If you’re looking to decorate your home or office with gorgeous yet low maintenance plants, succulents may be the best choice for you.
What Is a Succulent?
Succulents are plants that have thick leaves, stems, or roots that store water in order to survive extended periods of drought. Their leaves and stems are often called “juicy” because they are capable of holding a lot of liquid in them.
Although they are commonly thought of as desert-dwelling plants, succulents are actually grown all over the world in many different climates. They have become a very popular houseplant in recent years because of their reputation for low maintenance. Their durability and ability to propagate easily make them the ideal plant for use in crafting and the types of arrangements we will create in this book. They come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes, so there will always be a succulent perfect for your project.
While it’s true that succulents require less watering, unless you are prepared to learn how to take care of these types of plants properly, you could wind up accidently killing them. So let’s dig into the basics to jump start your future horticulture hobby.
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| Succulents come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. |
Watering
Watering is arguably the most important aspect to focus on when growing succulents because it is one of the fastest ways to accidently kill them.
Succulents are prone to root rot, which is caused by damp roots. For this reason, succulents’ soil should only be soaked temporarily when you water them, and watering is only necessary when the soil is completely dry. This is important to note because other plants tend to require water more often and sometimes even require their soil to be moist constantly. Mixing up the requirements could kill your succulents.
Succulents are prone to root rot, which is caused by damp roots. For this reason, succulents’ soil should only be soaked temporarily when you water them, and watering is only necessary when the soil is completely dry. This is important to note because other plants tend to require water more often and sometimes even require their soil to be moist constantly. Mixing up the requirements could kill your succulents.
Sunshine
Succulents need a lot of sunlight each day, with the minimum recommendation being three hours of direct sunlight.
When indoors, find the window with the most sunlight and put your succulents there in order to promote healthy growth. The key is to keep these plants out of the shade, whether they’re inside or outside, unless you are in an extremely hot climate. Succulents in harsher, hotter conditions benefit from shade during peak sun hours, which can be counterintuitive because of the stereotypes developed by the portrayal of cactuses (most of which are succulents) in Western films you may have seen. Succulents are actually very durable and are able to survive in a variety of temperatures due to their resilient nature. They can survive in temperatures as low as 35 degrees overnight!
When indoors, find the window with the most sunlight and put your succulents there in order to promote healthy growth. The key is to keep these plants out of the shade, whether they’re inside or outside, unless you are in an extremely hot climate. Succulents in harsher, hotter conditions benefit from shade during peak sun hours, which can be counterintuitive because of the stereotypes developed by the portrayal of cactuses (most of which are succulents) in Western films you may have seen. Succulents are actually very durable and are able to survive in a variety of temperatures due to their resilient nature. They can survive in temperatures as low as 35 degrees overnight!
Soil
The ability of succulents to keep hydrated is one trait most professional athletes should revere. This means that they prefer soil that drains easily. When planting succulents outside, make sure you plant them in areas where the ground doesn’t tend to stay moist or hold water, as this type of location could drown your succulents and cause root rot. If you’re planning on keeping your plants in pots, ensure that there are plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of the pots before adding soil, especially if you choose to keep the plants inside. This will help prevent overwatering.
Types of soil that are best for succulents consist of gravel, volcanic rock, cactus soil, and other similar soils. There are many succulent-specific soil mixes available, too.
As with all gardening, watching your plants and noticing changes, like drooping leaves, can help you understand what each plant needs. Every plant is different, and despite general guidelines for care, they require individual attention to make sure they grow into healthy, flourishing succulents.
If you’re looking for something even more low maintenance, check out how to make your own air plant terrarium. They don’t even need soil!
Types of soil that are best for succulents consist of gravel, volcanic rock, cactus soil, and other similar soils. There are many succulent-specific soil mixes available, too.
As with all gardening, watching your plants and noticing changes, like drooping leaves, can help you understand what each plant needs. Every plant is different, and despite general guidelines for care, they require individual attention to make sure they grow into healthy, flourishing succulents.
If you’re looking for something even more low maintenance, check out how to make your own air plant terrarium. They don’t even need soil!
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| A Beautiful Terrarium. |
How to Propagate Succulents
What’s propagation? Basically, creating new plants from seeds, leaves, cuttings, or other parts of existing plants. You may need to cut an offshoot from its mother plant or cut a smaller plant from its root system. Taking succulent cuttings is a super easy way to multiply your plants with little time, effort, or money! Unlike flowers, which fade and wither away once cut, succulent cuttings will take root and thrive if given the proper care.
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| Succulent cuttings will take root and thrive if given the proper care. |
When to Propagate
Even if you keep succulents in bright windows that get plenty of light, they can sometimes still get “leggy.” This happens when a plant isn’t getting enough light and it starts to stretch out, causing the stem to grow long and the leaves to become widely spaced. If you have a plant that is starting to become leggy like this one, have no fear. This is the perfect time to propagate!
Although your plant may still look gorgeous from the top, the lower leaves will begin to wither and fall off over time and you will be left with a rosette high above the soil on a long, bare stem. Before the leaves start to die, let’s pull them off and propagate them to make more plants.
