Hello World! Welcome Friends! It’s not all sunshine and roses when it comes to succulents. Succulents need a mix of sun and water and good soil to grow well. However, when you provide too much or not enough of these things, succulents will suffer greatly.
These plants are finicky, which is part of the reason they’re so popular in interior design. They need just the right amount of light, water, and humidity for optimal growth. If you follow these simple guidelines though, you’ll be on your way to growing some beautiful houseplants that will add a touch of natural beauty wherever they go!
Plant Them in a Well Growing Soil
One of the most important things to remember when growing succulents is that their soil must be well-draining. Succulents hate having wet feet; they will rot in moist soil if given half a chance!
You can purchase potting mix designed for cacti and succulents, or you can build your own well-draining soil. To build your own, mix one part of potting soil, perlite or coarse sand, and vermiculite together in a bucket. Gently water this mixture until it is moist but not wet, then allow it to fully drain before using.
Give Them Plenty of Sunlight
While succulents can grow in a range of sunlight, they need bright light to thrive. If you’re growing the plant indoors, keep them near a window that gets at least six hours of full sun per day.
Note that succulents need at least six hours of sunlight per day, but if direct sunlight makes the leaves burn then you can use grow lights instead. If your succulents are inside but don’t have adequate lighting, using LED grow lights would be better for them. They’re decorative plants but they’re still plants so they need light.
Water Them Infrequently and Sparingly
Succulents will wilt when they need water; if their soil is dry, make sure to give them a good soak. When you water them, use room temperature water and allot about a cup per plant for the first watering after repotting. After that, wait several days before giving them another moderate-sized drink of water.
Don’t Let Their Soil Dry Out Completely Between Waterings
If you let succulents dry out completely, you can expect them to lose leaves. There’s no exact science to watering succulents; remember that they like it when their soil is lightly moist (slightly damp should be fine too…) but not saturated with water.
They need about one cup of water per plant once every five days or so, depending on the humidity. If you water them more frequently they will start to rot, but if you don’t water them enough then they will start losing leaves.
Don’t Over Water Them in Winter
Wintertime is when succulents go dormant, so they don’t need much water in the winter months. Use this time to clean your succulent container and repot it if needed, but don’t fertilize or water for about six weeks.
When resuming normal watering habits in the spring, be sure to soak it completely and remove any dead leaves at the base of your succulent plant. Remove any dead foliage from succulents as soon as you see it so that it doesn’t have a chance to infect the rest of the plant.
Remove Any Dead Leaves Right Away
If you’ve ever seen a succulent with brown leaves, that’s normal for these guys. When they lose their lower leaves, that does not call for alarm. But if you see any brown or rotting leaves higher up on the plant, remove them right away.
The leaves on the bottom of a succulent will dry out and die as part of the plant’s natural survival process, but if you see leaves that appear to be diseased or rotting then you should remove those as soon as possible. This will prevent them from infecting any healthy parts of the plant!
Don’t Overdo it on the Fertilizing
When your succulents are growing indoors, it’s a good idea to fertilize them. You can do this by adding fish emulsion or another all-natural fertilizer during watering; just mix it into their soil and water as usual.
Fish emulsion is an organic source of nourishment for your houseplants, and your succulents will love it. It has a smell but the smell doesn’t stay in the house after you water them; it’s not harsh or strong like artificial fertilizers.
Succulents need to be fed with natural fertilizer at least three times a year (in spring, summer, and fall), and once every three months if they’re in a greenhouse. Just adding fertilizer to your watering can is enough for these plants, but you can feed them more often than that if it’s available to you.
Succulents are a beautiful and hardy plant that can thrive indoors with the right care. Growing succulents requires an understanding of how to keep them healthy and vibrant. The dos and don’ts we’ve provided in this blog post will help you cultivate your own collection of succulent plants!
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Toodles,
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