When a succulent's flower pot breaks, using it wisely looks even better than a new pot
What should you do when a succulent's flower pot breaks? As long as it is not broken too badly, you can glue it back together and keep using it. Flower pots are actually quite easy to glue. If you have glue at home, you can first try gluing it and see whether it holds firmly. In future use, handle it gently and set it down lightly to avoid another accident. There is no need at all to worry about whether the glue contains harmful substances that might affect growth and the like. Do not overthink it.
There are many kinds of succulents. Worldwide there are as many as tens of thousands of succulent species, and with the progress and spread of horticultural techniques, endless new horticultural cultivars make your eyes dizzy. The most breathable option is an unglazed clay pot. If you want good looks, ceramic is quite good, and iron buckets and carbonised wooden pots are both good choices.
Pottery has good breathability and is the first choice for friends who have just started growing succulents. Porcelain has poor breathability, so the watering frequency should be reduced appropriately. Taking a pottery pot and a porcelain pot of roughly the same size as an example, the basic watering frequency is 3 times every half month for the pottery pot and 2 times for the porcelain pot during the growing season. Iron pots, plastic pots and the like are not breathable, so they basically rely on water evaporating from the pot opening to complete the cycle of alternating wet and dry, and of course the interval between two waterings should be stretched even longer. Containers without drainage holes have higher requirements for watering: the roots must not be soaked in water for a long time, and you cannot give only half a watering each time either, so you especially need to get the balance just right. As for other containers, you can try matching and using them one by one; that is not without its own fun.
Do not use a large pot for small seedlings, and do not use a small pot for large plants. It is best if the distance between the outermost edge of the plant and the pot rim is at least 1 cm. It is very important to choose a flower pot with holes in the bottom. These holes can drain excess water and also increase breathability, ensuring the bottom will not suffer root rot. Try to choose sturdy, drop-resistant flower pots. Even if you accidentally knock them, it does not matter; otherwise, if a pot you worked hard to choose is accidentally damaged, your heart will ache. For example, wooden pots are not so easy to break, and wooden pots have quite good breathability and water permeability.
Hobbyists who like combined succulent potted plants can decide the number of plants to set in according to the size of the flower pot used. Taking Sedum and Haworthia species as examples, the root system of Crassulaceae is slightly smaller than that of Liliaceae, so Crassulaceae plants generally do not have many demands on the height of the pot, while plants of the Liliaceae genus Haworthia relatively need a deeper flower pot to ensure full root growth.
Some succulents are suitable for small pots. Some succulents grow slowly and have few roots; a small pot will not cause waterlogging, which is good for root respiration and helps them survive and stay fresh. Moreover, only when small, delicate plants are placed in exquisite small pots can the cuteness of a "treasure" be better brought out. For example, for Longyu, you can choose a flower pot about the same size as its bulb diameter. This kind of plant does not need to grow large; instead, it should keep its petite, miniature state "for a long time" for people to admire and enjoy. Small pots can limit their growth.
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