Succulents are beautiful and easy to care for, so it is no surprise why they are one of the most popular plants from Instagram accounts to fashion blogs. Succulents thrive in situations that just happen to be low maintenance, making them increasingly popular for container gardening. And let’s face it, some of them are just adorable.
Low maintenance does not mean no-maintenance, however. Here are tips and tricks for making sure your succulents live a long and healthy life.
How to water succulents
Succulents come from desert conditions and hold water in their fleshy leaves. This makes it easy to overwater your succulent plants if they are not in the right conditions. Proper drainage is especially important. You will need to have a hole in the bottom of the pot to let the water drain. For succulents, you cannot use a saucer to collect the extra water because it will just keep the bottom soil moist.
A lot of succulents can experience root rot when sitting in moist soil for too long. After you water, you need to drain out the excess water from the container. Look for the excess water coming out of the bottom hole to avoid salt build up.
Since succulents need less water, it can be tricky to know exactly how much water to give the container. You want to put your finger in the soil and see if the soil is dry. Not dry like toast, but dry like a piece of fresh bread. When you can feel that there is moisture but no wetness, that’s when it’s time to water. Letting the soil dry out completely can damage the root system.
How much sun does a succulent need?
Succulents make great indoor container plants. And growing succulents is a great way to develop your green thumb. However, succulents need a bit more than light from your window.
Succulents are dry plants. These plants grow in desert-like environments with full sun every day and dry weather conditions. They need to be placed in the absolute brightest light window in your home.
One of the reasons succulents are so popular is because they are so forgiving. They are slow to die and slow to grow. You can probably get away with putting them by a dark window or in a bathroom window. But only because succulents are slow to die. They would do best out on a patio.
How to get your succulent to grow faster?
Succulents are slow growing plants that need patience to see them shine. However, there are some ways to accelerate that process. Fertilize with a good water-soluble fertilizer that you can find at garden centers. For succulents, you should probably use it at the half rate they recommend, maybe every two months.
Fertilizing potted plants can be tricky sometimes, so follow these tips for how to make it easier. Dissolve the fertilizer in water and then pour that fertilized water onto the plant.
For some faster growing plants, you might need to change to bigger pots. A lot of succulents stay in one pot for long periods of time and they can thrive in a tight root system.
Following these fertilizing steps along with the right light and water care helps support a healthy growing succulent.
Source – Texas Gardener Magazine