• Overview

  • In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares tips for maintaining lush and lively succulent plants, such as cacti.

    Steps:
    1. Line the bottom of a larger clay pot with clay-pot shards or clean stone.
    2. Fill the pot about halfway with cactus potting soil.
    3. Wrap the plant with newspaper to protect your hands, then carefully lift the plant out of its old container.
    4. Use your fingers to loosen the roots, then set the plant into the larger pot.
    5. Add more potting soil to fill within 1 inch of the top rim.
    6. Place a wooden or bamboo stake into the soil and tie off the plant for support.
    7. Cover the soil with loose gravel.
    8. Water thoroughly, then water very little during winter, and more often during summer.
    • less than 1 hour
    • $10 to $30, depending on size of plant
    • Shopping List
    • Difficulty: Easy
      Just be careful of the plants' pointy spines.

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      Cactus potting soil, for repotting succulent plant

      Larger clay pot with drainage hole, for repotting succulent plant

      Clay-pot shards, used to line the bottom of the clay pot

      Gravel, for covering the soil after repotting

      Newspaper, used to wrap around plant to protect hands from spines