A New Home for “Shrek's Ears”

If you’ve been collecting succulents the last few years, you may have noticed that after a while their growth slows down and the leaves become less colorful or shriveled. These are signs that the plant is outgrowing its original container and should be re-potted. I have a Shrek’s Ears Jade plant (Crasssula X ‘Gollum’) from Linda and Eliot Paine’s collection, and it’s been asking for a while now for some more growing room.

Here’s what I’ve found out about re-potting it successfully. They require a soil mix formulated for succulents and cacti, not the potting soil used for most other houseplants. It’s also important that the new container is not too big, only allowing ½” or so around the original root ball. Fill the new pot about 2/3 full with soil mix, remove the plant from its old home, and loosen up the root ball to stimulate new root growth. Place it in the soil, adding more soil if necessary, and pack it down to eliminate air pockets. The plant should be at the same level it was in the old pot. Do not water it right away! Recommendations are to wait for at least 2 days, or up to a week, before watering to avoid problems with root rot. Winter is a good time to work on succulents when there’s not much to do outside – hopefully they’ll be happy and healthy for propagation material or the next flower show.