As some of you may know my Succulent Collection is expanding fast. I have spent most of this morning planting them into new pots and carrying out some spring maintenance. Including taking off dead leaves, looking for pests and removing grit and dirt from the leaves and stem with a paint brush. March is an ideal month to carry out this.

I am still fairly new to this having only started the collection 18 months ago. One thing that I was guilty of was planting the succulents into to big a pot. I am now going around most of my succulents and re potting them into smaller pots. I use terracotta pots for all my specimen plants because they will drain easier and let the roots breath easier. However I plant all leaf cuttings and other cuttings into plastic pots as the tend to retain the water a little bit more and keep the new roots warmer. I try to water the cuttings less than the parent plants because of the water retention.

Compost wise I use the following mix, ordinary compost and a mixture of potting grit and sharp sand for the rest. A ratio of 60% compost and 40% grit/sharp sand.

I have now put most of them out on the patio to get more sun, moisture and hopefully warmth. The next 10 days weather is favourable but like all succulent growers I will be keeping an eye on the weather and if there is any sign of a cold snap I will be putting them back undercover.

For something that started as a bit of a hobby and a way of achieving mindfulness to combat my anxiety. It is starting to become a little bit more serious. Sometime in the future I would like to start selling succulents direct. I do not want to work for the corporate pound all my life and I really think there is a market for Succulents in areas around Edinburgh and Newcastle.

Thanks for reading and remember a succulent is for life not just for an impulse purchase.