#14 Ten reasons why you need top dressing for your succulents

[@toriwill5967]

Your succulents are GORGEOUS!!!

[@pamelathesouthernbelle1201]

I have found your channel about 2 weeks and I LOVE, love, LOVE it. Now I’m obsessed with your technique and your succulents. I live in GEORGIA IN THE US. I try very hard to keep alive...almost like your plants. Thank you.

[@athenagandhi]

I just discovered your channel a few days ago and boy am I glad I did.Thank you so much for all the video's that you make, they are so informative and enjoyable to watch.Most of all not to forget soo inspiring.Thank you

[@Cerriscapades]

athenagandhi I'm glad that you're enjoying them!

[@EileenWstCstGrl]

First time I've seen your channel...your yard is beautiful!

[@eveyazana250]

I love your passion for what you do. I totally get you! and you're too serious too

[@peterphan227]

Thanks! You answered all my questions regarding why use top dressing.

[@Crash1369]

Your garden is beautiful. Lovely work!

[@Cerriscapades]

Thanks Jeremy!

[@Fayery_Random_YT]

this is really helpful. I always thought they were only for decorations, I will start adding pebbles again.

[@rosalynharris1808]

very good video. i learn so much from your videos!

[@MrZombiefoetus]

I think I missed where you told us what you actually use for the top dressing. I would recommend putting the answers to the most common questions in the description. Thanks for the great content!

[@sandiccc]

It was quite mesmerising watching you top dress in fast motion.

[@marykowalski7349]

Thank you so much!! Now I know all I need to know about Top Dressing.... I really enjoy your channel and your gorgeous collection of plants.

[@emmabadic8922]

I learn much of your channel. Thats it how important pebbles are

[@m.g.ibarra277]

Thank you so much for your information. I actually didn't know that dark rocks hold in heat and that was so helpful. Stay blessed! ~MG

[@Cerriscapades]

You're welcome!

[@janinefourie1975]

Awesome collection.🤗

[@Cerriscapades]

Janine Fourie thanks!

[@dewality8768]

Oh my, your garden is absolutely beautiful.

[@MRSMM6272]

Thank you always doing a great job. I'm learning a lot.

[@luvsdhairGODgaveme]

Your garden IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!

[@jhenvierns1070]

Am grateful that you were able to share that info.

[@ortiznilaida2771]

Just started collecting sucs and watching your videos. Since you have such an extensive variety, will be good to make a video showing their with the names so we can have their names also...I like the way you explained everything that well. Thank you for sharing..

[@Cerriscapades]

Yeah I should probably just work on a video with just IDs...

[@vandabeharry170]

Just stumbled here on your channel waaaw beautiful plants

[@criscorcino8099]

They are so Beautiful!I love Echeveria's.

[@Cerriscapades]

Glad you like it!

[@erlindarelosa1582]

Here from California.... May I know what top dressing you’re using? Very nice collection!

[@athenagandhi]

Could you please do a video with a tour of your garden with the names of all the succulents if possible.Thank you

[@Cerriscapades]

athenagandhi sure I can work on something like that! It will take a while but I think that is a good idea.

[@karenwaldrop2307]

Great info I wasn't aware of so thank you!

[@JourneywithBlackButterfly]

Beautiful succulents! Thank you.

[@Cerriscapades]

Takiyah Paige thanks too! Glad you enjoyed them.

[@JourneywithBlackButterfly]

I absolutely did! I really would've loved if you could name the plants at the end that you were potting up. I want to purchase many of them. Thanks again!

[@Cerriscapades]

Takiyah Paige I'll work on that list sometime todah

[@lilinedelec6596]

Thank you man for your tips!

[@raydenzidane6]

Great advice Chuck!

[@abigailfreckleton1694]

I'm learning so much from you!!! Thank you!!!

[@christmassnow3465]

It's good that you keep the lables. Most sellers don't care about them and buyers have a hard time identifying the plants, hence a hard time searching for information about them.

[@Cerriscapades]

Christmas Snow yeah that grinds my gears too.

[@BayouChicGardening]

I top dress most of my succulents and my favorite reason to do this is to keep the soil in place when watering. I also like that it keeps my lower leaves from touching the soil.

[@m6bulldog2]

Hola me encanta como explicas!

[@denisenunezartandmore9833]

Great video

[@coleenpq]

I love your succulent garden!

[@michelejones4282]

Loved to know the names of all those plants!

[@Cerriscapades]

Michele Jones haha sorry, I keep forgetting to indicate their names. I'll comment them here shortly.

[@Cerriscapades]

1:40 Echeveria 'Blue Bird'

[@Cerriscapades]

2:00 red ones from left to right: Echeveria 'Pappy's Rose' Echeveria 'Fireball' Echeveria 'Big Red' The large green ones are Echeveria imbricata

[@Cerriscapades]

2:08 Dark greyish-purple one is Echeveria 'Orion' small ones around it are Echeveria elegans

[@Cerriscapades]

actually might be easier if you let me know which one you'd like to know the name of, there's lots there haha!

[@CrazyShawty95]

What the plant called at 9:19?! Beautiful!

[@Cerriscapades]

Ohhh that one is a xGraptoveria 'Fred Ives'

[@emmitstewart1921]

reason #11. In a top dressed pot water and fertilizer is evenly distributed throughout the soil ball. With no dressing, water tends to rise through capillary action to the surface and evaporate, leaving a concentration of minerals in the top quarter inch which then crystallizes out, forming an efflorescence. This shows as a hard mineral ring at the soil line around the side of the pot. When you top dress, it slows evaporation from the surface, the soil stays evenly moist, and the minerals tend to be equally distributed through the soil, so the efflorescence ring is much less. Because evaporation is slowed, you don't need to water as often. I have found that top dressing is useful for all potted plants, even African Violets that are being wick fed.

[@Cerriscapades]

Thanks for the input Emmit!

[@milamajadillas4794]

You have very nice succulents.

[@johannalao5355]

Hi just a question what do you with your outdoor succulents ehen it's wintertime?

[@Cerriscapades]

Hi Johanna, this mainly depends on what winter is like in your area. Where I live, we get mild winters so it rarely ever goes below freezing. We have an equivalent of USDA zone 10b. All I have to watch out for is the frost. If we get frost warnings for our area, I just put some frost cloth on top of them. I actually made a video about this a while back! :D kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWHVpKhrrM2op9k

[@HamsterLife_EnglishLearning]

15th reason for houseplants would be to make it harder for aphid bugs to lay eggs in the soil. Great video!!

[@pierloren7354]

Hello, is it okay to top dress them right after potting or do I have to wait for the plants to be stable before I do the top dressing?

[@Cerriscapades]

Pier Loren I believe it should be alright to do it immediately. At least that's what I do with mine anyway...

[@pierloren7354]

Cerriscapades thank you 😊

[@roneedarby1746]

What kind of pebbles do you use for your potted plants?

[@lucresiamatudio121]

Where do you buy these peebles as top dressing?

[@Cerriscapades]

From a landscaping supplies company as it's cheaper there from big box stores. I get my pebbles from SoilWorx. www.soilworx.com.au/index.html

[@jkc1553]

I have a question. I live in Florida and l have purchased many succulents that came from Ca. The problem is that ALL my succies changed to green. Someone told me l have to put them in full sun. I did that one day and some of them burned. What can l do to keep the pretty colors? 😥😥😥 and how high the temperature can be for my succulents to tolerate? 😐😐. Please help. Thanks

[@Cerriscapades]

They're right in that they require sunlight to maintain the colors, but you'll have to introduce them to the sun gradually. Start by giving them a few hours of direct sunlight per day, then gradually increase that by an hour every week or so. If given enough sunlight, the newer leaves that grow in the middle will have a thicker waxy coating (this is called farina, which acts as their sunscreen). The newer leaves will have better sun tolerance. Keep doing this, gradually giving them more sunlight. Don't worry about the older, burnt leaves. As long as the growing point at the tip/middle is not burnt, then you've got nothing to worry about!

[@jkc1553]

Cerriscapades Thank you for your information.

[@FusionDeveloper]

Yes, like he said. It's like you being pale and trying to get a full suntan with no sunscreen, in 1 day, it's going to do a lot of harm and potentially be deadly.

[@deniseacevedo3993]

Beautiful succulent where do you buy them from

[@Cerriscapades]

Hi Denise, I buy them from local collectors and shops (I'm in Melbourne, Australia).

[@milamajadillas4794]

Are you filipino, bec you speak like my brother

[@kalesiawright-voulgarellis7272]

Hi can I use colored fish tank pebbles?

[@Cerriscapades]

You could, but not sure if that's economical. Aren't those expensive? Then again I'm so used to large scale designs so I have to figure out how to get stuff in bulk cheap.

[@kalesiawright-voulgarellis7272]

@@Cerriscapades I saw them at Walmart and was wondering if they could be used. Like 2$ for a small bag. I'd only be doing a few plants at a time though

[@Cerriscapades]

I would use them as top dressing mainly for aesthetic purposes. I would use porous pebbles or smaller pebbles to mix with soil though.

[@omairagarcia1137]

Question: When you live in a four seasons state should we put dressing on them also.

[@maricela6002]

What is the name of the plant at 3:45?

[@Cerriscapades]

Hi Marzel, that's an Echeveria "Berkeley".

[@michelejones4282]

What are those rocks called u used for all your pots. Where to purchase?

[@Cerriscapades]

Michele Jones hi there. These are called river pebbles and you can find them in garden centres or specialist centres dealing with rocks/soil/mulch. In my case I am from Melbourne, Australia and I bought this at Soilworx at Deer Park. www.soilworx.com.au

[@VeonySyndrome]

You can also use pebbles for aquariums in the fish section at Wal-Mart. Just get the porous ones

[@marcelbernard158]

What do you think about chicken grits as top dressing? Thank you.

[@ArleneBergadoVlog]

You have a green thumb, I love your videos about your succulents....

[@catherinetam6266]

How would you recommend the size of pebbles? Any particular science?

[@jenniprior2249]

Where do you buy the pebbles?

[@criscorcino8099]

what kind of potting mix you used for Echeveria?

[@Cerriscapades]

I generally use a loose mix of regular soil and pebbles. If on the ground, I usually use a low ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 pebbles to soil. My climate in Melbourne, Australia allows me to work with that. In pots, I raise the amount of pebbles and go 1:1, because the soil don't drain as fast as in the ground. If I lived in a more humid area, I would use a higher amount of pebbles.

[@marlapillos1906]

Hi . I am new to your channel. What kind of top dressing would you recommend? And where to get them please. Hope to hear from you.

[@vanessabelt2747]

What about top dressing potted succulents in a humid climate like South East Queensland?

[@GoRodent]

I need help..now that I've dressed my succulent with pumice..I don't know how to tell when the plant needs water anymore because I can't see the soil. And when I try to move the pumice out of the way to stick my finger in the soil the pumice falls in the hole and on the table...big mess... There must be a better way to do this.. Moisture meters don't work well in my succulent soil because it has much gravel and things in it that the moisture meter hits and doesn't accurately tell the moisture so I can't use those.

[@anujadarak1899]

I m new to succulent's world, but such tips from you and many helping me to grow them wisely, but doubt with your this video is, 1. Do succulents need fertilizer? 2. Whatif we have to add any fertiliser to soil, do we have to remove the pebbles and add the fertilizer? 3. Once you top dress the succulents, we never know the moisture of soil in that case what will be the frequency of watering them? Thank you.

[@Cerriscapades]

Hi Anuja, welcome to the club! Regarding your questions: 1. They don't need it, they can get by with minimal nutrients, but they would appreciate a bit of it. If you do fertilise, make sure to use a weak dose. I'm being on the cheap side so I just use rich soil/compost as a base and mix it with scoria to loosen it for better drainage. This works for me in my climate because it does not rain as often as in the tropics. If you live near the tropics, you'll want a grittier mix, which means less of the soil, more of the inorganics. 2. Depends on what type you're using. If it is liquid, then you just water them with it. If you're using controlled-release ones. You might want to move the pebbles out of the way, but personally I would not bother because when you water them, they will release their nutrients and will fall into the soil anyway. Same thing. So my answer would be that there's no need to shift the pebbles. 3. If you're new to it, you'll want to use a moisture meter. But after a while, you'll recognise patterns to the plants anyway. It is hard to explain but you'll just know they they look a bit dehydrated, and that's when you know they are in dire need of water. If you're doing the moisture meter method, just keep track of how long it takes before it dries out, then see if it is consistent throughout the seasons. If you have 4 seasons, take note that the soil will dry out at a different rate per season. In my case, it means dry every 2-3 days in the peak of summer, while in winter I do not even have to water them at all because it rains enough that I do not need to do anything. Hope that clears up some stuff.

[@haicelimoule3316]

Can you help me identify my succulents? The place I've bought them from forgot to give me a list of their names. I also asked them the names verbally while buying, but my memory isn't that good actually.

[@Cerriscapades]

Can you upload them somewhere?

[@haicelimoule3316]

@@Cerriscapades Oh, I forgot to put in the link. Here it is!! photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOLABQOfxjZ-NIoqbR1fNZvMX2iv8TbyeEtqtTO_HxbSyuxJhZE1c1ViHvH-TxDjA?key=WDBTdG0xbjV0Y0VtTDROUTdidHFONFVhaWN5V1lR

[@m6bulldog2]

Can I use mulch instead of pebbles? I live in California we will have a really hot and dry weather every summer. Thanks in advance

[@oceanbay5624]

Itzel Magana No, mulch is not good for succulents. It retains moisture , so your succulents will rot during winter time, when it rains a lot.

[@thitthitoo]

did you buy the dressing from bunnings? the ones u are adding to the pots, what is it called?

[@julietaparfitt8776]

Love younr sacculents

[@azucenahernandez6079]

Why not on top of regular plants ? What about pumice ?

[@silvermoondream]

what’s that white toppings?

[@belinda3406]

Yay! New video

[@Cerriscapades]

Belinda haha, you're quick this time!

[@jendeleonart]

Does the top dressing affect the development of new pups?

[@Cerriscapades]

As long as they are connected to the parent plant, the top dressing doesn't seem to affect them at all. They push their way out, with support of the parent plant.

[@nagitokomaeda9910]

Thank you for this useful video! :)

[@christinebeames2311]

Incredibly stunning I wish I was your neighbour

[@christinaeilers3562]

Gee I sure hope you get some help doing this on ALL your plants!

[@Cerriscapades]

Christina Eilers I might just have to do it slowly... a few plants per day or something haha!

[@artpopact2649]

That accent tho. . Pinoy!

[@Cerriscapades]

artpop act2 apir!

[@elisagonzalez6076]

♥♡♥★★★★★

[@dewality8768]

Oh my, your garden is absolutely beautiful.

[@Black_Rose5102]

Where do you buy the pebbles?