Succulents are a great houseplant to have, whether it’s a fuzzy succulent, or trailing. But what do you do if you want to transplant them into a different container, or something other than what it was purchased in? Repotting succulents is really simple, straightforward, and almost easier than other plants.
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This will go through the 3 steps to repot succulents, whether you have one that you’d like to move from the container it came in, from a group of succulents, or just a large one!
Why Should You Be Repotting Succulents?
Succulents often grow slower and need less space for their roots than other plants, but they can still outgrow their container! That’s the first reason to repot a succulent, if it outgrows the space.
You might also just want your succulent to be moved into a cuter container (like a mug) rather than the plastic cup it likely came in. Or you might want to create a garden out of succulents (succulents are great to use in fairy gardens)!
Find out which cute succulent container to get for your succulent here!
Another reason to repot a succulent is if you accidentally overwater the plant and it’s drowning in the water. Remove the plant and put it in soil that is dry (has not been watered) instead of sitting in the too-wet soil. If your cactus has shrunk from overwatering, repotting is one of the easiest solutions.
Or you want to take one out of a set of succulents to give it individual space to grow.
Regardless of why you want to repot the succulent, it’s not that difficult to do!
Just be careful to watch out for signs of transplant shock after you repot it!
What You’ll Need:
For repotting succulents, you’ll need:
- The succulent
- A new container
- Space to make a mess (maybe put a tarp down)
- Soil
- Water
- Gardening gloves
- Rocks or pebbles (optional – depending on what it’s being transplanted to)
- A small spade (optional)
Step 1: Prepare the New Container
The first step in repotting a succulent is to prepare the new container that the succulent will live in. This can be in a cute mug, a mason jar, a terracotta pot, or a large box with many other succulents in it.
Decide which you’re going to use, and fill the container.
Tip: If the container does not have any holes in the bottom, create a layer of rocks (or pebbles) so that any extra water has a place to go instead of sitting in the soil. (Read more about this in do snake plants need drainage holes)
Add soil to the container, about 3/4 of the way up (ideally one specifically for succulents, but any all-purpose will work). Lightly water the soil. Mix it together with gloved hands, and create a hole for where you’d like the plant to go. If you’re putting more than one succulent into this container, make multiple holes!
Step 2: Remove The Succulent From It’s Current Pot
The second step in transplanting a succulent is to remove the succulent from it’s current container! This step varies depending on if this succulent is already growing in with others and you only want to move one plant, or if you’re just moving one singular plant to a new container. (If you’re moving multiple close-together succulents from one pot to another, follow the instructions for the single plant.)
Gently water (not as much as you would for a normal watering) the plant before moving it so the soil sticks together better in the moving.
Tip: If you’re transplanting a spiky succulent/cactus, wear thick gloves!
Moving A Singular Succulent To A New Container
This is very straightforward and similar to repotting any other plant. Gently hold the base of the plant near the roots, and tip the plant upside down. Tug very gently if it’s stuck inside of the container.
If you’re using multiple, try to cup your hand over all of it so they all remain together. Either set it down until you’re ready for the next step, or keep reading to the next instructions (planting the succulent).
Removing One Succulent From A Group
If you’re trying to remove only one succulent from a group of multiples, use a small spade or your fingers to take the individual plant out of the container.
If it’s very close to the other succulents you want to separate it from, you might have to gently take all of them out (see instructions above), shake the dirt off, and find the the roots for the specific succulent you want. This might be tricky, as roots tend to wind together.
Step 3: Planting the Succulent
Finally, planting the succulent!
If there’s not much space for the succulent in the new container, remove some of the soil from around the roots and gently hold the plant with the leaves just above the hole you’ve made in the soil and gently add in more soil around the roots.
If the roots are very tight and you don’t see much soil and only roots, gently separate some of the roots at the bottom where they’ve curved in around each other. This allows the roots to grow further in the new soil rather than being confined to the same shape of the old container they were living in.
Otherwise, add the plant with the soil directly into the hole!
Top up with a small amount of soil, (keep the soil level a little below the top of the container for easier watering).
Lightly water once the succulent is in it’s new container. So that all of the soil meshes together. This doesn’t mean soaking wet, but damp!
Continual Care
You’ve got a repotted succulent now! Just keep up the care with watering when it’s dry (a little less regularly than you would another house plant – about once every week-2 weeks in summer in full sun, and once a month in cold months)
Repotting succulents is very simple and there are so many perks to repotting, because you can have them in such cute containers, or even a fairy garden that has a huge variety of succulents.
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