Martha Swears by This Simple Method for Potting Succulents

If you're looking to add a few plants to your living space but don't have the time or expertise to tend to them, Martha has the solution.

"Succulents are so easy to maintain and are able to survive prolonged drought because they store moisture in their fleshy stems, roots, and leaves," she says. The low-maintenance plants also come in various colors (purple, green, blue, pink, and even red), sizes, and shapes, making them a popular choice among plant enthusiasts and gardening novices.

During a recent trip to San Francisco, Martha visited Flora Grubb, one of the 2012 American Made winners, and brought back some unique succulents to her Bedford farm.

In a blog post, she shared how her head gardener, Ryan McCallister, repotted the plants, offering a step-by-step guide to the process.

First, he starts with a suitable soil mix—one that helps promote faster root growth and provides quick anchorage to the young roots. Martha and her team use a Miracle-Gro potting mix that's specifically formulated for succulents. It contains sand and perlite, which help prevent soil compaction and improve drainage. Perlite is a lightweight, porous volcanic glass used to improve aeration and drainage in soil and other plant mixes.

Ryan amps up the mixture with even more perlite, along with some vermiculite, which is a naturally occurring mineral that expands when heated and is widely used to improve soil moisture retention and aeration.

He then adds horticultural sand (sometimes referred to as sharp sand, coarse sand, or quartz sand); it's a very gritty sand made from crushed granite, quartz, or sandstone. Ryan finishes the mix with a generous amount of Miracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed Extended Boost.

Because succulents don’t like wet roots, it is important to use a soil mixture that will drain well, Martha explains.

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Once the soil is ready, Ryan chooses an appropriately sized container for each succulent. Martha says that she likes to use clay pots—in particular, handmade pots by Guy Wolff Pottery—because they allow proper aeration and moisture to penetrate through the sides and to the plant.

After placing a clay shard over the drainage hole in each pot, Ryan fills them with the soil mix, adding enough to reach just below the top rim of the pot. When repotting, ensure the succulent roots appear light in color, are long enough to hold dirt, and are veiny. Healthy roots will appear moist and will taper in thickness closer to the tip.

Once the succulent is planted in the pot, he then adds pea gravel to the top of the soil. Martha says that most succulents need at least half a day to a full day of sunlight.

Keep in mind that succulents are usually slow growing, with most varieties taking several months to years to show growth.