Learn root trimming from the experts: do you really understand the claim that skipping it means certain death?

When it comes to succulent roots, the most common points are probably three: washing the roots, trimming the roots, and drying the roots!

Washing the rootsis to wash away pathogens, insect eggs and other things harmful to succulent health.

Trimming the rootsis to remove old roots and dead roots so that new roots can grow out faster and healthier.

Drying the rootsis to let the wounds on the roots dry and heal, so that the wounds do not rot when they meet moist soil. This is especially true after trimming a succulent's roots: after any pruning, regardless of how thick or thin the root is, a wound will appear at the cut surface, and failing to dry the roots can easily lead to black rot.

Newly purchased succulents generally all need root trimming. This is because by the time the plant arrives home it may have been out of its pot for many days, and the fibrous roots may have dried up and died; if planted directly into soil, the dead roots will mold and deteriorate, affecting normal root development and the plant's normal growth.

In addition, pests or insect eggs may be attached to the roots, so root trimming is still recommended for newly purchased plants. For plants with relatively weak roots such as Ariocarpus, you can skip root trimming and use physical and chemical methods to avoid and solve the problem instead, including thoroughly disinfecting the planting medium and frequently using fungicidal medications in the early stage after potting.

In which situations root trimming is needed

Whether the roots are rotting generally also has to be checked by trimming the roots and gently pinching them. Problems arising in the roots often show up in the plant itself; if the succulent is growing normally, then there is no need to deliberately trim the roots.

If it is a plant that has been potted and has already resumed growth, then after ruling out the influence of other factors such as temperature, humidity, breadth, water and fertilizer, if it does not grow during the growing season and does not bloom during the flowering period, you need to check the state of the roots and trim them.

Plants that have been in the same pot for many yearswill, due to the pulverization of the granular potting medium, experience poor root aeration and difficulty for the medium to drain water, affecting plant growth; the normal drying and rotting of roots and root secretions lead to soil acidification; or the plants become overcrowded, causing deformation, leggy growth and so on. At this time you need to repot and, while doing so, trim off the rotten roots, decayed roots and dead roots.

Of course, this is not to say that having been in the same pot for many years definitely means you must trim the roots; specifically, it still depends on the succulent's own condition. If it has been in the same pot for many years and the succulent is still growing normally, then repotting and trimming the roots at this point might even cause the succulent to die.

When to trim the roots

One saying is that summer-growing succulents are suited to repotting and root trimming in spring, while winter-growing types need repotting and root trimming after their summer dormancy ends. There is naturally some truth to this, except that this kind of experience can never be applied wholesale, because these little succulents change their minds in an instant.

After root trimming there is inevitably arecovery period. When the plant is in good condition, it recovers relatively quickly after root trimming; when the plant is about to end dormancy, it also recovers quickly after root trimming. So the timing of root trimming can also be adjusted; just avoid the two periods of deep dormancy and rapid growth, and in spring, when the weather is cold, you need to dry the roots for a few more days.

But do not trim the roots during thegrowingseason, otherwise, while you watch others grow a pile of gorgeous photos worth showing off during the growing season, your own succulent will show no change at all, and you will absolutely have the urge to jump off the rooftop.

Classification of root trimming by severity

Examined closely, root trimming can also be divided into mild, moderate and severe degrees.

Mild root trimming is for repotting caused by relatively weak roots, or by an excellent growth condition but a poor state of the potting medium that needs replacing, or by the plants being overcrowded. The recommendation is not to trim the roots, or only to trim off the rotten and dried roots.

Moderate root trimming is for succulents in poor growth condition, with weakly developed roots, or with pests or diseases in the roots. In this case you can trim off all the fibrous roots and part of the main roots to induce them to send out new roots.

Severe root trimming can be adopted when a succulent is beyond saving or when you want to make it grow extremely fast; you directly trim off all the fibrous roots and most of the main roots. This could probably be called putting it in a death place and then coming back to life; one slip of attention, and the succulent will say goodbye to you first.

How long to dry the roots after root trimming

The more you trim, the more you dry; the less you trim, the less you dry; if you do not trim the roots, or have not damaged the roots, then the higher the temperature, the shorter the drying time, and the better the ventilation, the shorter the drying time as well. Applying some fungicidal medications to the wounds can prevent infection, and the powder can also absorb excess water on the roots, speeding up wound drying and wound healing.

Generally,after mild root trimming, dry the roots for 2-3 days, then water 3-4 days after potting in dry soil; after moderate root trimming, dry the roots for 5-7 days, then water 3-4 days after potting in dry soil; after severe root trimming, dry for 15 days, then water 1-2 weeks after potting in dry soil.

Of course, the specific situation still requires specific handling. As the saying goes, experience can be referenced but is not suitable for copying wholesale.