Pointy succulents can be tricky to work with some times! We thought we would share just a few quick tips on how we go about planting them to hopefully help you out!
For this project we used three small 2 inch plants – a Whisker Cactus, a Blue Torch Cactus, and an Agave Colorata, we think!
The pots we used for this video are really neat 3D printed planters, and are composed of an eco-friendly, biodegradable corn and wood material. They are made by Minimum Design and can be found on Etsy.
Helpful Tools:
- Screwdriver
- Brush
- Gloves – We didn’t use them here, but wearing gloves is always a good idea when working with cactus and other pointy succulents.
- Some other tools you could use to help you with planting are things like kitchen tongs, tweezers, chop sticks, foam padding, etc.
Tips for Planting:
* Loosen the root ball by gently squeezing on the pot to help remove the plant more easily.
* Once the plant is loose, carefully slide/shimmy it out of the container so that you don’t have to touch the spines with your fingers.
* Break down the root ball so that it will fit into your pot. This will not hurt the plant.
* Put a little dirt into the pot and place the plant in. We use the root ball to handle the really sharp ones and then lightly drop them into our container.
* Use a screwdriver to help get the plant in position and pack the dirt in. Again, you can also use tongs or chop sticks instead of a screwdriver – whatever makes it easier for you to handle and position your plant into place.
*Dust off your pots & plants with a brush and finish with rocks.
Drainage?
These pots do not have drain holes, and while this can make some people nervous, our trick is just to water them less! We will water about half as much as we normally would if there was a drain hole. Enough to get the soil moist but not really wet, and then just provide really good bright light! Water again when soil is dry.
You could also just drill a drain hole in a pot like this if you are worried about it.

Have any other tools or tricks you like to use when planting pointy succulents? Let us know in the comments below!
NO COMMENT