Succulents are easy to care for and hardly need any water to survive. These plants, whose members include sedums, sempervivums, aloes, haworthias, crassula, echeveria and many more, do best in six hours of sunshine a day and are the perfect choice for gardeners who don’t desire high-maintenance garden dwellers.
These plants get their unique look as a result of water retention, which causes their leaves and stems to grow thick and fleshy. Because of their unusual appearance, they are often grown as ornamental plants throughout the country.
If you choose to grow a succulent indoors, your plant will need the following:
Make sure your succulents get enough light: Succulents love light and need about six hours of sun per day, depending on the type of succulent. Newly planted succulents can scorch in direct sunlight, so you may need to gradually introduce them to full sun exposure or provide shade with a sheer curtain.
Rotate succulents frequently: Succulents love direct sun, but if yours is sitting in the same exact spot day after day, it’s likely that only one side is getting enough light. Rotate the plant often. Succulents will lean towards the sun, so rotating them will help them stand up straight. Leaning may also be a sign that they need to be in a sunnier spot.
Plant your succulent in a pot that drains: Succulents do not like to live in wet soil. As plants accustomed to high temperatures and little moisture, they can actually rot, contract disease, or die if overwatered. Potting in a planter that has slots for drainage can help prevent overwatering.
Use succulent soil or soil that drains well: Using the correct type of soil will help your plant thrive. Because succulents don’t appreciate overwatering, using soil that drains will keep your plants appropriately moist. Coast of Maine’s Mount Desert Island Blend is made from: sphagnum peat, organic compost, sand, aged bark, biochar, fish bone meal and kelp meal. This ready-to-use formula offers both excellent drainage and sufficient water retention. It is pH balanced and offers organic nutrients that promote healthy root and plant growth. Purchase online & pickup curbside.
Water heavily, but not often: Overwatering is an issue with succulents: Watering every day and leaving the plant with soaking soil will kill your succulent. However, simply misting them will also leave them wanting more. Supply your plant with a large amount of water about once a week (also varies depending on the variety). Check the soil to see that it is drying between watering.
Fertilizer
- Plants are hungry in Spring, Summer and early Fall when they are actively growing,
- Use Cactus/Succulent fertilizers 15-15-30. Purchase online & pickup curbside.
- You can also use tomato fertilizers but they must be used at ½ strength. Our Bumper Crop Natural & Organic Tomato & Vegetable Food is a blend of natural ingredients formulated for use throughout the vegetable garden as well as with soft fruits like strawberries and acceptable for use in organic production. Purchase online.
- If your plants are looking a little stunted, they are craving nitrogen and should be fertilized. Use Espoma Organic Earthworm Castings 4 Dry QT. Purchase online.
Maintain a warm temperature: Succulents like about 70-80 degrees in summer months and 50-60 in winter months.
How to plant an outdoor succulent garden:
Succulent outdoor plants: Growing a succulent garden outside starts with plant choices. If you are a novice, begin with plants that are easy and foolproof. Sedum and sempervivum are easy to grow and adaptable to bright, sunny locations or even slightly dappled areas. Whatever types of plants you choose, succulents need well-drained soil. They can thrive in cracks and crevasses, rockeries and sandy or gritty soils. Succulents in cool season areas will do best in containers that are brought indoors for the winter.
Water as needed: One of the reasons homeowners are drawn to succulents, both indoors and outdoors, is the ease of care and watering. If you have your succulents in a container garden, you’ll want to soak your soil completely. Then, don’t water again until the soil is dry. Depending on your climate, this could be at about two to three days, or even longer.
Soil matters: The type of soil you use is important to the overall growth of your succulent. When you’re first planting your garden, you’ll want to use a high-quality potting mix with a small mix of pebbles or gravel. Depending on the size of your plant and root, you’ll want to dig 6” to 8” into the soil for planting. After they have settled in, use fertilizer or compost mixture to help nourish the ground.
Provide drainage for containers: If you’re planting your succulents in containers for the outdoors or you’re moving them inside to keep them from a cold winter, drainage should be your biggest concern. A great way to ensure proper drainage is by adding rocks to the bottom of your container first.
Giving them some shade from the afternoon sun using shade cloth, arbors, lattice, or plants with light-textured foliage is recommended. Also, planting succulents near the house so they can avoid some blazing heat during daytime would be a good idea as well.
Keep in mind that giving proper sunlight depends on the variety you choose to grow. Considering your succulent’s specific needs, choose a proper spot for planting your greens.
Many sempervivums, AKA Hens-and-Chicks, are perennial in our growing zone. These grow well at home in rock gardens similar to their natural, rocky habitat. They are very tolerant of rough weather and don’t need the best soil conditions to survive – their name literally means “ever living.” However, these plant gems do need sufficient drainage so their roots do not rot.
However, if you do not have a proper spot for your plants to grow, you can put your succulents in a container. This will allow you to move your plant around so that it gets adequate sunshine.
Creative Succulent Planting Ideas:
- Succulent terrariums showcase the beauty of low-maintenance succulent plants within a glass container.
- Create a hanging work of art. Who says you need a pot for hanging plants? Kokedama which translates in Japanese to “moss ball,” is a way of arranging beautiful compositions made with ferns, flowering plants, bamboo, or succulents.
- Use a large seashell! This will look great with some beachy decor.
- Rotted trunks add a rustic touch to a porch or patio. What a terrific way to use a tree that would otherwise go to waste!
- An unused birdbath should be adorned with succulents instead. Even old or vintage ones look great with beautiful plants spilling over from it.
- Add your succulents to a birdcage planter. You can hang the birdcage or sit in an attractive garden location.
- Fill a hollow piece of driftwood with some succulents.
- Creating a living wreath is a stunning way to plant and display succulents.
- For a personalized take on succulent gardening, try creating planters in the shape of your initials and filling them with an array of mini succulents.
- Succulents are strong enough to thrive even if their planter is hung vertically. Use an old picture frame painted a fun color to form the perfect border for your vertical garden wall art.
Succulents are a smart addition to any garden - horizontal or vertical, indoor or outdoor, plant collection or miniature garden. What could be better than an affordable, low-maintenance, water-wise plant that adds a unique look to your landscape?
Stop by to learn more about a particular plant, to see if it’s currently available, or to ask any other questions you have for our Meadow View Growers nursery team.
