Grow the roots first when caring for succulents: these 3 tips are so easy beginners will get them at a glance

A veteran succulent grower once said something that I still remember to this day: "Roots are like a person's constitution - if the constitution is good, the resistance is naturally strong!" The same principle applies to caring for succulents: take good care of the roots first, and the succulent will naturally grow plump and chubby!

If you want to grow succulent roots well, then the following 3 tips must be done well, especially for beginners caring for newly bought succulents - you must read this!

1. Removing the soil from succulents

First, let's talk about why we should remove the soil from succulents.

Because most succulents bought nowadays are grown in greenhouses, and to make them grow faster, the soil mix is peat-based, and they are also sprayed with pesticides regularly. Since there are so many succulents in a greenhouse, we cannot guarantee that not a single one has pests at any moment, so removing the soil is to avoid pest problems.

2. Trimming the roots of succulents

Some succulent lovers think that as long as the succulent does not show root rot, the root-trimming step can be skipped entirely. In fact, this step cannot be skipped. Apart from keeping the thick, strong roots, all the other fine roots and tangled root fibers must be trimmed off, because these fine, messy root fibers have a low survival rate after being potted, and after a period of time they will wither and die in the pot; once you water, the roots are prone to rot and breeding bacteria, and over time black rot will appear.

3. Potting succulents

For potting succulents, the commonly used approach is "pot in moist soil, keep ventilated and in indirect light." But for beginners, how moist is moist soil? How moist should it be? This is a hard question to grasp - it's not easy to get right!

Remember that "moist" does not equal "wet." Potting in moist soil simply means keeping a certain level of humidity so that it is easy for roots to grow - that's all!

And ventilation with indirect light is simple: just place the succulent in a ventilated environment and a spot without strong direct sunlight, but it cannot be a place with no light at all!