Now you know which compost to use, you’ve chosen your pots, and you have some top dressing: you’re all ready to go!
When to repot?
Really dedicated growers repot in January or February. One year I started in February and repotted all my cacti but it was a mammoth task. I tend to repot as needed which means when a plant has clearly outgrown its pot, rather than pot every 2-3 years which is regarded by many growers as essential. Succulents tend to grow more quickly so it’s obvious when they need tending to.
If you’ve just bought a plant from a retail outlet it’s likely to be growing in light, fibrous compost so it needs to be potted up into better compost straight away. If you have bought a plant from a trusted grower you might want to leave it alone for a year but that’s your decision. Most plants bought online come without their pots of course.
How to repot
Tip the plant out of the pot, wearing leather gloves if it’s spiny, and take a look at the roots and the compost around them. Allow any loose compost to fall away but don’t start picking at the root ball unless it looks compacted. If it does, gently tease away the outer compost.
Take a clean pot, put some gravel in the bottom (just enough to cover the holes), and partly fill with fresh compost so that when you put the plant in place the top of the root ball comes up to about 1 cm from the top of the pot.
Holding the plant in place in the centre of the post, fill around the outside with compost and poke it down with a dibber or something similar. Once the plant is held firmly you can let go and carry on adding compost to the level of the existing root ball. Press down all around reasonably firmly and level off the compost. Use a clean, dry paint brush to clear away any compost that’s fallen onto the plant. Stand back and admire!
Does it look OK? If it’s wonky or not in the centre of the pot, have another go or just leave it as some kind of artistic statement. Add a layer of top dressing (5-8 mm), leaving a bit of a gap at the top of the pot so that water doesn’t run off the surface out of the pot.
For cacti, I always leave a gap of 5-10mm between the base of the plant and the top of the compost and fill the rest with top dressing. That way, damp compost isn’t in permanent contact with the base of the plant. With stemmed succulents this is not such an issue. I’m not sure it’s essential but it pleases me.
Cactus gardens
You often see shallow bowls with mixed cacti and succulents for sale in garden centres and other outlets. They look pretty but you will find that after a year or two it won’t look quite the same. Often totally inappropriate choices of plants are used, ones that require completely different watering regimens, or plants that do not grow at the same rate. I would advise against buying these but by all means experiment with your own planting once you know more about the plants themselves.
For example, you could plant together several Rebutia cacti as they would make a stunning display when they flower. You can split up the group at a later date of course.
When to water
The received wisdom in the cactus and succulent world is that you must not water repotted plants for at least two weeks. However, if you have not disturbed the root ball at all, you are safe to give a little water around the outside of the pot. If it’s a plant that has arrived in the post, roots a-dangling, then be much more cautious. Drenching any repotted plant is unwise and probably unnecessary as it will survive for ages without water.
Windowsill, Conservatory or Greenhouse?
Growing outdoors
Watering
Compost
Pots & containers
Top dressing
Potting up
Fertilizer
When things go wrong