How to Grow Succulents? A Detailed Guide to Repotting and Soil Changing

1. Washing the roots

Make sure to basically rinse off all the soil clinging to the roots. This is because it very likely contains large numbers 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 swish them back and forth. It is advisable not to turn on the tap and blast them with a strong stream of water, as this will break off a large number of roots. Repeat the swishing and soaking several times until the white main roots are visible.

2. Trimming the roots

Cut off the blackened diseased roots and dead roots, even those that are nothing but empty husks. Also appropriately trim away the overly long, heavily tangled lateral roots to encourage new fibrous roots to grow. This will make the whole root system look evenly distributed and neat. After root trimming, the newly regrown root system will be strengthened, making the plant grow more robustly. If you don't feel confident about it, you can skip the trimming; it's fine, as long as you remove the dead roots and diseased roots.

3. At this point the roots will definitely have some damage, so next they need to be soaked for about one hour in a prepared fungicidal solution. Carbendazim, chlorothalonil, and thiophanate-methyl can all be used. Do not mix the concentration too high; you can soak several plants in one small washbasin.

4. After the sterilization step is done, dry the plant's roots. Note that this means air-drying naturally. Generally, you can repot the same day.

5. Prepare the potting mix and disinfect it in advance.

6. Choose a good pot and spray it once with fungicide. Personally, I suggest that for Crassulaceae succulents, ceramic pots are the best match. For Haworthia, you can choose resin or plastic containers. If you are an "appearance above all else" type, then you can choose a porcelain pot, but it must have holes in the bottom. As for metal containers, woven rattan baskets and the like, don't even consider them; rust and mold will drive you crazy when the time comes. It may not be obvious at first, but over time you'll understand. It is tantamount to sending your succulents into the tiger's mouth. Don't let your imagination run wild and then end up swallowing the bitter fruit yourself!

7. Put the disinfected potting mix into the pot. The principle is: large particles at the bottom layer, small particles at the top layer. The particle size of the potting mix gradually decreases from bottom to top. This is good for drainage.