Repot the plant in the new pot, which should be a bit larger than the old, and pleasant proportion to the plant

Repot the plant in the new pot, which should be a bit larger than the old, and pleasant proportion to the plant. First, cover the drainage holes with clay pot shards or screening (your pot does have drainage holes, right?), Then place the plant in the pot with dry enough, fresh mix. You may want to apply a top dressing, such as crushed granite, but this is not necessary. Now do not water the plant immediately. Instead, allow the plant to rely on direct sunlight for a week or two before watering. This allows all the roots that have been damaged to heal, the healed damp roots that are very sensitive to bacterial or fungal infections.

Tale Old Wife debunked: Remember your grandmother told you to always add a layer of pebbles at the bottom of a pot when repotting, to improve drainage? Your grandmother could have made the best cherry cobbler in the world, but forget advice on pebbles. The soil in your pots should extend all the way down.

A word about the management of your plants: cactus and succulents grow in some extremely hostile environments, and as such have evolved very inventive ways to defend themselves. They will not hesitate to use these defense mechanisms when trying to repot or otherwise manipulate.

Unless you are really hard, you're probably wondering how in the world you are going to get a grip on your thorny cactus as you repot. Some good "tools" that can be used include newspapers or paper towels that were wadded up or foam blocks.

Beware the thorns that all are created equal. Some may be particularly aggressive. For example, this group of cactus known as Opuntia - commonly known as "prickly pears" - have thorns which, at the microscopic level, are barbed and very easily break off and remain lodged in the skin Opuntias also called fine spines. "glochids" which, in extreme cases, obtained in the eyes of people and caused problems. Some other types of cactus, as some Mammillarias, have hooked spines that easily capture fast to the skin and clothing.

Yet other succulent plants are known to have toxic or irritating sap. Plants of the genus Euphorbia are particularly notorious for this. Be careful around them.