How do you grow succulents? The key is to grow a good root system

Many succulent growers run into this problem: it feels like I've been growing this succulent for a long time, but only when I repot it do I discover that its root system isn't good.

The reason I ask about watering and repotting is to first use these questions to guess how well this succulent's root system is growing. You could say it this way: a succulent with a strong root system will often turn even a serious illness into a minor one, while a succulent with a poor root system will turn even a minor illness into a serious one.

A succulent you've grown for a long time does show signs of growth that it has indeed settled into the pot, but in the end it still failed to grow a strong root system? What causes succulent plants not to root downward? You can consider the following 2 points:

1. Watering shallowly and frequently. Because you water frequently, you don't dare soak the soil thoroughly each time. This way of watering only creates a growing environment for the succulent in which the surface soil is wetter than the soil at the bottom (succulent roots also grow toward water).

2. Ignoring the water-holding capacity of the succulent plant's shallow root system. It's possible that the surface soil is already dry, but the moisture below the soil is still plentiful.

Succulent plants are sometimes very "lazy" too. Although the root system is important, for them it just needs to be sufficient. When the roots are always moistened by water, there's no need to spend great effort growing the root system.

If you can make one change to the pattern of frequent shallow watering, that is, double the usual watering interval or even make it longer, and it still won't have an obvious effect on the condition of the succulent, I believe your succulent will definitely have a very strong root system. On this basis, it's best to water thoroughly when you do water.