If you’re the kind of person who loves plants but has no idea what to do with them or how to keep them- succulents are a great way to introduce yourself lightly into the plant care world. Cactus, Aloe Vera and Crassula are great plants to have in the house, they are low maintenance, and if looked after properly, will survive a long time.
I personally own 3 Cacti and 7 Aloe Vera plants (I know that sounds a lot, I started with 2!). These are a great way to inject a bit of colour and life into your house, without you having to worry about forgetting to water them. Of course, at some time or another they will need to be taken out of their pots and put into larger ones- and any baby plants will need to be moved into other pots.
It can seem a little daunting to re-pot plants, and you may think that you’re going to mess up and kill your plant. But don’t worry, it’s really easy and I’m going to talk through the process step-by-step.
Signs to look out for:
- Brown Tips on the end of leaves
- Darker Leaves than usual
- Flat leaves- little or no gel when snapped
What you’ll Need
- Dessert/Cactus Compost- OR half all-purpose compost/ half sand
- Plant Pots with water holes and Trays
- Gloves and a trowel (if you don’t want to get your hands dirty)
1.Lay out all of the plants you’ll be re-homing. Make sure you set up your work space near to a flower bed, because when you are pouring compost into the pots it can get messy and you don’t want to cover the grass in soil.
2. Next up, take your first pot and gently tip the contents upside-down into your hand. You’ll be able to see a whole network of white roots encompassing the compost- this shows that your plant doesn’t have enough room to grow and has taken over the space it can- trying to find nutrients.
3. Being gentle- start to crush the compost between your fingers until it crumbles onto your plant bed. If you don’t have a big enough plant bed to do this over- you can use a tray or tub instead. Be careful not to break any of the roots. Place your plant down and repeat the process. If you come across baby plants in the same pot as larger ones, just put them all to one side.
4. Once all of your plants are lined up, it’s time to begin filling your pot with new compost. Fill each pot approximately halfway. At this point make a small well in the compost and choose your plant, then lower the roots into the well. Hold your plant at one side of the pot whilst you begin to add more compost around the side- making sure to pack it tightly. Continue all the way around your plant until the pot is full and your Aloe Vera is firmly in place. Repeat with all.*
*for the babies, you can place multiple together in one pot as they grow.
5. Water your plants by pouring a god amount of water into the the trays before placing your pots on top. Do not water from above. As the leaves are densely packed, this won’t benefit your plant as the water won’t reach the roots.
6. Place them in a sunny spot and watch them thrive! And if you’re lucky they might even flower!
I hope this guide was easy to follow, have you got any tips on how you keep your plants in top shape? Let me know in the comments 🙂