How to Build a Succulent Pot

Choose a pot that is just large enough for an inch or two between plants. Succulent displays can be quite crowded as the plants generally grow slowly. Clay pots that are unglazed allow the excess moisture to evaporate for best growth.

Fill a shallow pot with cactus mix, or make your own potting blend. Mix 1 part potting soil with 1 part each sand and peat moss.

Put on gloves if any of the succulents you selected have spines. Remove the plants one by one from their pots, and brush off the old soil on the roots gently.

Dig a hole with a spoon or other small scoop that is just deep enough for the roots. Install the plant, and push the cactus mix around the base. Don't cover the barrel or foliage of any of the plants.

Spread a 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer of decorative gravel on the surface of the pot after all the plants have been installed. This acts as a mulch to conserve moisture and to help prevent burrowing pests and weeds.

Water deeply until moisture leaches out the drainage holes. Thereafter water infrequently. The exact frequency of watering will depend on the humidity and size of pot, but allow the pot to dry out between watering periods. Cut watering in half in the winter months.

Place the pot in a southern to western exposure. Temperatures can drop to 45 degrees Fahrenheit at night, but the best growth is between 55 and 80 degrees in the daytime. Fertilize in the spring with a half dilution of the plant food according to the directions on the package.