Repotting and bare-rooting: the right week, and the nine that are wrong
Most repotting advice says spring. That is true for about half the collection and actively harmful for the other half. Here is the timing rule, followed by the mechanical procedure and the recovery schedule.
Timing by growth cycle, not by the calendar
The rule is: repot two to four weeks before the start of a growth cycle, never in the middle of one and never during a rest period. For summer growers — Echeveria, Sedum, Graptopetalum, Pachyphytum, Kalanchoe, Sempervivum — that is late March to mid-April.
For winter growers — Aeonium, Aloe, Aristaloe, Adromischus, Haworthia — the window is late September to mid-October. Repotting a Haworthia in April puts it into a dry summer with damaged roots and it will sit for four months. For strict summer-dormant species like Aeonium, repotting in June is the fastest way to kill the plant.
The bare-root procedure
Water the plant three days before, not the day before — slightly turgid tissue handles disturbance better than saturated tissue. Unpot, then remove old mix with a soft brush and a chopstick rather than washing, unless you are changing mix type, in which case wash thoroughly.
Inspect and trim. Cut any root that is brown, hollow or breaking with a snap; keep pale, flexible roots whole. Remove dead lower leaves at the same time, pulling sideways so they release cleanly. If you cut more than 30 % of the root mass, treat the plant as a cutting: dry it for seven days before potting.
Pot size: the one-inch rule and its exception
The standard rule is a pot 2–3 cm wider than the root mass, which for most 10–12 cm rosettes means a 12–13 cm pot. Going two sizes up because the plant 'will grow into it' is the single most reliable way to produce rot: the unsaturated root ball sits in a large volume of wet mix for weeks.
The exception is trailing and mat-forming species — Sedum morganianum, S. rubrotinctum, string-of-beads types — which want a shallow pan 5–8 cm wider than the spread, because their roots run horizontally and a narrow pot produces a rootbound mat that seals the surface.
The four-week water schedule after potting
If the roots were undisturbed, water after three days and resume normally. If the roots were trimmed, water after seven days, lightly at the rim. If the plant was bare-rooted into a different mix type, water after seven days at 25 % volume and increase by 25 % weekly for four weeks.
Expect a stall either way. A repotted succulent typically produces no visible growth for 14–25 days while it rebuilds root hairs, and any leaf loss in the first ten days is normal. Resume full feeding and watering only after new growth is visible at the centre of the rosette.
| Month | State | What the plant wants |
|---|---|---|
| January | Growth | Deepest rest. Water only if the lowest leaf ring softens; keep the room as bright as you can. |
| February | Growth | Late rest. Daylight is returning — begin adding an hour of supplementary light every two weeks. |
| March | Growth | Repotting window opens for summer growers. Trim roots, refresh the mineral fraction, dry for a week. |
| April | Growth | Growth restarts. First full watering at the rim, then resume the published interval. |
| May | Growth | Peak growth and the offset season. Feed at quarter strength every third watering. |
| June | Growth | Lengthening days, rising heat. Watch the leaf turgor test rather than the calendar. |
| July | Growth | Hottest weeks. Water in the evening, a third of the spring volume, and only on a visible symptom. |
| August | Growth | Heat eases at night. Prepare mix and pots for the autumn repotting window. |
| September | Growth | Autumn window for winter growers. Root-prune and repot while the soil is still warm. |
| October | Growth | Peak autumn growth. This is the season when most colour work should be done. |
| November | Growth | Daylight falls fast. Taper watering by a quarter and stop feeding entirely. |
| December | Growth | Slow, dry and bright. This is the colour peak for most genera in the collection. |
Tinted rows are the months this genus is genuinely out of action: no repotting, no feeding, and water only if the plant visibly shrinks.
Four things to take away
- Repot 2–4 weeks before a growth cycle: late March for summer growers, late September for winter growers.
- Trim brown or hollow roots; dry the plant seven days if more than 30 % is removed.
- Go 2–3 cm wider than the root mass, not two sizes up — except for trailing species.
- Expect a 14–25 day stall and do not react to it by watering more.
Informational only — This page is a cultivation record, not horticultural or plant-pathology advice. Any treatment should follow the product label and local regulation.