Need instructions for repotting new plants

I have a few cacti and succulents that I have bought. One came with mealy bugs so I would like to get rid of those and repot the plant. I have been stabbing them with the point of a toothpick when I see them. Please give me some step by step instructions and also tell me what to spray it with, the formula for alcohol and water for instance, and do I spray the top and the roots? Do I rinse with plain water after spraying? I know many pests live in the soil so I want to do this right. Assume I know nothing and you will probably be right. Thanks.

Okay 1. take it out of the pot, lay the pot on it's side and tap the edge on top of step, or table. 2. destroy all soil and untangle the roots,3. remove all the soil from the roots. 4. Wash plant off in soap, White King soap or Amway basic L. 1.5 tbs to the gallon.5. Either spray then with this or let them soak for 5 min. 6. Now spray if off.
7. Remove all rotted roots, gently. 8. Now take a new pot, and soil, put in micro wave for 5 minutes. We will talk about soil later. 9. dump the soil out and scoop it up again in the pot holding the pot to the side like so / 10. set the roots into the soil and fill the remaining space while holding the plant dead center with the other hand. Are you with me so far? 11/ Tap the bottom of the box down on a hard surface
to settle the soil. If it is a cutting do not water for a week, unless you have previously dried the cutting. If the plant has roots you may water immediately.

SOIL: Each of us has our own soil mix. Depending on the plant we are potting, at a major nursery where I volunteer we have only one mix that has worked for us. I do not use this mix at home with my collection however. 60% pumice, 30% coarse washed construction sand and 10% forest mulch. It's a good idea to have all your plants in one mix. You want them to all dry out at the same time. You will need a fast draining mix. I do not use peat, if it dries out, it become hard, thus you will have trouble wetting it again, so then the root ball will dry out. 12. dead plant

Never leave plants that you buy in stores like Wal Mart in the original soil. That soil is great for shipping, bad for growing the plant on. That is way so many of them die in the store before being sold. I know you may have difficulty in understanding my meaning when I write, so please don't be shy about asking what in the hell I'm talking about. It's okay with me. Norma

If you have just a few mealies, but the alcohol in a spray bottle about 3/4 alcohol and 1/4 water, some mix it half and half. Or take a cue-tip and use it if you only have a few. Eggs hatch out in 5 days, so that means you must be clean of them for at least a week, watch daily for any new ones that hatch. Looking under the leaves, around the pot rims, where the stems join the branch. Cactus actually get them on their spines, which are considered leaves. Use alcohol, then take a tooth brush and brush them off. This method can be used for scale, thripes as well, it will also kill ants, you may want to use a soap spray, mix it strong enough to kill ants at the count of 5 seconds, it that works it will then kill the mealies, or anything else. Norma

Thank you Norma. Your instructions are very clear. When you say soap spray do you mean something like an insecticidal soap?

I could be, or regular old dirty soap and water that you do dishes in, no detergent! I have used hair shampoo

Yardley's that has oil in it, will work as well. The insecticial soaps over the counter are great and safe. Cactus does not like Saffers soap. I use this daily when I make my rounds at home. Haworthis collect mealies, Gasteria watch for black spot which I use a fungicide for.

The product Concern is great. for either purpose, houseplant spray is good. Just keep up the routine. That is way we water on a reg. basis at the Huntington Gardens, it helps keep down the root mealies. If you get white fly take the plants outside and with a sharp spray them down.
We also keep our soil lean, to keep scarcaria ? (black flying monster) fly away, they like a rich soil. Mulch that has been laying on the ground, especially in Calif. and Florida may have bad organisms in the earth, so you really don't want to use that. Soil for seeds, must be baked for 20min. at l80F. Small quanities, 4" pot full 5 min. micro wave Books have been written on this subject, and I have the odacitity to try to get it into one paragraph. ha Norma

GREAT instructions Norma They should go in a FAQ!

The only places we differ is in one point in potting style, and Lord nows we all have our secrets and favs., and one in care after potting and both are because of our climate here.

I fill the bottom of the pot w/ very coarse gravel about 3/4-1" deep and cover w/ brown paper.
The paper keeps the soil from washing thru and will break down. Then add soil.
This way if the pot ends up in standing water, very common during a wet Spring-Summer, the soil is out of it.

I was also taught to let the plant rest a week after
re-potting.
This way if any of the roots are damaged, they have time to callus over before getting wet. Again because it is more humid and the sun less intense here the plant doesn't really get stressed.

But as I said up top Norma yours are some SERIOUSLY GOOD directions and very well written. They should really help many here. Thanks!

Ric

Only use Saffers soap on Crassula which Cactus does not like. Be sure to also feed new plants on a regular basis starting when the weather warms up. I tbs fert. per l gal of water used only after you have watered thoroughly, make sure your water reaches inside of the root ball, not just the outside edges of the pot. If all pots are the same size, then you won't have to worry about which ones are dry and which ones need more water. Little pots dry out faster. Let new cuts dry out a few days before putting them into the soil. Or put them in dry soil and wait at week before watering, there are more than one way to skin a cat. Are you with me at this point. Norma

Thank you Norma and Ric. I know I will come back to this often for reference, ummm, maybe I should just print it.

Okay did I leave anything else out? Ric you are doll to help out, Henry you're prettiy good at this, I bet you have had a lot of experience. I use several styles, ways to do this task depending what I'm asked to pot up. John Trager gives me the instructions, I try to follow them, then adapt them to my needs at home. Every plant has a window of opportunity which we must respect. You can't live with them, and you can't live without them, sound familar? I repot by the flatfull, about 10 a day. Some go faster than others. We clean the plant up by removing all the dead leaves and bottom leaves that hang down, sometimes we cut off the roots, and pot up the top, often keeping the bases to grow back, other times I just use leaves to start in a flat 100 per. Sometimes I just take the heads off and set on top of soil until they grow their new roots, some rot easily. Norma

Fax may use anything that I write, make sure I haven't left anything of importance out however. I don't want egg on my face.