Succulents are desert plants. Succulent means “full of juice.” They have fleshy tissues and the ability to store water. The leaves of these plants have a wax coating which helps in reducing evaporation.

These beauties are very low-maintenance. They can survive with less care and need less water. You can grow succulents indoors or even outdoors. New succulent growers need to learn how to care for succulents so that they don’t end up killing them.

Some examples of succulents are Aeoniums, Gasteria, Rosettes, Sedums, Kalanchoes, Jades, Crassulas, Aloe Vera, Gasteria, Echeverias, Snake Plants, all types of cactus, Adeniums or Desert Roses, Haworthia, etc.

You can easily make your indoor succulent collection and give place to these cute and beautiful plants inside your sweet home. You can place them on your coffee table, study table, at the entrance of your room, on corner shelves, on window sill, or anywhere you can provide the correct temperature and indirect sunlight.

This free cheat sheet will help you to know how to care for succulents, which you should know before growing them. Let’s discuss some handy tips which will make your journey of flourishing succulents easier.

Tips And Tricks For Growing Succulents

1. Watering Succulents

The chief factor for succulents’ successful and healthy growth is to water them properly. The watering frequency required for succulents depends on the place where you are keeping them. If you are putting them in direct sunlight, then they will require more water, as compared to the one placed at your coffee table.

In the summer and spring seasons, succulents grow actively. However, they don’t grow much in winter and most go into dormancy. Due to this and less sunlight, they need less water in winter.

Since succulents store water, they don’t need water that frequently, as compared to other plants. Water the succulents only when the pot soil’s top layer (1-2 inches) is dry. If the soil is moist, then don’t give it more water. Water them only when the soil is completely dry.

If you are under-watering them, their leaves will start turning red. While if you are over-watering them, their leaves will start turning black. Also, overwatering can attract fungus, and it will put your plant in danger.

Providing proper water is the key to having healthy succulents. Use water bottles or a watering can with an extended nozzle to water the soil so that the water spillage over the leaves can be avoided because water spillage on the leaves can cause stains, fungus, or decay.

While watering succulents, ensure that you are doing it thoroughly and deeply until the excess water flows out of the drainage hole. It is very important to avoid water stagnation in the soil. Otherwise, the roots of succulents will not be able to survive.

If there are lots of dying leaves in the pot, then it’s okay! That happens because of aging, due to which matured leaves tend to dry up, but if there are lots of soggy leaves, then it’s because of too much water. The process of overwatering also leads to the discoloration of leaves. So, if you forgot to water them for over two weeks, it will be okay, but don’t overwater them.

2. Feed Your Succulents

You can give fertilizer to your succulents, but keep the portions small because they don’t need much fertilizer. You can feed vermicompost or decomposed cow dung to your plants. Give the fertilizers during their growing season i.e., summer and spring.

3. Save From Pest

A pest attack is something that no one wants to face, and To avoid that attack it becomes essential to know how to care for succulents so that you can save your succulents from the pest’s attack. The succulents are mostly found to be attacked by mealybugs and fungus gnats.

You can use neem oil to spray on the succulents to get rid of the bugs and fungus. You can also use hydrogen peroxide (3% per liter of water) to kill fungus gnats.

To avoid the attack, use neem oil spray as a preventive measure, and ensure that the water is not clogging the leaves and potting soil. Keep your infected plants away from healthy succulents.

4. Provide The Correct Temperature

There are two varieties of succulent plants. Some of them are summer dormant, and some are winter dormant. Ensure that you give them the correct temperatures so they can grow well.

Examples of succulent plants which perform well in cold temperatures or are frost tolerant are Sedum, Sempervivum, Rosularia Prometheum, Stonecrop, etc.

Examples of succulents that thrive in summer are Echeveria, Agave, Euphorbia, Pachypodium, etc.

5. Exposure To Sunlight

If you love growing succulents, you must be familiar with their love of the full sun. About six hours of direct sun is a must. However, if they are not getting enough sunlight, the gap between the leaves will start increasing, and they will start wilting. Keep rotating the pots. Otherwise, the plants will start leaning toward the direction of the sun.

Immature plants or seedlings do not need as much light and prefer shade. Initially, you can start with less sun exposure (1 to 2 hours) and then it can be increased with their growth.

If you are growing them outdoors, in summer, keep your plants in the sunlight during the day, and put them in the shade after a while. If there is the availability of a greenhouse, then that will work best. During winter, keep them in full sunlight.

If you are growing indoor succulents, keep them in those places where they can get some sun exposure, even if it is indirect. Don’t place them in low light. Otherwise, they will stop actively growing. Also, ensure that your area is fully ventilated so that your succulents can flourish well.

6. Cleaning

When you are learning how to care for succulents it becomes very important to know how to keep them clean. If you want your succulent plant to shine and be pest-free, it is advised to keep it clean. Use damp clothes or soft brushes to remove the dust from your succulents.

7. Right Soil Mix

Succulents have thin and soft roots. It is advised to provide the correct soil mix to keep them thriving. The regular potting mix is not recommended to grow succulents. They need a porous soil mix that does not lock water so that their roots don’t end up decaying or rotting.

One such succulent potting mix formula is 30% garden soil, 40% sand, 20 % pebbles or pumice, and 10 to 20% compost like cow dung or vermicompost. You can purchase the succulent potting mix from the market also. To avoid mold and rot, always mix antifungal powder or neem cake powder into the potting mix.

8. Correct Pot Size

It is essential to choose pots of the correct size for the healthy growth of succulents, which depends on the type of succulents you are growing. Always check that your pots have drainage holes. If not, make sure to make some before potting your plant into it.

Most succulents have small and delicate roots which do not require deep pots. For most succulents, it is recommended to use small pots if you are growing indoor succulents because you can easily manage them.

However, if you are putting them outdoors, you can use a broader pot because it will help the succulent increase its size. Bigger pots can also be used if you want to grow multiple succulents in the same pot, but make sure to give proper space between each plant.

9. Propagation Of Succulents

If you want to have more pots of the same succulent that you had already planted in your green area or wanted to gift succulents to your family or friends, then with learning how to care for succulents, you also need to learn how to propagate them so that you don’t have to spend an extra cost.

There are various ways to propagate succulents. Let’s have a look at it.

The simplest way to propagate them is to use the pups growing from your main plant. Take that pup out carefully, and plant it in another pot with a well-drained potting mix. It will grow well and make your indoors more beautiful.
They can be grown from cuttings. For that, cut some branches of your plant (at least 3 to 4 inches long), dry them for 2 to 3 days, and insert them into the soil mix.
They can grow through the leaf propagation method. Take some mature leaves and air dry them for 3 to 4 days. After that, place them into the porous potting mix. This method can be used in plants like Sedum, Echeveria, etc., but it will not work in the case of plants like aloe vera, and even if it does, it will take a lot of time, so it’s better to grow them through pups.
They can also be grown through seeds. But this method is extremely slow and might take a long time to grow succulents.

Conclusion

Succulents are very easy-to-grow plants. They are used to growing in environments with less water, and storing water in their leaves is one of the properties of succulents, but it is essential to know how to care for succulents so that you won’t kill them, and they keep thriving.

Also, Read: How To Make DIY Hanging Planter in 14 Easy Ways

Last Updated on September 9, 2023 by ritukhare

Author

Sonali Garg (Author)

How to Care for Succulents in 9 Easy Ways?