Author: Rob

So, you have a new succulent you’ve just bought or been given, or maybe you have a succulent that you’ve owned for years. How do you know when it needs repotting?

There are three main reasons to repot a succulent:

• You have a new succulent.
• The plant has outgrown the pot it is currently in.
• To refresh the soil/potting medium.

Before we look at these reasons in more detail, the first thing to remember is that most succulents like their roots a little confined. The goal is to mimic their natural environment as much as possible, and in the wild many succulents grow in harsh environments, their roots often snug between rocks in well draining soil. They have adapted to be able to draw water into their roots quickly, as it usually won’t be in the soil very long. Therefore, if your plant is in a pot with lots of extra soil space around the roots, that soil is more likely to dry slowly which can lead to root rot (or just an unhappy succulent in general!)

It is also important that your pot always have at least one drainage hole so the soil dries out quickly. Clay/terra cotta pots are a good choice, as opposed to plastic, since clay “breathes”, which aids in water transpiration from the soil.

Let’s talk about the three repotting reasons noted above, in more detail:

New plant:
Many plants purchased at big box stores (Home Depot, etc.) or large nurseries come from commercial wholesalers where they are grown in plastic pots in a growing medium containing a lot of peat. These plants are from optimally temperature and light controlled greenhouses and were getting regular doses of high nutrient fertilizers to make them grow fast. Unfortunately, a heavy peat-based soil is not the best growing medium for the continued health of your succulent as it gets larger. Peat often becomes hydrophobic (repels water) over time and is not easy to saturate, so water may just run down the inside of the pot and out the drainage hole, not coming into contact with roots much at all.

In addition, plants that have been sitting in a store or nursery for months, after probably being driven across the country in a truck, may have been exposed to a variety of pests. Transplanting them soon after bringing them home, as well as isolating them from your other plants for at least a week, can help mitigate pest problems. I’ve seen fungus gnats (which lay their eggs in soil) in too many nursery and store plant collections not to change the soil on any purchases as soon as I bring a new plant home.

Outgrowing pot:
A succulent will need transplanting into something larger as it gets too big for the pot it’s in. A rule of thumb is to go one pot size bigger each time. So, if your plant is in a 2.5 inch pot you should go to a 3.5 inch pot when you transplant. If you see roots coming out of the pot’s drainage hole, that’s a good clue that the plant is outgrowing the pot.

Refresh of potting medium:
Another benefit of repotting is that the soil/potting medium gets replaced, providing fresh nutrients and minerals to the roots. The guideline is to transplant approximately every two years. This is not a hard and fast rule and if you instead do it in 18 months or in three years, your plant will usually not be mad at you! Succulents are fairly easy-going citizens of the plant world.

They lurk in the deep green treetops, crocodile infested rivers cascading below, anacondas slithering over surrounding branches, blood-thirsty tarantulas prowling the shadowed forest floor, the burning sun high in the equatorial sky…I’m talking about jungle cacti!

Yes, there are cacti native to the tropical forests of Central and South America, and most them are epiphytic, meaning they live in trees while some are lithophytic, growing on rocks. They have adapted to get nutrients and water from decaying leaf matter and the rain and high-humidity areas they are native to. The most well-known jungle cactus is the Christmas Cactus, of the genus Schlumbergera.

Many other varieties of epiphytic cactus are rewarding houseplants as well. The leaf-shapes of Epiphyllum anguliger, aka Fishbone Cactus or Zig-Zag cactus, are always fascinating. Fishbone cacti and other Epiphyllum are also known for their large colourful flowers, sometimes being given the nickname “orchid cactus.”

Though they are tree and rock growers in the wild, they do fine in a pot of well-draining soil. Because they prefer light conditions that are a bit more shady than the average cactus, they can be quite happy in an indoor environment, provided they’re misted regularly to keep them from getting too dry (the opposite of the standard desert cactus!)

Check out our stock of Fishbone cacti. We also have a few new Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera “Thor Olivia”) with green and purple leaves not yet added to our catalogue (variety pictured above), which will probably go fast. If interested in one, drop us a note.

And watch out for those lurking jungle cacti! 🙂

New! We will soon have a limited selection of hand-painted pots available.
Stay tuned for those, as well as more exciting additions and new website content.

This is pretty cool – my Gymnocalycium anisitsii is blooming with two different colour flowers: one white and one pink. I haven’t heard of this happening before on a cactus and have never witnessed it myself before this. G. anisitsii is native to sandy mountain areas of Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia and normally gets white *or* pink flowers.

Let me know if you’ve come across different colour flowers on the same cactus before!

(We are out of stock on Gymnocalyciums for sale currently, but we may get more in later in the year.)

The most common question I get from people new to caring for cacti and other succulents is when to water (and when not to water!) Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules since the environment where you keep your succulent, whether outdoors or indoors, plays a large role.

The good news is there are some basic guidelines.
There are exceptions to the below guidelines – a few succulents are even winter growers, which affects their watering schedule! So, read up on your specific kind of plant to be safe.

• The goal is to mimic your plant’s natural environment as much as possible. This can be difficult, especially in our Canadian climate. But, with a bit of attention, it can be approximated enough so that your plant can be happy, and even thrive.
• Succulents have evolved to take in water quickly in between dry spells, so they don’t like to have wet roots for a long time. Therefore, it’s important to have well-draining soil and a drainage hole(s) in your pot. This way, the roots will not remain water-logged, which can cause rot.
• How to water: when watering, water thoroughly enough that water comes out the bottom drainage hole of the pot. Some people water from the bottom, sitting their plants in a tray of water until the soil saturates all the way to the top. I feel this is not necessary, or even preferable. By watering from the top, the water will help flush out salts and minerals which can build up and damage your plant over time. It’s also a lot quicker than watering all your plants from the bottom. Besides, in nature, rain falls from the sky and enters the soil from “the top”, and that seems to work fine…
• How can you tell for sure if your plant needs watering? Get used to how heavy your plant in it’s pot feels like when it’s mostly dry and when it’s just been watered. With a little practice, you’ll be able to pick up the pot and know right away.
  Another option is to use a moisture meter – these are long metal “sticks” with a small gauge on the top telling you how wet the soil at the bottom of your pot is when you poke it in. You can find them pretty easily at garden centers or big box stores. However, these can damage the roots of your plant – especially the more delicate roots of succulents, and especially if used in smaller pots. So, use with caution if using a moisture meter.
• When and how much to water:
  From late spring to early fall, most succulents prefer more water than in winter, when they will be fully or partly dormant. Picture it like this: if you were asleep and somebody suddenly poured water on you, you wouldn’t be too happy, would you?
  
  If the plant is inside all the time, I water every one to two weeks from spring to fall when there’s more light (especially if the plant is on a windowsill) and once every two to three weeks in winter. But, if the plant’s soil is still wet, I will wait until it dries out some more. Jungle cacti, such as “fishbone” or “zig-zag” cactus, are an exception. They like humidity all year (misting is good) and more regular watering (still, be careful not to waterlog them).
  
  If the plant is outside in summer, water will evaporate and transpire faster from the soil, so more watering may be required. I recommend not leaving succulents out in heavy/prolonged rain events. Under some kind of shelter, even if just temporarily a patio table, is helpful.
• Two more rules of thumb:
  1. Warm temperatures and regular watering = okay.
  Cold temperatures and wet = bad.
  2. If you’re ever not sure if you should water your succulent yet – in other words, if you aren’t sure if it’s been long enough since the last watering, it’s best to ere on the side of dryness and not water yet unless the plant is looking severely dehydrated. Don’t confuse rot with dehydration!
• Water Acidity vs. Alkalinity: This is not required, but -depending how serious you wish to be in your succulent care – many succulent growers swear by increasing the pH (acidity) of the water they use. Rainwater has a higher acidity (pH) level than the average city water supply’s pH. Plants absorb nutrients more efficiently with slightly acidic water. Yet, most tap water is very alkaline (the opposite of acidic), largely because this causes less long-term damage to city plumbing than acidic water with a higher pH.
  
  It’s easy to increase the pH of tap water by adding a small amount of white vinegar to the water you water your plants with. The amount of vinegar depends on the amount of water in your watering container. You will need a pH meter (these can be purchased relatively inexpensively) or pH paper strip test kit. Check the pH of your tap water and then add a small amount (start with a teaspoon or less) of vinegar, stir, and test again. The goal is to get the pH to between 5.5 and 6.5 for optimal plant usage. Where I live, the water is about 8.5 on the acid/alkaline scale, so I have to add a teaspoon or so of vinegar to my watering can to bring it to about 6.5 – a lower number, but a higher pH.

Transferring some Adenium obsesum (also known as Desert Rose) seedlings the other day from their starter trays into terra cotta pots. They’ve got a bit more growing to do before we’ll offer them for sale, but they should plump up nicely over the next few summer months. The Desert Rose is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and enjoys lots of sun. Related to oleanders and pachypodiums, it can be an eye-catching houseplant if you have a sunny location.

This is what to look forward to when they grow up and flower:

The succulents in our greenhouse are enjoying the warm weather (as are us humans!)

The big guy in the gray pot in the middle is a Pachypodium geayi. We have many seedlings of this variety for sale and it’s one of our favourites.

Native to Madagascar, it can grow to be tree size in the wild. Very well adapted to a dry, stark environment, the trunk is up to 91% full of water and the trunk and branches can also photosynthesize in addition to the leaves. The spines help collect dew or fog, as well as protect the plant from hungry (or thirsty) animals.

P. geayi is not a difficult plant to grow and can be happy inside by a sunny window all year. It enjoys, but doesn’t require, some time outside in the summer but be careful it’s not out in temperatures below 10C. It likes regular water in the summer, as long as it dries out pretty well in between waterings. It’s also deciduous (just like a maple!) and may lose some or all it’s leaves in the winter, but they should grow back in the spring.