting your plants will actually keep them healthy! Here are some advantages of transplanting regularly.
Benefit #1: You can get up close and personal with your plants.
It’s important to do regular checkups to monitor your plant’s well-being. Some problems aren’t immediately obvious without a close examination. For example, consider the issue of root rot—anything under the surface of the soil is virtually impossible to see unless your plant is out of its pot. Those issues tend to be some of the most dangerous for your plants.
When transplanting, rinse the soil off of the roots and look for any signs of pests or decay. Don’t be afraid to prune roots too. It can encourage new growth!
Benefit #2: You can replace the soil.
The nutrient profile of potting soil is finite. As time goes on, your plant will use up all the nutrients in the soil. Eventually, your soil quality will degrade heavily. Adding fertilizer will slow this process, but it won’t delay it forever and it can’t replenish soil fertility.
Moreover, with repeated watering, soil tends to compact and harden. That reduces the amount of air that gets to the roots and makes it harder for new roots to grow. You can mitigate this somewhat by having lots of large particles like perlite in the mix, but you can’t delay compaction forever.
Benefit #3: You can help them out when their pants are getting a little tight.
Your succulents grow—and sometimes quite quickly!—and they’ll eventually outgrow their pots if they’re happy and healthy. If they stay in a pot that’s too small, the roots of the plant will have nowhere to grow and will turn in on themselves. The result is a root ball, which isn’t necessarily harmful, but it stunts further growth.
Benefit #4: You can upgrade their original pot.
In general, your succulents will come in substandard pots—or with no pot at all! For example, Home Depot and Lowe’s sells plants in flimsy little plastic pots. Plastic pots aren’t completely bad, but when water doesn’t evaporate as easily, overwatering can easily lead to root rot. It’s easier to keep succulents healthy in moisture-wicking terra cotta plants.
Another thing to note is that if you aren’t buying directly from a nursery that specializes in succulents and cacti, the soil mix may not be ideal for succulents. There’s a chance that it could be potted in regular potting soil. You’ll want to replace it with a special cactus mix as soon as possible.
When is it time to transplant?
If you notice any soil problems or suspect root health issues, you should, at the very least, remove the succulent from the pot and replace all of the soil. Whether or not you want to transplant it into another pot is up to you (but it’s a good time to think about up-potting).
Here’s a useful rule of thumb: Most succulents will need to be up-potted about once every 1 to 2 years. For some varieties, it takes a while to fill out a pot. You know it’s the right time when the crown of the foliage (the widest part near the top) overlaps with the edges of the pot. Then, you should up-pot to one that’s 1-2 inches wider in diameter.
(Cacti are another story. Many kinds don’t grow very wide! For cacti, consider weight distribution when deciding the appropriate time to transplant. If it’s beginning to get top-heavy, a bigger pot with more soil will weigh it down.)
Keep in mind whenever you are transplanting that bigger isn’t always better. If you put a plant in a pot that is too large (twice their diameter or more) you can run into a couple problems.
Plants tend to try to “fill out” their container. Instead of growing nice, pretty leaves, it will devote most of its energy to spreading roots. This can last weeks or months if the pot is too large.
More soil means you need more water, and when the roots haven’t proliferated throughout the pot, the soil will stay wet longer. That’s a recipe for root rot.
How to transplant succulents
Now for the next step: It’s time for the actual act of transplanting. Fortunately, succulents and cacti are tough so this step is actually quite easy.
Step 1: Gather all your materials
You will need new soil and another pot to stick the plant in. And depending on the plant, you may also want to use some thick gardening gloves. Sticking yourself while repotting cacti is no fun.
2 things to keep in mind here:
Use new soil. Make sure it’s new soil! Reusing old soil is a good way to introduce pests and diseases to an otherwise healthy plant.
Use a pot that’s 1-2 inches wider in diameter. Your new pot should also be a little bigger (unless you’re moving down from a pot that was too large).
Step 2: Remove the succulent from its pot
Grasp the succulent or cactus firmly by the base of the stem as close to the dirt as possible. (Be sure you’re grabbing the stem, not the adjacent branches.) Wiggle it at the base until it starts to loosen up from the soil.
If there’s no stem to grab, such as in the case of an Haworthia or a feather cactus, use a butter knife or a trowel to loosen the dirt around the edges of the pot before removing the plant.
Work the soil off of the roots by rubbing it gently between your fingers. You don’t have to get every last bit but try not to leave too much of the nutrient-deficient soil. Use water to loosen it if necessary. It’s ok if some roots break off; they’ll regrow.
Step 3: Transplant the succulent
Fill the pot about 1/3 of the way with fresh soil. You can place a small square of window screen over the drainage hole if you’d like to keep the dirt from falling out, or you can use old newspaper to catch the dirt.
Place the succulent on top of the dirt then, while holding the plant in place, fill the pot up the rest of the way until the soil covers all the roots. Keep the plant’s stem above soil.
Pack the soil down lightly to keep it in place. If it’s still falling over, use some chopsticks or skewers for support. You can remove them later once the roots have grown in.
That’s all there is to it! We like to transplant around watering time so that we can “water in” the new plant. Water encourages root growth, and it helps to anchor the plant in its new home.
Do you have any questions about transplanting or repotting succulents? Let us know in the comments below!