Basic Succulent Essentials – Tools For Growing Succulents
Growing succulents includes various ways of propagating and dividing your plants to get more of them. As they grow and develop, you’ll want to move them around into various containers for rooting and growing out. Keep your tools handy so you can take a few minutes for replanting or taking cuttings as needed.
Organizing Tools for Growing Succulents
Keep a bin of premixed soil ready to use when you need to add a new plant to an arrangement or fill a new container. Have a special spot where you can store this out of sight. Leave a spade or small scoop in the bin so you don’t have to go searching for them each time.
Keep other tools that you use regularly together in a handy spot. Perhaps, you can sort them into a jar or cup big enough to hold them and keep them in one place. Keep these close to your potting area for quicker access. Good organization of your succulent essentials saves time.
Essential Tools for Succulent Growing
Just a few standard tools are basically what you need for succulents. A chopstick and a long pair of tweezers are succulent tools I use often. A small spade designed for use with succulent plants is useful for leveling soil or creating a smooth space before adding a top cover. Some use the design trick of mounding soil around individual plants. A small spade or rake is effective for use when doing this. The spade is also useful when removing a long-rooted plant from a container.
Pruners are essential, as is a spray bottle of 70 percent alcohol for combatting the rare pest, as well as gloves and window type screening. The latter is used to cover drainage holes so that soil doesn’t leak through. This also prevents pests from entering containers through the holes. Tweezers in both a standard and long length can be used for different aspects of planting but are especially handy when planting or replanting cacti, as well as for use with hard-to-reach areas like terrariums.
I grow all my succulents in containers, with the exception of hens and chicks growing in a tree stump. Tools for growing succulents in the ground are similar to those mentioned, just bigger. Ground growing tools include a standard spade and rake.
Add more tools as you find them necessary. Store them together in a spot near your soil bin. If you know where everything is located, you’ll save time that you can devote to propagation and repotting.
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Becca Badgett was a regular contributor to Gardening Know How for ten years. Co-author of the book How to Grow an EMERGENCY Garden, Becca specializes in succulent and cactus gardening.