When is the time to repot the cactus???

Normally, we should repot the cactus at least once a year but if you want the cactus to grow faster, you may change its pot every 5-7 months upon the size and age of the plant.

However, somebody who is very lazy (like me) may repot when it’s really necessary.  When is it???  You can notice the good time to change the cactus pot when

Hard top soil

•  Cactus size is too big for the pot 
• Cactus is growing slowly
•  The top soil is so hard 



Root on top soil

• Cactus root’s is on the surface of the pot because there is no more food/fertilizers at bottom of pot.  (Sometimes, it’s true but I have an experience: one of my cacti grown on the surface.  At that time, I changed its pot and its root was still on the surface again.  I re-potted again and its root was still on the top of the pot.  I asked my cactus advisor and she said that’s the habit of that cactus.)

my Pachypodium

However, you should know about the dormant period of each cactus & succulent.  For example, my Pachypodium always leave its leaves and stop growing since October. It will have new leaves and grow up again at the beginning of rain season (about May).  So I repot it before May.  Dormant plants are weak and can't really defend themselves against infection.  Meanwhile, any damage done to the roots during repotting will be dangerous to the plants.

Right Season to do it

Normally, I’d recommend before or at the beginning of the rain season because it’s not too dry or too wet.  And the new pot can support the plant growth in the rainy but you should be careful about the infection and being rotten if you repot during the rain season.  So please change the pot before the rain comes.

However, that’s the general suggestion.  You should understand your plants well.  There are some species that can tolerate every thing you’ve done with them, but others could not truly tolerate any stress.  So please pay attention and time to observe your cactus.

Repoting your cactus

It's glad to see our cactus growing up but when the pot is too small to the plant, we should repot it. However, repoting needs to be done very carefully, otherwise it may have the bad effect of cactus root. Besides, it somestimes looks inconvenient to do it because of its spine. The good time to repot is in spring when the plant is enjoying the active growth. Here I'll present you the easy steps to change the pot. The cactus in the picture is Echinocactus grusonii whose spine is long and strong as well.

1. Fold up a newspaper to make a collar to fit around the cactus while removing it, both to protect your hands and its delicate spines.

2. Hold the ends of the newspaper collar together while you ease the rootball from the pot. Gently lay the cactus on crumpled newspaper.

3. Choose a slightly larger pot and set the old one inside it. Fill the gap with cactus compost, tapping it down with a finger to firm it lightly.

4. Very carefully remove the inner pot from the compost. This will leave a hole of just the right size and shape to fit the cactus rootball.

5. Pick the cactus up gently, still inside the newspaper, holding the ends tightly together, and lower it carefully into the prepared hole.

6. Trickle a layer of grit around the cactus. This not only sets it off effectively but helps water to drain quickly through the compost. If any of the compost or grit has become trapped in the cactus spines during the operation, brush it off with a decorator's paintbrush.