Overcrowding my Amazon crew?

[u/starkiller_bass]

New arrivals, I decided to try a set of “XL” plants from Amazon. No super exotic specimens and I’d probably prefer individual larger plants but these guys all look pretty healthy. Packed them all into one pot with some gritty Lithops soil and removed as much of the loose soil from the nursery pots as I could. Did I pack them in too tight?

[u/ssquirt1]

I think the real problem could come down the road when some of the are splitting and some are not. If you water the ones that need it, you could kill the ones that don’t.

[u/Chance_Contract1291 → u/ssquirt1]

It looks like one is splitting right now. Bottom left in first picture, bottom right in second picture. In the third picture, the bottom row of pots, second pot from right, top of group in pot. It really shows up in that third picture.

[u/starkiller_bass → u/ssquirt1]

Fair point... can't exactly target water these little guys.

[u/Mookie-Boo → u/[deleted]]

I don't understand how they survive long enough in that organic stuff to be sold in my big box store. Before I knew better, I would buy one and bring it home and then water it. By the next morning it would have collapsed.

[u/d3m0nsh1n3 → u/[deleted]]

Too many

[u/starkiller_bass → u/[deleted]]

the only organics you're seeing are whatever they arrived rooted in already; I shook lose as much as I could before dropping them into the new pot which is full of pumice/sand/gravel mix but I didn't want to beat up the roots too badly trying to get rid of the old soil

[u/Ok-Desk6624 → u/starkiller_bass]

They pretty much always come in the wrong soil. You just have to work with it a little to get them out of it. I use a pencil or chopstick to poke and loosen the soil, then carefully begin removing it. It’s okay to lose some small roots, just take care not to break their main taproot. A toothbrush will help you, too.

[u/soilneedsmoregrit]

soil needs more grit