DIY // Repotting Succulents

In the world of trends, Succulent plants seem to be taking home the crown in the fauna and flora category.  And why shouldn't they?  Their lush "I don't give a darn," character is nothing to be ignored.  Succulents are hardy, unique, and perfect for the dry summer heat.  They don't ask for much, but a good environment to get their start in life will take them a long way.  No green thumb needed -- follow this quick DIY tutorial to get your happy succulents repotted and ready for your front porch or city window.

Did you make mudpies growing up? This might be your favorite part if so -- make your own dirt mixture! When picking out potting soil just get the very most basic stuff.  You don't want anything too rich in additives -- succulents just don't like that stuff.  The goal of your dirt mixture is to get water/food/light/nutrients to and away from the roots in a time appropriate fashion.  Mix coffee grinds and a little sand into your dirt before filling your pots.  The sand will keep your soil from getting too over saturated with moisture (remember, these type of plants are desert dwellers - they aren't use to a whole lot of the wet stuff) and the coffee grinds will help fertilize as well as keep away slugs and bugs that would otherwise love to nibble your succulents down to nothingness. 

You can save & use your own coffee grinds but if you aren't a jo drinker check out your local coffee shop or favorite Starbucks.  In a new effort to be green (reduce! reuse! recycle!), Starbucks is bagging and giving away used coffee grinds for garden use.

As far as picking out pots the world is your oyster.  You don't need anything too big and can even choose to put more than one succulent together in a pot.  I chose these funky modern pots to compliment my trendy vegetation.

With your pot(s) picked out fill 1/3 of the pot with sand.  Do not try to cut costs (sand is cheap anyway) by bringing home sand from your beach vacation -- that stuff is full of salt and your succulents will no longer be... well,... succulent.  Sand is important in helping move around and drain water.  Once you've got the sand in, fill with your dirt mixture leaving a small lip of space up top.

The plants: I picked out three wee little plants from Home Depot.  They were around $4 each.  They had crazy names, but in my excitement I lost the tags.  I'm thinking about naming them myself though... ah, I digress.

Before introducing your plants to their new home give the bottom of the existing dirts/roots a bit of a scrunch.  Flare the root structure out a bit.  This will help it transition better into its new/bigger/better environment.  This is something good to remember when planting anything anywhere.  If you don't break up the bundle they are used to having in their temporary store shells, they might be a little to shy to branch out (pun intended) into their new world.

Now -- where to put them?  These guys are not fans of the midday sun.  They prefer indirect/filtered sunlight and enjoy a nice airflow (I chose to put mine on my front porch which is roofed).  As for watering -- unlike planting in your garden, you do not want to water these right away after repotting.  Give them some time to adjust and then give a good watering about once a week during the warmer months.  Don't ever leave standing water in your pots -- it makes them angry.

Wham bam thank you mam we have ourselves some repotted Succulents!  Call your self hip cause you've got the trendiest little plants on the block.  Mischief managed!