How to save a supermarket succulent

Photo by u/cunttacos

I avoid buying plants from the supermarket (or other shops like B&Q) because they are almost always planted in incorrect conditions – my exception to this is when they are discounted! The other day I picked up a beautiful haworthia potted in a large jar. I think it was meant to be a closed lid terrarium, it has a sticker saying ‘do not pick up from the lid’, but there wasn’t a lid attached.

 

Keep on reading to find out why it is planted badly, and how to fix it!

If you look close enough, you can see the burnt tips of the succulent

What’s wrong with this plant?

• Planted in moss – although sphagnum muss dries quickly, keeping succulents in moss is good for the short term.
• Closed lid terrarium – closing the lid is going to trap in the moisture and cause succulents to rot
• No drainage holes – the closed bottom can leave plant roots sitting in the water, or damp soil

 

Pictured right is the plug fabric

How to plant your succulent ‘correctly’

1) Take out the whole plant.

This will make sure there are no pests and it gives you a chance to inspect the condition of the plant. You can see in the photo that this plant still had fabric from propagating attached!

2) Get rid of as much ‘old soil’ off as possible

Old soil could have pests or germs. Remove as much soil from the roots by brushing it off.

3) Prepare your potting mix

I like to use 50/50 compost and perlite. This mix works best for me and you might have to experiment with others to see what is best for you. Once my perlite runs out, I would like to experiment with inorganic mixes and some more gritty mixes.

4) Plant in a pot with drainage holes

Drainage holes are best as they allow bottom watering and so water will be sitting in the bottom. If you’ve seen closed bottom pots, they would have had a ‘false bottom’ with a media like gravel. The excess water will sit in the gravel and not get into the soil. A problem with this is in the future, the roots could grow to the bottom of the pot and end up sitting in water – if you prefer to plant in closed pots, make sure to check your plant’s roots often.

 

And it’s as simple as that! I like to wait a couple weeks before watering, but if your succulent is extra thirsty, you can water it before potting it.

----> Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, Nate.