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Any time generally is good to re-pot a plant but since in winter (November till April) most of my cacti are in relative rest, not growing and held mostly dry this is the best time to change pots and soil for me. Even I started in October : bringing some outdoor plants bare-rooted indoors before first colds.
I don't like doing it "all at once", this is too much work for one day or even one weekend. Also some of them bloom and not to be disturbed. In the summer I am too busy with other yard work, going to hikes and vacations or working under harsh mountain sun is not a pleasant task. How many are due for this? Books say to re-pot every 2 - 3 years but since some over-sized plants are "good to go/good to stay" in the same pot and soil literally for decades maybe a good target would be one fourth of the collection undergoing through this process. Of course some seedlings and fast growers need new pots every year but these are not so many.


Is it the same for you if you have winters at all?

Generally speaking, there's no such thing as a bad time of year for repotting cacti. I favor winter for precisely this reason -- cactus roots sleep through the transplant shock they'd be undergoing if they're repotted in spring and summer. Since my collection is outdoors, repotting time will depend on whether the winter here in SoCal is wet or dry. When my winters are dry, I'll repot in January. When they're wet (as in last winter, and we're looking at another one), I have to wait for a stretch of dry weather in late February/early March. And yes, even desert cacti undergo transplant shock when they're repotted.

I agree it's a great time. I have re-potted a few bigger ones and have plans to do several more. And as Steve says. February is TWO months long so there is more time

Hello, i never heard about repotting cactus in winter, for me it seems like a joke (sorry)... Im planning to repot a few cacti in spring before first water, is that ok?

ossy96 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 11:34 am Hello, i never heard about repotting cactus in winter, for me it seems like a joke (sorry)... Im planning to repot a few cacti in spring before first water, is that ok?

Yes, it is OK. On the other hand repotting during the winter is routinely done and it will present least amount of stress for the plants. Also, it gives me a reason to do something with cacti during the winter.

FredBW wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 3:06 amFebruary is TWO months long so there is more time

An old "funny 'cause it's true" joke for people living in the midwest and northeast US -- February is the longest two months of the year.

If I repotted in winter it would likely end in disaster. My winters are very wet and humidity is very high. Perhaps if your winters are dry and sunny you may be ok but for me it's the exact opposite.

I like to re-pot in winter also, plants are not full of water and soil is dry plus its not hot. And I wont water for awhile which is also a good idea when transplanting cactus.

It's rainy in the winter here but most winter repots make it out ok. I did kill a few plants last year from watering too soon after repotting in the winter though. Frailea, I noticed, seem to be sensitive to repotting when dormant. I pulled two species out of their pots last winter and within a few days of being unpotted they very noticeably shrunk and never recovered.

Where I am at,cacti have to come inside early October. With no greenhouse,that means low light,very little water,and relatively cool temps. In theory they are dormant,or growth has all but stopped. So it is a perfect time to re pot. March or April when they come around they are good to go

MikeInOz wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 12:02 amIf I repotted in winter it would likely end in disaster. My winters are very wet and humidity is very high. Perhaps if your winters are dry and sunny you may be ok but for me it's the exact opposite.

My guess is that you live in New South Wales. I'm just starting to learn about Köppen climate types, and if I'm correct, I believe your climate type (Cfa or Cfb) is the reason why repotting in your winter isn't a good idea:
Since I live in climate type Csb, repotting in winter is possible because I get good stretches of dry and sunny weather.

Steve Johnson wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 5:12 am

MikeInOz wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 12:02 amIf I repotted in winter it would likely end in disaster. My winters are very wet and humidity is very high. Perhaps if your winters are dry and sunny you may be ok but for me it's the exact opposite.

My guess is that you live in New South Wales. I'm just starting to learn about Köppen climate types, and if I'm correct, I believe your climate type (Cfa or Cfb) is the reason why repotting in your winter isn't a good idea:

New_South_Wales_Köppen.jpg

Since I live in climate type Csb, repotting in winter is possible because I get good stretches of dry and sunny weather.

No, I live further south in Victoria on the coast. We are cooler and wetter in winter than coastal New south. Our climate is quite similar to San Francisco in many ways.

FredBW wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:36 am Where I am at,cacti have to come inside early October. With no greenhouse,that means low light,very little water,and relatively cool temps. In theory they are dormant,or growth has all but stopped. So it is a perfect time to re pot. March or April when they come around they are good to go

This my case too, I am talking about doing this indoors since 96% of my plants go or stay indoors for winter. Hardy outdoor plants get transplanted in summer since now the soil in the garden is hard-frozen. So is the case with some emergency (broken, seek or else) transplants that are being executed outside to make less dust in house. Winter growing succulents I also re-pot during summer or transitional months. With other words: it never ends...

ossy96 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 11:34 am Hello, i never heard about repotting cactus in winter, for me it seems like a joke (sorry)... Im planning to repot a few cacti in spring before first water, is that ok?

It is OK, if you can do it all at once. But if some of them are with buds or start to bloom they may not like it and drop some of them.

Also people with big collections and nurseries do this constantly otherwise falling much behind. Some of the them bring (grown-up) plants indoors bare-rooted to save space and give them new pots and soil just before taking them outdoors.

Groundhogs hibernate in winter. But one sunny day they emerge from the burrow and remind us that soon spring comes.

Maybe in 6 week (or more in Canada), maybe sooner, so not much time for winter repotting is left for us.
Next will start spring repotting, moving, watering, fertilizing, spraying, shading, pollinating, sowing, grafting and so on.
Let's enjoy the hibernation if we can.