Assuming you do have a very sharp draining soil as strongly suggested for the jade plant and as sharp for flap jacks some ideas would be a little different but both these plants have the same principles Jades do make good easy and sometimes fast recoveries as there almost indestructible. As suggested make sure the sifted soil is also very fast and sharp draining. Adding more time over a couple weeks to a month transition the jade from more indirect sun or partly shaded toward more time in direct sun and higher temps. During the initial weeks bring both plants inside if temps are to be lower 50's Weekly watering is one persons normal for there jades and would be a very good idea for you for the recovery time and perhaps this whole growing season but any jade as any Crassula can survive several weeks with out water. Let the plant recover soon you should be able to know when to flush the container with water by the leaves of the jade Generally if the foliage starts to look wrinkly then water if plump then hold back on watering. Like most a good goal is to not see any wrinkling at all on jades. I'm not at all certain why a wooden dowel is being suggested to figure out when to water or not water a succulent plant of any type. Of the succulents I have that grow in the sharp enough media for them to grow well in a wooden dowel wouldn't even make it into the container with out risking disturbing the roots or the media it's self. There are (in my opinion) much better tells for watering succulent plants than a wooden stick knocking things out and about a container that I'm trying to keep in.

Those are so awesome! I just love growing anything from seed! I've tried to grow cacti and succs from seed and every time they germinate they grow a bit then rot out. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong 'cause I really don't think I'm watering enough to rot anything. I'm an avid underwaterer if anything. Congrats on your seedlings! They look great. I'm especially a fan of the Leuchtenbergia principis and it's lil baby mantis friend. Adorable!

Many cacti have wide shallow roots, but many have a long taproot which can be much larger than the above ground body. Look at your roots and pick a pot based on that. Taproots need a deep pot, short roots need a shallow pot, wide spreading roots can be placed in a shallow pot (ideally a wide one) or a deep one. The reason for "underpotting" is that (desert) cacti generally don't like their roots to stay wet for too long. If you have a lot more soil than roots, that soil will stay wet and your plant may rot. Clay is a great saver of overpotted plants because it allows soil to dry by evaporation far faster than plastic (sometimes too fast!). Some cacti will flower better when underpotted. Another reason is just to save space, most people have more plants than space. If you don't, you soon will :) To a certain extent, I find that using larger pots with a more gritty soil is effective when you have the space, plants develop larger root systems, grow faster, and are more resistant to extreme conditions. The soil can retain moisture for a little longer without ever being wet enough to cause rot. Larger pots work expecially well for larger globulars and columnar cacti which will grow into the root space. Taprooted species should generally be left in cramped conditions, even to the point where they break the pot, they will never develop an extensive fine root system to fill a large pot. Another approach is to use a quite heavy soil, but to water very infrequently, effective for many taprooted species which have weak root systems and need really wet soil to get a good drink, but also need the taproot to be dry most of the time. All getting a bit advanced maybe, but things to think about in the future. Bowl plantings are another acquired skill. Start with tolerant species, and preferably not plants which have wildly differing requirements. Also avoid monsters which will swamp the others before the summer is out. One technique which allows you to ignore nearly all the rules is just to sink individual pots into some kind of substrate in your bowl and cover the whole lot with grit.

Mara I try to avoid any separating just the same, but often find that there is lots of dust in perlite. I don't measure any particles, but visually try to keep them approximately same size...they are never exactly the same, but trying to avoid 1/2" bark together with 1/8th" grit - that is easy to see. Keeping humus/soil to small amount is something I believe in too (I use it seldom, and if - maybe 10% of total volume, max 20% - and I don't measure it, again just visually). chunsa With the high humidity, some plants may have hard time - ask Neil :) If it was me, I would keep mix pretty gritty to help air circulation too. Too much soil in hot and humid climate could be too heavy, JMO. Lava rock is good, perlite is not absolutely necessary - I use it since it is easy for me to get. And it is light (in windy conditions, it may 'fly' around...:) Grouping plants is personal choice, some ppl like each plant individually. As long as you keep plants with very similar water/light requirements together, it should be easy, space-saving and probably quite nice. Combining plants that needs more water or sun with plant's that don't is making it more difficult on grower. Again, JMO :) Rina