Okay, we’ll admit it. Keeping succulents alive and happy isn’t always as simple as people assume. While much less challenging to care for than some other types of indoor plants, achieving perfect harmony between you and your succulent can take time and skill. However, if you follow these easy tips, you’ll have a thriving succulent family brightening up your home in no time!
Picking the right indoor succulent:
If you’re starting your succulent collection, it’s important to begin on the right foot, and that means picking the right variety plant. No matter how meticulously you care for your succulent, some varieties just aren’t suited for life indoors.
When picking out your succulents, stick to these common indoor types:
- Jade Plant
- Aloe Vera
- Echeveria
- Zebra Plant
- Panda Plant
- Burro's Tail
- Crown of Thorns
- Hens-and-Chicks
- Pincushion Cactus
- String of Bananas
- Pencil Cactus
- Lithops
Yes, we know, succulents have some pretty cool names! We’ve got plenty of these varieties in the shop for you to pick from, too!
Watering:
Everyone knows succulents don’t need much water to survive, but finding the sweet spot between over and under watering them can be tricky! True, the most common way to kill a succulent is by overwatering it, but you know it’s also easy to underwater them as well? For smaller to medium sized succulents, it’s a safe bet to assume it needs water once a week, especially during the scorching summer months. When you do water your succulent, saturate the soil completely. Then, wait until the soil is nearly completely dry before re-watering. Succulents store water in their leaves, so even when the soil looks dry, that doesn’t always mean it needs more moisture!
Potting:
Much like your indoor orchid, succulents don’t like their roots to sit in wet soil for too long. That’s why, when it’s time to put your prickly plant in a new pot, it’s important to use a fast draining soil. Look for cactus and succulent potting mix at your local hardware store and use that! It’s best to use a pot for a drain hole underneath, but you can also add a layer of gravel and small stones under the soil to help with drainage. Once you’ve transplanted your succulent to its new home, make sure any lower leaves are sitting above the soil to prevent rotting. Remember, succulents can live for years and years, so when your succulent starts to grow beyond its container, it’s time to repot to keep it happy
Lighting:
Believe it or not, sometimes too much sunlight can affect the health and happiness of your succulent! If your succulent is soaking up too much sunlight, you might notice that the soil is drying out too fast or that the leaves are getting a tad burnt. Yes, you read that right — succulents can get a sunburn, too! Most succulents are perfectly happy with a solid 6 to 8 hours of indirect sunlight per day and a bit of shade for the rest of the day.
Ready to start (or add to) your indoor succulent garden? From our adorable succulent cupcakes to our wide assortment of potted succulents, we’ve got a great selection for you or to give as a gift!