It looks fine from the picture? Maybe in too big of pot, but that's slightly personal preference anyway

I agree... need smaller pot, need top dressing... and should remove that fake flower

Remove the dead flower? What is top dressing?

The ruffles part ( dead looking flower) is on top of the section of cati at about 10:00 in the pic. Usual result of removing a flowering stage plant in to a new soil.

Top dressing : Neat looking material used to dress up the top of soil Usually material is somewhat chunky like pebbles or course small stones Dressing is used at soil line to protect the lower plant at base of soil to root area ( sometimes called a crown) from being to wet to long

Pot critique : 1) it's to deep in the pot that is also agreeably to big in circumference 2) personally I'm not a plastic pot fan for an established plant like yours also not a soil that looks like that fan 3) Repotting mishap, like most other plants repotting would require a bit of recovery time for the roots to re-establish in the new soil In minor detail I wouldn't repot and shove it back into full sun on the same day but would have it back in the high happy full sun over a matter of a two weeks to a month.

It looks like one of those glued strawflowers to me (the yellowish "flower"). The dead flowers are the reddish pink looking strings. They should be dry enough to just pop off.

The pot looks kinda big to me. This particular cactus is a spreader though, so it's better to have a wide pot to allow it to spread. Wider and shorter pots are better for cacti than deep pots (tall).

Planto

The only problem that might be is that after repot you need to set it aside from the sun. Which might take weeks to months. i repotted my newly acquired plants during late winter and were indoors. They were beside the window and got a good amount of indirect and direct light. As temps got warm, I moved them outside. In my smaller pot that plant has grown several inches, in my bigger pot nothing has happened. Its been about 3 months since I got them. So acclimating to their new pots can take time. I personally hate it when I have to repot and throw them in the shade, wait to water them after a week and even then making sure they dont get direct light but filtered light.

As for overpot, Im not sure. People say it alot but I would like to see links of a plant that was repotted, one in the right sized pot and other in too big of a pot.

Top dressing has nothing to do with the health. Its all personal. Top dressing can lower the top part of the pot as it reflects back more light than your dark soil.

If that is cacti and suc soil, after a few weeks to months it will turn into rock. I hate how poorly made the soil is, it should be sold for under a dollar for quality. Alot of people make their own soil such as cacti and suc soil + pea gravel or perlite or pumice or chicken grit or lava rock and so on. Again, everyone does it differently. I made my mixture with 30% pea gravel + 20% lava rock + 50% cacti and suc soil. When I pour water into the soil, it runs down the pot instantly, which is what you need.

Over potted , It takes longer for the soil to dry out, leaving risk of rot . People say it a lot because it is a fact.

If people bothered to provide the reason....

Im not worried about longer times to dry, as long as your soil is good not to mention the pot being outside for the summer in the heat. I think someone mentioned its harder for the roots to grow or something along that line.

The soil volume holds much more moisture than the plant needs so there's more chance of rot.

I'm so glad that I took the time to make gritty mix for my C & S. You actually can overpot a plant somewhat, in my experience, and not worry about overwatering. I keep mine outside from Mother's Day to frost. I have about 125 pots of cacti, succulents and sansevieria. I rarely have lost a plant. They are healthy and thriving. I know it's a lot easier to just mix some perlite in with peat-based soil, but I'm telling you, if you want to give these plants a chance to reach their best possible potential, don't just do something because it's the easiest thing.

Isn't peat harvested from bogs? Doesn't sound very succulent-friendly material to me.

One other thing that is bugging me....unless you've grown a plant successfully for some time, please let people who have grown a certain plant through summers and winters before give the care advice. I see a lot of people here giving advice who just picked it up at Home Depot 6 weeks before and think because they've read about its care on here and haven't killed it, they're experts. Newbies have no idea the person giving the advice are as new to growing a particular plant as they are!

Sorry to rant...needing a vacation here.

This post was edited by LauraRobichaud on Sun, Jun 29, 14 at 17:27

Laura thanks for the advice how can I get advice from just you?

Hi Corey,

Sorry, but this forum doesn't work that way, we don't do custom answers by specific individuals alone sorry.

Thanks Laura, I have noticed that myself. There's a new member on here, barely here a month, turning around & repeating answers he's been given. But unfortuantely, adding additonal info, which has been wrong.

I heartily agree w/ Laura's suggestion, that advice come from those who've grown the plant in question & then for more than a season or two.

I, too, am confused. Are you saying that something is wrong with the plant (it looks fine) or are you asking for a critique of your chosen potting style?

Nancy