I would love to, but where my cacti are currently (my Mother tends to them for me), the squirrels and chipmunks like to knock them over and scooping up soil is a PITA already. ;)

Planto

lol.
little buggers ((shaking fist))

I have teeny teeth marks in one of my Adenium babies -___-
Good thing chicks dig scars though, har har.

I don't dig scars on my plants haha (But i don't think i'd qualify as a chick.) Seems i've been replying to a lot of your posts lately hookilau, but then i was just scrolling down the most recent threads.

I scoop out the dressing with a plastic spoon or just tip and shake the pot if the dressing is loose. Then i wash them of course for re-using. Sometimes though i don't use dressing because i want to see how dry the soil is. I live in a tropical country (coolest now is 26C, room temp) and the soil dries fast (could be my mix also) in my small containers.

lol!

Welll Brown Panda...
I'm a chick and I assure you....we love scars =D

Thanks for the tips on top dressing, it didn't occur to me to rinse it for re-use. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake, ha ha.

I've had a paper plate sitting here with top dressing mixed with bits of soil & grit that I couldn't figure out what to do with.

After I used top dressing for the first time, I stood back to admire my choice of pot, plant and dressing. Then I realized that visualizing the soil wasn't possible, so I stuck skewers in them so I could check when to water ;)

But I have to admit, it took me a couple of days to figure that out!

For outdoor pots that are coming inside and bringing in assorted little critters with them, a non-wetting top dressing can stop fungus gnats dead.

You could sift it too - but it depends on the size of your top-dressing. Aquarium gravel may be smaller or same size as other ingredients (assuming you are using gritty..)
And maybe grit (what do you use?) + aquarium gravel will look good together as top-dressing.
Or use it as part of your next batch of potting mix (aquarium gravel - I used that too).
Washing it will help to get rid of soil too. Yes, don't re-use without washing.

If your succulents are in well-draining mix, you may not need repotting for quite some time. And testing soil with a skewer is good idea. Eventually you may not need to test-you will 'get to know' your plant's water needs.
I usually use larger stones for top-dressing.
Rina

I ALWAYS top dress my plants after repotting. For aesthetic reasons and also to keep those perlite grounded. I'm using less perlite in my mix though, but still I always finish my repotting routine with some top dressing

Oh i'm so sorry i thought you were a guy all along hookilau. (I do dig scars, but definitely not on the succs, they take a really long time to grow out)

Maybe you can use a colander. The soil i use sticks to the dressing a lot (i can't find perlite here). But that's probably the most hygienic thing i do in terms of repotting. I'm also too lazy to stick skewers in all of my small pots hehe.

BP: no worries :) hard to know these things, especially since there aren't any avatars to put a name to face.
Yes, I'm building a collander collection to match my succulent collection!...it's back to the 99 cent store with me today, to get one I can use for top dressings.

An overgrown pinwheel aeonium diagnosed just this morning & added to the quarantined population in sick bay. I need more alcohol :P

Rina:
yes, the aquarium gravel is similar in size to the chicken grit, maybe a wee bit bigger. Even though I plan to remove for repotting and such, I had reasoned that if some ended up in the pot, no biggie. I use a combo of perlite, chicken grit, coarse sand and fine bark. I've got a small amount of succulent mix thrown in there too (trying to use it up).

Dave: I'm trying to move away from perlite too. I bought pumice under the brand name of 'stall dry', but it's very fine. Similar to sand :-[ I've got a huge bag I need to use up in small amounts in my mix till it's all gone, if this is the wrong stuff. I've seen pumice that is 3/8, I think that or a ween bit smaller would serve me better. Live & learn lol

Grubby: By non wetting, do you mean non porous, as in teeny pebbles?...I've heard a layer of sand can work to stymie fungus gnats too. I like the pebbles though because I kept bumping into the pots with sand and spilling it in dumb places :P

Here is what was initially a top-dressing - the tiny pink/red beads that are now mixed with original potting mix (there are small pieces of bark, some perlite, chicken grit & turface there.

I don't bother too much with the bark anymore (relatively difficult to find). I use combinations of coarse perlite, chicken grit & turface most often now.
How coarse is your 'coarse sand'?

Rina

I'm trying some larger pebbles to stabilize my wobbly Echinocactus. Seems to work but then it's hard to tell if the soils damp. I like sand for seedlings for the same reason- it keeps them planted. For larger cacti I don't usually use sand because it can stay wet for a long time.

CooperDR

I use large rocks too for stabilizing succulents, better than sticks.
I don't use sand for anything, find it compacts too much, plugs the drainage, stays wet too long as you mentioned.

Rina

I'm thinking these pebbles help push down on the roots a little. I was using skewers before to keep it from wobbling.

I think they are doing their job, CooperDR.

I must say I have, occasionally, gone overboard to 'secure' the plant...look at this string of pearls!
(Usually, I just use a paper clip bent into "u" to secure 'stringy' plants - was trying something different, ha,ha)

Rina

This post was edited by rina_ on Thu, Nov 13, 14 at 18:49

Nice one Rina. Hookilau there's some newer kinds of pots that are recycleable you might like. Sometimes you have to drill drainage holes but it's an alternative to plastic or clay.

Coop:
Have you a link with an example of what you mean?....I love pots as much as the plants themselves. The right pot for me, completes the 'look'. Same with top dressing, makes it look so polished.

I have to admit though, it never occurred to me to use the larger rocks to help support some of the smaller plants as shown above. Duh! Very effective and looks good too!

Rina:
The coarse sand is of a similar texture to coarse sea salt. I'm trying to use that up too. I'd prefer something a bit bigger.

Great pics guys =D

This is supposed to be some kind of environmentally friendly, recycleable material. I drilled the holes in the bottom. Sometimes it's risky to drill in pots because they can break but it really opens up your options. I got it at Jo Ann Fabrics but I've seen similar material popping up in hardware stores.

I use top dressing as part of the mix n a sence I try to make the plant feel more at home.

I give some potted suxs a title in example named " The lost frog".

HI rina, what is that plant with the beautiful rocks? I just got one yesterday. (Not the senecio).

lane

If you mean this one, then it is Aloe juvenna.
In this photo it's outside, so has some color (while it looks still little etoliated to me?).
Now ist's green & I have some pieces that broke off while moving, there will be more.
Rina

A. juvenna - pieces to pot-up.

Rina

Yes, that one! Is that dressing I see in the pot or your mix? Thanks, that saved me a few hours of research :)

lane

If you were looking at this one, it's Haworthia, I think cymbiformis.

Rina

lane

that is the mix; perlite, turface & small chicken grit + some beige, small gravel.

Rina

Rina - My A. juvenna turned positively orangy brown after the rains stopped. I really thought it was dead because I was unprepared for this quick, dramatic change in color. But it was blooming (a first for me), and after some rain it is much greener again.

Crenda

I didn't think they flower -jk- I got mine in Feb. 2012 & no sign of bloom yet. But it is growing well (considering it is in pot only, with short Canadian summer), I may put it into hanging pot since it is so sprawly.
Sun & less water it get that darker color. I don't mind - do you?

Rina

Rina - I don't mind the darker color at all. I actually enjoy it. During the summer my plants stay pretty green. End of September, when the rains stops, they start coloring up. I guess its my version of the fall leaves changing colors!

I meant the aloe though i think i have the H. cymbiformis as well. Thanks for the pics rina and crenda, now i know what to expect from it. I think i like it green. But in summer here, it's probably going to roast hehe.