If you’ve ever repotted a rosette-type succulent (echeveria, haworthia, etc.), you’ve probably run into the problem of not getting soil mixed in among the lower leaves as you go. And not breaking off leaves accidentally.
Well, Todd M. Huss, a self-confessed “Northwest Ohio hobby plant manipulator” whose WordPress site is entitled …Because I find Weeding to be Great Stress Relief, has found a great yet simple solution: suspend the plant from a pair of artist brushes (or pencils or spoons) as you repot.
With the rosette safely lifted out of the way, you can carefully spoon well-drained potting mix all around and under the rosette until you reach the base of the plant. The plant will remain centered and level with the top of the pot. You can then remove the supports and voilà! A perfectly centered, happily repotted succulent!
Do give the plant at least a few days without water (succulent roots recover best from any repotting injury when they can callous over in dry soil), then treat it like any other succulent.
For complete details, go to Todd’s original blog at Repotting hack!
I just water them from the top to rinse them out. What does not rinse out right away will rinse out later as the growing leaves relax. However, if I grew them as houseplants, I would want them to stay clean like this from the beginning.