I feel like we can never get enough of the reading and watching of blogs with regards to succulent care. Kahit ako, I don't think would ever be an expert to this. There are a lot of factors that affect these babies, since we are taking care of them outside their natural habitat. As we know, ang natural habitat nila ay sa desert. So below are just some bullet points that we may follow: Propagation and Repotting 1. Soil
tanggalin ang excess soil from the plant na nabili mo. Itabi mo lang because you can still use it later.
make your own potting mix (I use RAMGO, yung brown ang packaging, bought from ACE Hardware)
I prefer terracotta pots because they can absorb and release excess water.
Ibaon ang roots. Magiwan ng kaunting space sa pot para hindi tumapon at magkalat kapag nagdidilig.
3. Propagation
pumili ng mababaw na lalagyan (microwaveable container, takip ng ice cream, etc)
maaring ipatong ang mga nahulog na leaves or mga pinitas na leaves sa container directly.
maari din namang maglagay na ng mababaw soil-mix so that no need to transfer later
wag muna basain ang soil or ang mga leaves, hayaang matuyo ng mabuti (this is to prevent contamination)
4. Watering
For rooted ones (mother plant) - water thoroughly. Siguraduhing nabasa ang roots nito. (What I do is I water till overflowing, let it absorb and then water again)
For leaves and cuttings - pag completely dry na, pwedeng basain ang lupa muna.
It could be frustrating when your cactus has been doing okay then one day, it shows sign of wilting as if chances are, it's gonna say goodbye any moment soon.
There may still be a chance of saving your cactus if there is any sign of life to it.
What could be done is remove he dead, soggy part completely. If you need to, use a knife to cut the cactus up to the healthy part. Let the healthy part dry and callous over, usually takes 1-3 days, then place it on top of a moist soil, and wait till it roots up. Your cactus is on its way to becoming healthy again. This time, try to remember what could have gone wrong and avoid doing it again.
Here's a video that can give you an idea if what was mentioned above.
Alright! This can be tricky. Especially if your obsession has gotten over you. I say, relax. Take it easy. Because this obsession can take a toll on your beloved succulents.
Caring for succulents isn't difficult nor easy at the same time. You have to back out a little. You cannot be too caring. #killthemwithkindness
I would suggest, to watch a lot of videos and read blogs. Below are the videos which I learned a lot from when I started. These summarizes most of the processes.
Succulent 101 of course!
credits to Garden Answer youtube channel
My key take-aways?
select a container that has a hole in the bottom - anything with a drainage hole
pick a healthy succulent - I even pick those that already produce pups, that way, I have a chance of not killing all of them.
replanting or repotting - using the right soil mix, it will work well with the left-overs from the roots that it has been used to growing and will adjust well with its new home.
troubleshooting
puckering or also known as wrinkling - it needs watering.
translucence or soggy - overwatering
bugs - remove them with a q-tip dipped in isophropyl alcohol.
grooming - keeps them happy!
Just to add on the troubleshooting, you will know that your plant isn't getting enough like if it's etiolated or leaves are spreading out and starts to get leggy. You need to start the pruning and propagation process when this happens. Please see reference videos below:
mimic the weather in the desert - dry most of the time, heavy rains during rest.
Propagation
- below are series of videos where you will find step by step process of taking care of the plants being propagated. It is a series, you guys! You have to know how to treat each process.
from freshly cut leaves or cuttings.
when they start to root
when new rosettes appear
when they detach from the mother plant or leaf
credits to Jordan Rosendale
credits to Jordan Rosendale
If you wish to watch more video about each part of the process, you can also watch below: