Detailed Steps for Repotting Succulents and Watering & Care Methods After Repotting

I. Detailed Steps for Repotting Succulents

1. Whether bought from a flower market, a greenhouse, or online, throw away all the soil from the original pot. (Online purchases generally do not come with pot soil.)

2. Wash the roots of the plant. Make sure that basically all the soil carried on the root system has been rinsed off. This is because it very likely contains a large number of insect eggs and bacteria. Be gentle when washing. Damaging the roots is unavoidable, but damage as few roots as possible. You can place the roots in a basin of water and shake them back and forth. It is recommended not to turn on the faucet and rinse with very strong water, as this will break off a large number of roots. Repeat the shaking and soaking several times; once you can see the white main roots, that is enough.

3. After cleaning the root system, if you feel it is necessary, do some root trimming. Cut off those blackened diseased roots and dead roots that may even be left as empty shells. Also appropriately trim off those lateral roots that are too long and heavily tangled, to encourage new fibrous roots to grow. This will make the entire root system look evenly distributed and neat. After root trimming, the newly regrown root system will be strengthened, making the plant grow more robust. If you are not confident, you can also skip trimming. It does not matter, as long as you remove the dead roots and diseased roots.

4. At this point the root system will definitely be damaged. Next, soak it in a prepared fungicide solution for about one hour. Carbendazim, chlorothalonil, and thiophanate-methyl can all be used. Do not mix the concentration too high. You can soak multiple plants in one small washbasin.

5. After the sterilization step is done, dry the plant's root system. Note that this means air-drying naturally. Generally, it can be moved into a pot the same day. Prepare the potting mix and disinfect it in advance.

6. Choose a flower pot and spray it once with a 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-first person," then you can choose porcelain pots, but they must have holes in the bottom. Do not even consider things like iron containers or rattan baskets. Rust and mold will drive you crazy when the time comes. It may not be obvious at first, but after a while you will know. It is basically sending succulents into the tiger's mouth. Do not let your imagination run wild and then end up swallowing the bitter fruit yourself, haha!

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