Excellent! I think the hardest part about potting a Sans is getting it to stay upright. I also do the rock thing Tarev described. Once the roots start roaming around the pot, it should be pretty sturdy, securing itself in position.
As you've probably realized already, there's no one right/wrong way to do anything regarding plants. Different interpretations of the info, climates, home environments are major factors that can cause different results from same efforts. So only by absorbing tons of info/anecdotes can one best find what can and will produce the desired results - with your plants at your house under your style of care. Believing a thing will work is at least 50% of having any success. Your gut instinct is usually helpful, don't ignore that, your minds' way of trying to assemble what you've read into a plan of action. Whenever I'm confused, I usually do nothing, seeking more info until I feel confident about what I *think* I should do.
My only discrepancy with what's been said since my last input is that I believe some air pockets in soil are good, desirable. This is because when roots have only moisture but not oxygen, they can rot. I also believe the roots have an easier time roaming around in a looser soil than if it's been packed down. Because of these beliefs, I don't usually water plants right after potting because I think it does ruin the little air pockets and compacts the soil more than I prefer. The first few times it's necessary to water a plant, I try to use a gentle sprinkle vs. a more vigorous flow that would move the particles around in the pot. This is what I believe and what works for me, for the plants I have, in the environment I have to offer. There are others out there doing things differently but getting desired results, which would make their methods superior for them, for the plants they have, in the environment they have to offer.
Glad to hear you are a scientist. There's a lot of mythical advice out there with no science behind it all. I try to ignore that stuff, you probably will too, ability to recognize something totally unsupported by science or logic is the 1st step to weeding that stuff out. I don't believe plants are illogical or mythical. The "likes to be potbound" thing is probably at the top of my list of pet peeves regarding mindlessly regurgitated plant sound bytes. If one investigates the science, or even employs simple logic, that theory is bogus. I don't have any formal training regarding plants, and consider myself a permanent student, perfectly capable of investigating/reading/absorbing anything that interests me as someone in a classroom. If I ever arrive at the point where I think I know everything, I'll be bored and looking for a new hobby. This has happened with a couple of individual plants, but fortunately, I don't think that's possible in regard to plants in general (and just made more room for different plants.) I look forward to learning new things right up to my last day here on this earth, almost exclusively possible because of the generosity of time and spirit in which gardeners and scientists share their experiences.
