How to transplant succulents?

The species diversity of succulents, the bizarre shape of the stems and leaves make them attractive to any lover of home plants. Compared to more capricious indoor flowers, succulents seem to be quite unpretentious. Caring for them really does not require a lot of time and effort, if you follow the proven recommendations. In addition to regular maintenance, each succulent needs a transplant. If organized correctly, unnecessary fuss and difficulties can be avoided.

There are several reasons for transplanting succulents.

• Prevention after purchase. When purchasing a plant from your hands or in a store, you can never be sure of the correct planting and the quality of the soil. Therefore, it is better to carry out this procedure yourself.
• Diseases. If any damage is found, the first thing to do is to inspect both the plant itself and its roots. And then start treatment by placing it in a new soil.
• Inconsistency between the size of the plant and the pot. And this applies not only to the roots, but also to the trunk with leaves. In the first case, tightness can cause poor growth. In the second, the aboveground part can simply outweigh the pot.
• Poor soil condition. If the contents of the pot are compressed and are a dense lump through which water cannot seep, it must be replaced. Often, in such a case, a gap is formed around the perimeter of the pot.
• Accidents. The pots are rare but fall off. In this case, it is better to carry out the entire transplant procedure again and not try to eliminate only the external traces of a fall. The broken part of the succulent is quite possible to reanimate.

The smaller the succulent, the more often the transplant takes place. Barely ascended seedlings are placed in separate pots. Then this procedure is repeated two or three times until one year of age is reached - as their parameters increase. Someone goes the easy way and puts a small plant in a huge pot, but such savings can lead to negative consequences. Excess liquid will accumulate in the container, which will become an excellent environment for pathogens.

After a year, stem succulents are transplanted no more than once every three years. But for leafy, this period can be reduced. Here you need to focus more on size. If the plant is quite healthy, then as it grows up, the transplant procedure becomes simpler, turning into a transshipment - moving an existing earthen coma to a new container, to which a part of the soil that is missing for complete filling is added.

First you need to purchase (or pick up from the existing one) the necessary inventory. Looking for:

• pot;
• narrow scoop or shoulder blade;
• knife or blade;
• potassium permanganate solution.

When choosing the size of the pot, there are several nuances to consider:

• for stem succulents, the transverse size should be two to three centimeters larger;
• for leafy ones, it is important to correlate the depth and width of the pot with the type of their root system;
• for spreading and tall varieties, resistance is important.

It is equally important for all plants to have through holes for draining excess water. If the pallet spoils the appearance, you can use a planter with a container nested inside. For succulents, plastic, ceramic, or glass pots are often used. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. As a pot, you can use any dish you like or a household container, if it meets the requirements - it is suitable in size and will not retain moisture. Both new and already used containers must be washed and rinsed with boiling water before the planting procedure.

• Up to a third of the container can be occupied by the lowest drainage layer - pebbles for the outflow of water. They are disinfected with potassium permanganate and dried well.
• Next comes the soil mix. It is more convenient to use the ready-made one from the store. It is quite difficult to prepare a mixture for succulents on your own, since this word means many varieties. For some of them, the nutritional value of the soil is important, for others it may even be harmful. The easiest option is to mix cleaned turf and nutrient soil. It is better to take it under the leaves, clearing it of grass, debris and roots. To prevent such soil from clumping, sand, peat, charcoal, and small stones are added to it. All components must be disinfected by holding in the oven. The coconut substrate deserves special attention. It can be used neat or mixed with primer in a one-to-one ratio. Such soil will be moderately nutritious, loose, with good air exchange. The pressed substrate is pre-soaked, dried and only then laid as a soil. Otherwise, you can make a mistake in volume.
• Sand or drainage stones can be scattered around the plant on top.

Having prepared everything you need, you can start the transplant.

1. First, you need to remove the flower from the old pot. To do this, you can easily knock on the bottom and walls. If that doesn't work, try making gaps around the perimeter of the pot.
2. When the succulent is removed, it is imperative to inspect the condition of the roots. And for this you need to destroy the earthen lump - completely (for a young plant) or partially (if the plant is already an adult). It is better to remove soil in a dry state. If damage is found, they need to be cut off, and the remaining roots should be rinsed with potassium permanganate. Be sure to dry wet roots and only then proceed with further actions.
3. We put stones and a couple of centimeters of earth in a pot at the bottom. We try on the plant so that the line where the root growth ends is one centimeter below the edge of the pot.
4. Then we begin to slowly add earth, trying to pour it evenly from all sides. Shake the pot slightly to distribute the contents evenly. If there is only one plant, place it in the center. If there are several of them, it is better to separate the roots with plastic partitions. Before planning a group boarding, be sure to check their compatibility information.

Be sure to study all the available information about the purchased succulent. In fact, at home for him you need to create conditions as close to natural as possible.Most succulents thrive on a windowsill or near a south or southeast facing window. Of course, on especially hot days, closer to noon, you need to create a shade for them. The most unpretentious are green succulents. Colored (yellow, red) requires strict adherence to temperature and light conditions. Failure to comply threatens the loss of such a rare color. The windowsill or any other surface should be wide enough.

It is good if there is constantly humid air in the room. Humidifiers or installation next to water - an aquarium, a kitchen sink, can help with this. But it is not recommended to spray the trunk - ugly spots may appear. During the summer, most succulents can be kept on a glassed-in balcony or veranda. A slight cold snap at night will only harden the plant. The main thing is that there are no drafts in this place. Ventilation should be constant as air exchange is very important, but the air supply should not be directed directly at the plant.

• Water the plant only after the soil in the pot has become completely dry. You can check this with a stick, with which the soil is pierced from the edge, along the entire depth. If the stick is wet, we postpone the watering.
• In the warm season, the frequency of watering should not exceed 1-2 times a week.
• In winter, soil moisture should be reduced to twice a month.
• It is especially necessary to carefully monitor the humidity in containers that do not have holes for water drainage and ventilation. To emphasize the unusual beauty of succulents, they are often planted in glass aquariums, glasses, bowls, beautiful jars. In this case, you should experimentally calculate how much water is required for moistening (starting with 5-10 ml and gradually adding).
• For irrigation, you need clean, not tap water without impurities. If you are filtering water or buying in bottles, boil it additionally and cool it down. You cannot use cold water for this purpose.
• The water should flow directly onto the soil without splashing, so it is best to choose a watering can or other utensil with a spout.
• Fertilizers designed specifically for succulents can be added to the water for irrigation. They can be used on weakened plants or in winter.

How to transplant succulents, see the next video.