When planting succulents, use moist soil for potting, and you can easily grow a strong root system.
As for the potting method for succulents, no matter whether they were bought from a flower market, a greenhouse, or online, throw away all the soil from the original pot. (Online purchases usually do not come with potting soil.) Next, wash the roots of the plant. Make sure to basically rinse off all the soil carried on the root system, because it very likely contains a large number of insect eggs and bacteria. Be gentle when washing; some root damage is unavoidable, but keep it to a minimum. You can hold the roots in a basin of water and shake them back and forth. It is recommended not to turn on the faucet and blast them with very strong water, as this will break off a large number of roots. Repeat the shaking and soaking several times, until the white main roots are visible.
Why is it said that potting succulents in moist soil is good? Let succulents be planted dry in moist soil; as soon as they are potted, there is moisture, and this environment can encourage succulents to grow roots. After three days, water the succulents. Wait three days to let the succulents heal the wounds left by the granular soil during potting, and the moisture in the pot will also have been used up, making it suitable to water the succulents. Waiting 3-5 days is fine. When watering succulents, do not soak them through; the main purpose is to entice the succulent roots to seek water on their own. Then after another week, you can simply water the succulents thoroughly.
When repotting, many mature plants already have roots when purchased. If the roots of the plant I receive are very long and dense, I generally trim them a bit, because too many old roots actually make it harder to grow new roots, and these old roots also cannot serve the function of absorbing nutrients, so it is better to trim some off. If a careful check shows the plant has no pests or insect eggs, I will not go out of my way to soak it in pesticide.
Right after potting, place the plant in a spot with bright indirect light. It should not be exposed to direct strong sunlight. Keep it ventilated and cool, and do not water it. Next comes the acclimation stage. After one week, resume watering, restore full sun, and return to normal care. During the acclimation period, if you feel the potting soil is too dry, you can mist a thin layer of water or fungicide on the soil surface every day, only to increase humidity; be careful to stop at that. After the acclimation period, you must decisively provide water, otherwise the plant will continue to wilt, become weak, and drop leaves due to lack of water, and the mortality rate may increase.
There are many signs that a succulent has established itself, such as the leaves spreading out, the leaves beginning to be consumed, and the center of the leaves turning green, all of which indicate that the succulent's root system is growing hard. After that, you can care for the succulent normally. When watering succulents, you can water based on the plant's condition. Generally, water succulents thoroughly once every 2-3 weeks. If the air humidity is high, you can extend the watering interval for succulents.
Flower pots are generally divided into two types: those with holes and those without. If you choose a pot without holes, you need to put some stones at the bottom as a drainage layer. When the root system grows to the bottom of the container, if there is no drainage layer, the roots will be directly soaked in the water and soil at the very bottom after each watering, making root rot very likely. Moreover, over a long time, salts and alkalis in the water will deposit at the bottom of the pot, and after the roots absorb them, they will harm the plant. Succulents have a strong chain reaction; once the bottom roots rot, the rot will gradually spread upward until the entire plant dies.
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